Dress: Glimmer Ankita Dress - Size M
Belt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Steve Madden Seeri Sandals
"It's okay it's your right, come on and take a chance...Everybody come together. Free." - Cat Power
I realize the Glimmer Ankita Dress is not for everyone, but it's MY style and totally worth $200 to ME. I find it so frustrating that people think a frou-frou, structured, Stepford wife dress is worth $200 (remember the Mullany Dress frenzy? If you don't, just Google it, every blogger and her sister bought that dress) or some plain black pumps with red bottoms are worth $500, but not the type of things I like. People can blog about that shit and the masses eat it up with a spoon. Not one single comment judging them for spending that much money on material goods. Oh, didn't you know? Those pieces are "classic" and "timeless", dahling.
I love the style and spirit of the 70's. I love free-flowing dresses in hippie-inspired patterns, and The Glimmer Ankita Dress is the epitome of this style. I don't give a shit if Mrs. Roper would wear it or if it's a "OMG muumuu." I love it, and I chose to spend the money I earned wasting away in a desk chair on making it mine. If it helps, think of it as my version of the Mullany Dress. In my world of long haired freaky people, this is a classic, timeless dress.
I'm sure many of you think I'm crazy for so passionately defending a dress, but like I said, it's about more than a dress. It's about choices and our rights as individuals to make whatever choices we damn well please without having to hear judgment from others. Why do they care so much? Maybe because condemning someone else for their choices makes them feel better about their own.
You want to spend $200 on a dress that sucks in your waist, pumps up your boobs, and makes your ass look like you could bounce a quarter off of it? Knock yourself out. I'm not going to call you out on false advertising. You want to live a super structured life, never deviating off course, never making a mistake, and always doing the right thing? You'll find no judgment here. As for me, I'm going to wear my muumuu's, make mistakes, pick myself back up again, and taste everything life has to offer. I don't need to put others down to validate my life choices. I like my life just like my dresses - free, flowy, and with enough room for everybody.
Cat Power - Free
Posts
The dress is very pretty. I know what it's like to have people judge and think they know what's best for you. I've had people tell me what they thought I should wear, how I should do my hair, weigh in on my choice not to have children... It used to bother me a great deal, but as I've gotten older I realize that I don't care. I have to live with my choices, not them. I think it's usually a combination of well meaning people that think they're helping and people that try to make themselves feel better by putting other people down. I always listen to what they have to say and if it doesn't sound like it will be something I'm interested in I just let it go. Try not to take it too personally because it's most likely less about you and more about them.
ReplyDeleteI love this dress. I love the colors and the pattern. I was crushed that it didn't work on me, but I think it really works on you - belted or flowy. I wish I had your height!
ReplyDeleteI was having a similar conversation with someone today - about how important it is to respect others' beliefs and views and choices (we were talking about religion and politics) even if you don't agree with them. I have to say it's taken me some time to get to the point where I can do that. I also agree with you about making mistakes. Life is all about the process...making mistakes, growing, falling back down and making the same mistake again, picking yourself back up, falling back down, growing, growing, growing. Growth never happens in a straight line. We always cycle back around. It would be pretty damn dull if we started out at the finish line. Where's the fun in that? Just go with your process, pay attention to your feelings because they're information that can help promote change, and try to enjoy the ride. :-) If people are get so caught up in and are so upset by some of your choices (I don't mean just disagreeing, but having to spew anger and insults) maybe it's a way for them to avoid looking at their own stuff. Some people use alcohol/drugs/sex, some people over work, some people overspend, some people worry about fixing everyone else. Not only does condemning someone else for their choices make them feel better about their own choices, it also helps them avoid having to look at their own stuff.
for what it's worth, i appreciate that you are honest and don't try to pretend that your life is perfect or that all your decisions are right all the time, others of us who live in small towns and certainly are not perfect can relate to you as a person and how style can fit into your life, thanks and best to you and your family, btw the photography is beautiful and the location choices are amazing
ReplyDeleteThe dress looks great! I usually try to buy on sale, but every once I awhile a piece calls to me at full price and I answer. I don't think anyone has the right to tell you how to spend your money. It's your money! It looks great belted, too.
ReplyDeleteLove the colors of this dress. Looks good on you.
ReplyDeleteDitto what Amanda said! I try to play the sale waiting game with Anthro especially because I know their sale cycles. If I am head over heels for a particular piece, I will sometimes buy it full price. This dress is gorgeous, Bonnie!
ReplyDelete(And I'm snickering about the false advertising thing.)
What you said totally makes sense. I don't see people telling bloggers that they shouldn't have purchased the Mullany or the Mompos dress full price, they actually give them compliments. Not sure why they don't understand that everyone has a different taste and you explained this very well! I don't get why people are so strange and can't respect other people's opinions!!
ReplyDeleteI own the Mompos dress full price but the dress you are wearing is also my style. I love bohemian when I feel like, and also wear "timeless, classic" stuff like the mullany dress.
I have told you this before in another post but I see the things you usually wear in the rack and they look hideous but when I see them on you I totally add them to my wishlist like this dress. It's really nice to see Anthro's new style I suppose on a real person, not on a skinny model since I can't relate to that body shape!
I, for one, love this dress! second, I really appreciate your reviews and sometimes I wish I could make you to try other things I love on-line and can't shop in person since the store (two of them) @ 16 hours away (by car!). So thank you and frankly I don't read anything between the lines and it's not my place to judge. I'm here to look at superb photos of a real person not staged photos of super tall and skinny model. Please continue to post! I "heart" NC just by looking at your photos.
ReplyDeleteLove that second picture of you! and for once I agree with what you're saying 100% that's a shocker LOL!
ReplyDeleteTurquoise is your color!
ReplyDeleteThere is no need to put down other bloggers or their styles choices, which you did above. I'm not a blogger but that comment was uncalled for. Just because people sometimes criticize your look, does that make it ok for you to do it to others? really.
ReplyDeleteI really like your dress! You look great in hippie styles.
ReplyDeleteI really like your dress! You look great in hippie styles.
ReplyDeleteI really like your dress! You look great in hippie styles.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amanda! You're way smarter than me. I'm impatient and usually can't wait until sale. I'm going to try and practice more restraint going forward. It just makes more sense.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the kind words. I'm glad that what I'm trying to do here is not lost on everyone. It's great inspiration for me to keep going.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE what you have said here. I couldn't agree more. You're right, we all have something we do to make life easier. Anyone who denies that is not being honest with themselves. I choose to focus on my own stuff and bettering myself instead of telling others how to best live their lives. My hope is that most people appreciate my honesty. However, it seems as if some see it as an opportunity to belittle me.
ReplyDeleteYou're exactly right. That is what I always try to tell myself when reading the nasty comments: its them not me. Anyone who gets that worked up over a complete stranger's choices has got issues. I mean, I know I got issues too, but I'm glad that's not one of them. I don't think anyone has the right to tell someone else how to live. And people say I'm narcissistic.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry if that's the way it came off. I didnt mean it to be offensive. I actually tried on the Mullany myself and thought it was beautiful. It just wasn't my style. I was just trying to be funny when I said Stepford Wife. I mean, you have to admit it is that perfect 50's housewife silhouette and style. There's nothing wrong with that. I was just pointing out that the masses were ok spending $200 on that dress, but not a 70's inspired flowy dress.
ReplyDeleteWell, thanks! Glad you and I could finally agree on something! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Olya. I'm glad this is a place you can come and take what you need and leave the rest.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nadia. I'm glad you get me. I'm one of the few people who likes the stuff Anthro has been turning out lately. I think they have a good mix now of all kinds of styles. I love that they've added more of the types of pieces I like where before there seemed to be an overload of frilly pieces. (Not there is anything wrong with frilly.) I don't get offended when people say "Anthro's clothes suck lately. They just don't have good quality pieces anymore." I just say to myself, "Cool, more for me!"
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteCute! Did you dye your hair darker? Or is it just the lighting? Either way, you look lovely. :-)
ReplyDeleteNew reader and slightly bummed. The beginning of the rant is fairly right on - if that dress calls to you, go for it. It's your money, your body, your choice, etc.
ReplyDeleteBut this? "You want to spend $200 on a dress that sucks in your waist, pumps up
your boobs, and makes your ass look like you could bounce a quarter off
of it? Knock yourself out. I'm not going to call you out on false
advertising. You want to live a super structured life, never deviating
off course, never making a mistake, and always doing the right thing?" and the rest of the paragraph is super judgmental.
For what it's worth, the Mullany dress is totally my style and I am "free, flowy, and [I have] enough room for everybody". Some of us are so much more than the dress we put on our body. Inside of that polka dotted dress could be someone who makes mistakes and laughs at them or throws herself onto the ground to catch toddlers who are launching into her arms.
Clean lines and messy, happy lives are not exclusive.
I bought this dress because of you. I like 50's style dress as well as the 70's style dresses. It comes down to people spend their money on what they really want. Too bad they have overlooked this dress. You and I can appreciate its' wonder together!
ReplyDeleteBeing free spirited is a state of mind, not what you have on your body. It's valuing experiences, desiring to see beyond your own sphere, and seeing beyond yourself and into the world around you. Clothes are completely irrelevant to being free spirited or any other category in life. I have much more respect for people who actually don't mind wearing the same things 1,000 times and instead use their money elsewhere to widen their horizons.
ReplyDelete