So I have this relatively big event coming up next weekend; I'm a first place division winner for
TOPS with the amount of weight I lost last year and will be presented an award at our State Recognition Days. I'd already briefly considered buying something for it since I'd found a
casual dress that I actually liked, but wasn't sure if I wanted to spend the money when I didn't know if there was some kind of dress code for the ceremony.
I think the last time I willingly wore a dress in public was on the day of my wedding.
They typically don't suit me; I'm an apple and I tend to look pregnant in them. And yes, I know I'm actually pregnant now, but being only 6 weeks along it's not like I'm showing.
Anyway, I was told on Wednesday that I have to wear a formal dress. Uh . . . what? So not what I originally had in mind of buying! I do have a stretchy black velvet dress in my closet, but seriously doubted that it still fit me as I know I wore it at my highest weight of 360. Still, I remembered that since it was stretchy, I was able to buy a much smaller size than I normally wore at the time (I was well over a 30 and it was only a 24). Maybe a 24 wouldn't be so bad?
I tried it on. Yuck. It has long sleeves, goes down to my ankles, and is way too big all over. I briefly thought about having it altered but I'm running out of time and already have bad connotations with the dress (I wore it at my father's funeral). Regardless, I really wasn't looking forward to shopping for a new one. Even though I'd liked the aforementioned casual dress well enough, the ones that don't emphasize my tummy are few and far between, and formal dresses not only tend to be expensive, but they're often sleeveless or have spaghetti straps, which I can't pull off thanks to needing a heavy-duty bra. But off I went.
At the very least I figured I'd find something suitable, but that anything that worked would probably be matronly and unflattering. I hit several department stores and it was all the same story. Not much to choose from for formals, and most selections only went up to 14 or 18. I'm typically in a 16 now (and I do know that sizes vary), but every 18 I tried on was way too small in the stomach and bust. I tried a few plus sized specialty stores, but only found casual summer dresses, and most of those were too skimpy on the top for my bras anyway. I began to lose hope and wondered if I'd be stuck with the funeral dress after all.
My luck changed at Macy's. I found this $120 dress on clearance for only $30! It's a 16 and it fit!
You can't really tell here, but the bottom half is not grey, it's white with a layer of black lace/tulle over it.
While I don't have any photos taken in that old black dress, this will give you an idea of the size difference since then.
(this is 360 pounds to 210)
I'd been feeling like a blob lately in knowing that I need to take a maintenance break. I still have about 60 pounds to lose and was so looking forward to getting under 200 for this first time this summer. But things change, and that's ok.
I'm so looking forward to the baby! And finding a dress like this that actually flatters my stomach rather than emphasizing it is just incredible to me. I can go to the ceremony and feel confident and even pretty when I have to get on stage. It's not often that I find something that actually makes me feel like a princess.
Now I just need to go shopping for shoes, as even my feet have gotten too small for my old shoes.
NSV - I bought a dress!
and for 30 dollars!wow!
I'll post more pics later. 
