Party Dresses

Diane von Furstenberg "Zarita" Dress

As of yesterday afternoon, I am finally done with all my exams and schoolwork for the degree! Graduation is next week, and then I have to pack and move. 

There was a fancy party to celebrate the end of the year, and I finally got to pull out the DVF Zarita dress I bought on deep discount from Nordstrom last fall. I've occasionally contemplated looking to Rent the Runway for my fancy party needs, but never pulled the trigger on renting a dress, though it is probably my only potential avenue to dressing in a full-length gown for a special occasion. Whenever I browse the catalog, I seem to have a knack for picking out gowns with rental fees that rival the amount I normally expect to spend to own an (admittedly much less fancy) dress. I don't foresee having any other occasions that call for a gown in the near future, which means that actually trying out Rent the Runway is probably not in the cards for me anytime soon.

I bought the Zarita dress on the expectation that I could also pull it out for future office holiday parties. The possible irony is that it is simultaneously the most nightlife-appropriate dress I own (speaking as someone who generally wears Ann Taylor sheaths on nightlife outings), despite the modest neckline and its reasonable length on someone my height. The fabric is thick, slightly stretchy jersey under the lace, and it doesn't have any shape or structure of its own, which allows it to conform almost entirely to the wearer's body. It was a good purchase for me, and I expect to continue getting use from it.