This Madewell dress caught my eye weeks ago but was out of stock in my size. When one popped up, I decided to grab it just to see. I wasn’t committed to keeping it when I ordered, certainly don’t *need* it, but I kinda love it?

Though I don’t usually do tiers or three-quarter sleeves or florals, something about this dress speaks to me. I’ve been low-key looking at prairie dresses for a couple years, without finding the right one. The colours on this one are awesome. The dark ditsy floral has a 90s vibe, a little bit prairie, a little bit April Cornell. I like the little self-fabric buttons and the fact that the neckline works open or closed. It’s super comfortable, and seems like it would also work belted at the waist with a sash/obi/etc. I like the idea of it with all sorts of footwear — doc martens, sneakers — and it layers easily under all of my outerwear, both short and long coats. Chunky cardis would work too, I think.

The question is, will I wear it? It’s a weird time of year for me to shop because I’ve got a couple of camping trips and a two-week backpacking trip coming up and won’t be wearing a lot of “real clothes” for the next month or two…

What do you all think? Keep it or let it go? Will I regret returning it, or is this a trend piece I’ll tire of too quickly? Dresses are never my highest-wear pieces, so they need to have some staying power over the years.