Sometime in 2009, I put an HL dress on for the first time. I was not impressed. The sales associate told me that HL bandage dresses were flattering on everyone. I looked at myself in the mirror and decided "everyone" didn't include me. I was overweight and not happy with the way I looked, so why would I want to wear a piece of clothing that showed off my body? I avoided the dresses for over 3 years.
In late 2012, as I was shopping online, I found a gorgeous black HL dress for a steal. I had lost a significant amount of weight and was ready for more body-conscious fashion, so I took a chance and bought the dress. It arrived the next day, and I was again disappointed. It just didn't look right. So I reluctantly took off the dress, folded it back up, put it into a box, and dropped it off at the post office. I was hoping to surpass the milestone of trying a HL dress and actually own one, but it didn't happen.
A few weeks later, I went shopping with a mission to find a HL dress that I could finally call my own. I found one and loved it, but alas, even on sale, it was still over $1000. I may be the size I want to be, but my budget isn't what I want it to be, and this girl needs to save.
Still determined, I went on my mission again today. I visited another store, and I found the dress I liked again, but it was still over $1000. I almost walked out, but the sales associate was so nice and warm I opened up to her and told her I was looking for my first HL, yet was on a tight budget. She seemed genuinely happy for me and said she understood, so she found me several dresses on sale. I didn't like some of the styles, and some of them weren't my size. She found me 2 gorgeous black dresses for under $600. I told her I was hoping for color, but I'd try them anyway. I put on the one with cap sleeves and loved it, but I needed 2 people to zip it up, and I felt like I was wearing a medieval corset. Unfortunately, that style ran small and the next size up (small) was sold out in the whole country. I put on a classic strappy style with a sweetheart neckline and loved it, but the S was actually too big. The SA went in the back and said she didn't have a XS, so I contemplated buying the S, but she said that she wouldn't sell it to me cuz she knew I'd be unhappy with it. I love honest SAs! Disappointed, I took the dress off and began putting my clothes back on, then she said to me through the curtain, "I have an idea. I have a feeling this will work". She said she found a XXS in the strappy black dress and felt like it would work for me cuz the S looked really big on me. I said I'd try it, so I did. And voila! It worked. Now I know why I never buy clothes online (only if I've already tried the item on in person before). I never would've guessed I could fit into a XXS. And as a bonus, as body-conscious as this dress is, I can actually zip it up myself!
To add a little twist to the story, the SA told me that the dress I originally went in there for did get marked down some more, so I had a choice to make. That dress was multi-colored and beautiful, but I decided that, since my budget is pretty tight, it may be a while before I get another HL dress, so I went with the black. I finally met the milestone of buying my first HL dress. I hope I made the right choice. What do you think?
