A comfy, $25 dress on Amazon brings local women together
by Joan Perry | Contributing Writer
Reviewing past event pictures on my phone, I discovered to my slight embarrassment that I’d been wearing the same colorful, affordable, one piece, washable, dress from Amazon to summer events for the last four or five years. I’d been wearing it for so long, it was starting to fade and had a hole hidden in the pattern of the skirt. I looked up my order history and ordered a fresh version of the same dress.
After sharing the pictures of my fashion repetition, I started to feel self-conscious reaching for the same outfit, but no one would have noticed if there hadn’t been photographic evidence.
I worked as an extra in an outdoor party scene for the Netflix television series Outerbanks last summer. We were instructed to wear casual summer clothes, so I wore the dress and brought a couple other options for consideration.
The Wardrobe staff said, “We like your hippie mama vibe!” and waved me through to the hairdresser.
But it wasn’t just me! Suddenly I spotted my dress everywhere. The dress was in the next booth at O’Charley’s restaurant. It came towards me down the aisle at Target. My former Zumba instructor, Prisca Denton wore it in her birthday pictures accessorized with matching glasses and a neck scarf. Shirley McKinney Gaston snagged it in a thrift shop. On request, I shared the link, and multiple friends in good humor bought the same dress.
We are expected to believe that women are horrified to show up wearing the same outfit, but we decided to take our dresses to lunch. Some of us knew each other, others were social media contacts on Facebook, but we all had a bright patterned dress in common.
The staff at Ms. Rose’s Fine Food & Cocktails were patient as they hosted the happy chaos of 12 women wearing the same outfit to the back room, many of us meeting for the first time in person.
Under the dresses, were women who had careers as nurses, physical therapists, award winning authors, a former mayor, College of Charleston staff, arts and nonprofits, a videographer for an Elvis tribute show, and current real estate agents. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other.
The dress is still available on Amazon. It is called the DB Moon Casual Dress and runs between $25-35. Browse around for the pattern. There are maxis and other styles available.
Stay healthy my friends and wave at me as I wander. I might well be wearing the dress. Send ideas for upcoming columns to westashleywanderer@gmail.com.
