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The -10 lb dress

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

So I fell in love with this dress when the preliminary lookbook was released. Especially since it has long sleeves and is inline with my denim obsession. It sold out so fast online I missed the first round and put my email on a wait list.
It came back into stock, so I ordered it in a large from ag jeans.
http://www.agjeans.com/the-pix.....752_c_1024
On Monday I was at the Apple store getting a new battery for my Iphone. I had about an hour or so kill. Anthropologie had most of the collection in store.
I tried on the large. I could button it up, but there was definitely some pulling.
After a crap last year, between stress and bad habits, my weight is up about 15 lbs or so. I'm getting back on track.
I know you're supposed to buy for the body you have now. But if I wait till I lose the weight I really doubt I'll be able to buy the dress again. The return period is 14 days.
Do you gamble like this?

Shopping

41 replies

Latest reply was from Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

catgirl

Veteran

Not any more. I have 3 expensive items in my closet waiting to fit or fit again, and I see no sign of that happening any time soon. That is me, though. I know some people actually get motivated and take action! If you can do it, more power to you.

Vildy

Veteran

Not your original question but could you get some enjoyment of wearing it open as a top layer in the meantime?

Meredith

Veteran

Oh, I sympathize. Speaking from my personal experience, if I've already started implementing positive changes and are seeing results Im willing to gamble. If it's just intentions and no action yet I won't take the chance.

But do keep in mind it will probably be late April or early May befor you can wear it (assuming .5 - 1lb loss/week). You've been thinking about it a long time so I assume it's worth the wait.

Anonymous

Cute dress, and indeed tempting, but at that price, I'd pass if the fit's off right now. Who knows how would fit even if 15 or so lbs disappeared? You're making me denim-obsessed too.

Zibbets

Veteran

Great dress, but the price would give me pause if I couldn't wear it 100% for sure and at my age, I'm not counting on being able to change my body rapidly or very much. You, young thing that you are, could be very different and able to lose the weight quickly and surely.
Helpful?

Diana

Veteran

Any chance you could return/cancel the AG order and buy it from instead? The reason being that Anthro has a great return policy (I'm pretty sure they have no time limit) so if you don't cut the tags until you lose the weight they'd take it back for sure.

I have enough issues with fit being off for non-size reasons that I wouldn't do something like this unless I knew I could return it.

ETA: great dress by the way.

Sal

Veteran

Well it is a gamble either way....I guess it is whether the risk of missing out is greater than the risk of not having this particular dress.

Or the potential money loss (even if you sell on consignment afterwards) versus not being able to find another similar dress.

I have not done this, however I have gambled on losing weight to fit an item in my existing wardrobe for a special occasion in a couple of months.

Ariadne

Veteran

Nope, I wouldn't risk it. I truly planned to lose weight this year but stuff happened and I ended up gaining instead. You never know what will happen, and it would be awful.to be out that money.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

It's a great dress, but it's the kind of thing that might come around in a similar version from another brand, in a size that you know will fit. I know you're usually all about the originals, but this style itself is already pretty vintage-y

abc

Veteran

Lovely dress. I hope you get this one or a similar one as I can see you making it work with your style.

Now I must admit I quickly clicked your post because I thought you found a dress that makes you look 10lbs thinner. I was thinking to myself, I'll take three, -30 lbs should just about do it

Good luck and keep us posted on your decision.

rachylou

Veteran

Well, I do if a thing is really good. And I gamble that I'm not gonna gain weight either (like I did yesterday with a Mara Hoffman jacket).

But when I'm 15 lbs over (like I was last year), it was really uncomfortable and it was coming off.

annabelle

Veteran

I'd rather buy the dress in the size that fits your body right now, and then plan that you can get it altered to fit you when you are back to your ideal weight. Then it's a win-win and less of a gamble

That's a very cute dress, and I think it would hide an extra 15 easily, whether you are apple or pear or any!

If Anthro doesn't have it in an XL (check online!), then I'd not buy it. A denim shirtdress is a style that is likely to be available again all spring and summer, even if it is not this exact designer.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I won't do it anymore. I've done it in the past, and I've always regretted it. It's too unpredictable, especially once I was in my 40s, *how* I will lose weight even if I lose it. Extra weight is now sticking to parts of my body that it previously ignored, unfortunately. I'm not even buying anything *borderline* tight at this point.

It is a cute dress.

Kristin L

Veteran

It's a great dress, but I don't think I'd risk it either.

Deborah

Veteran

Fab dress, but no I don't do this at all. If it doesn't fit now, I don't buy it.

Missey

Veteran

I do gamble like this! I've won and lost in this game, so I still do it occasionally hoping I'll win. It is a really great dress...do you think it's worth the gamble? If you've already committed to making changes, then it's probably a good bet.

K. Period.

Veteran

Hmmm. Anna, when you say pulling, do you mean pulling on the chest or pulling throughout? I will buy with pulling on the chest because it can be fixed with a shirt underneath or a tank and layering over. Pulling through the waist and hips is harder, but I've even wiggled with them by getting the placket sewn shut so that the pull is more evenly distributed if it just pulls a bit. However, I have to ask, is this soooo awesome and uncopyable that you think it is worth the risk at this price? I think it is that awesome, but not that uncopyable. If we were shopping together and you wanted to go ahead with it I would never question you, but the fact you are checking in with the forum about it tells me that you do have doubts and if you have doubts, I have doubts.

Echo

Veteran

I did this in the past, and it has never worked out well. It wasn't necessarily that I couldn't lose the weight or go down in size, but sometimes it didn't come off where I expected it to, or it came off other places faster than I anticipated. So even when the item fit, it usually didn't fit right.

But I absolutely understand taking the risk. I've just learned my lesson and wouldn't do it again.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I usually don't, for two reasons: 1) I can't depend on losing the weight, and 2) having something I can't wear doesn't motivate me to lose the weight. It works in reverse, making me feel worse about myself.

But two thoughts as to why you might do it on this occasion:
1) the one from AG won't arrive immediately. If there's just some pulling, your weight might go down enough by the time it arrives to wear it. If not, you can decide then whether to return.
2) as Vildy suggested, the dress can be worn open over things, so it could work unbuttoned or buttoned and hence, now and later.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Tricky to say because it depends on whether the dress would serve as motivation or aggravation.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

It's a tough call. But whenever I buy skinny clothes, I don't wear them. Enough. I can't seem to maintain my 5 to 10 lb lower weight needed to wear them. Except for a few weeks of the year, when it's too hot to wear more than shorts and the lightest tee.

I'm a fan of this Rachel Comey dress.

Brighton Denim Shirtdress

$391.00 $117.30

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Scarlet

Veteran

I really wouldn't buy it, Anna. Who needs the punishment of something you are waiting to wear? There are tons of great clothes in the world. Buy something that is fun now. Who knows what you will be in the mood for later?

fuzzylogic

Veteran

I only buy clothes that I love and can wear now (and alter later if required). I don't need the emotional guilt trip.

shiny

Veteran

I confess I've been doing a little of this lately, mostly because I've been so snowed in, I forget (or can't) return items in time, so I'll find myself rationalizing that I'll just not bother and it'll be handy to have an item in two sizes to accommodate weight fluctuations. I am actively trying to lose weight, but regardless, perimenopause is causing wild fluctuations from day to day, and even just a pound can mean the difference between two sizes.

Mostly I'm doing this with pants, because it really only takes a couple of pounds to make a difference in how those fit on me. The Jcrew Maddie's? I ordered the size 2 regular (red) and size 4 petite (navy). The red pair fit just perfectly, right now, except need to be hemmed. The navy pair doesn't need hemming but is just a tad too tight. They look fine on, I can zip them, no camel toe, no whispering -- it's more of a sensory /comfort thing at the waist band. If these stretch at all with wear, they'd probably fit just fine whereas the regular's will wind up being too loose.

Similarly I now have the LOFT ponte knit pants in 3 different sizes - 2 regular, 4 petite, and 8 petite. I weigh myself in the morning and I can guess which pair is going to fit best -- the difference between those three pairs is within just +/-1-2 lbs.

AM

Veteran

I just returned a 10 lb dress. I'm swimming 4/5 days a week and trying to cut back on portions -- but I just didn't want to see this dress in my closet. The dress kept looking at me and saying - "I will only fit if you loose 10lbs." I couldn't deal with a talking dress. It's gone.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Another vote for no. You know your body, and where/how you gain and lose weight, but for me 10-15 lbs wouldn't necessarily make a dress that pulls across the chest, fit. If that's where it's pulling... I guess it could be elsewhere! But I find pulling is often about cut not size, esp with button ups. It's an expensive gamble.

Thistle

Veteran

I wouldn't risk it. I am a firm believer in buy for the body you have right now.

First, I am risk averse by nature, and others aren't.

Second, losing weight for me has never worked all that well. I can take it off, but I can't keep it off. I end up regaining it plus more, and no, I haven't slipped back into old habits. Some research I have started looking at (in an effort to find the most scientificly proven method to take off and keep off weight) suggests this might just be how my body works. Doesn't make me happy, but it has cured me of buying for the body I want rather than the one I have.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Great input. The dress arrived from ag jeans earlier this week
Ok, some things:
I got the dress for 10% from ag jeans due to signing up for their emails. There was no sales tax on it (nearly 10% in Seattle) and I got free shipping.
If I bought it from Anthro, it would be full price with sales tax.
There is no XL.
In 2008 I lost a significant amount of weight, over 30 lbs. I kept it off for over five years. So I'm pretty sure I can do it.
I've been combing all over for denim dresses with sleeves. My cheapo H&M is baggy and pretty thin fabric, even thinner than an average chambray.
Currently, all I want to wear is denim and the ilk.
It is however a bit tight all over. I tend to lose weight all over, just a smaller hourglass, with smaller hips.
I've been purging madly. I got rid of all my floral stuff. And will probably purge more.

Argh, you see my dilemma.

ETA I also got this dress from Barneys, but it has a completely different vibe.

http://www.shopbop.com/railroa.....shopbysize

Diana

Veteran

On the other hand, it appears to be going for over retail right now on ebay so as long as you don't wait *too* long, you might even make a few bucks selling it... of course that depends on whether it remains in high demand.

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