Ingunn's thread on her wrap dress http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....lenge-week and then her follow up K/T on her sheath dress reminded me that my *own* FFB standby sheath dress has seen better days.

This dress! Here's a link to one way I wore it; there's a pic of a fancier wearing below. http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....hey-cuties

It was donated by a friend when I was still far too..um...weighty...to wear it. But after I lost weight it was one of the only things in my closet that fit, for months. Simple jersey, it has a nice drape and fits a little bit on the loose side.

The armholes were never a great fit; I believe my bustier friend may have stretched that area out a bit before she passed it along to me. But despite that, I wore it SO MANY TIMES in so many combinations across every single season for two full years....is it any wonder that when I look at it today, I notice that it is getting a little sad?

I am technically on SYC until my trip. But I was planning, of course, to bring this dress on my trip and wear the heck out of it (um...like I do on every trip).

Do I really want to wear a substandard dress in one of the dressiest cities of the world?

So I got thinking that maybe it's time to replace. My dilemma: what to replace it with.

Here are some possibles contenders:

The selfsame dress, from Comrags. http://comrags.myshopify.com/c.....gely-dress

Pros: known quantity, made in Canada.
Cons: might be a different fabric this time around (their jerseys vary in drape and some years are not as good as on the dress I have) and it will have to be hemmed. Will have to pay delivery on top of the dress itself. Sizing is by letter vs. number, so less specific. Black.

Shannon's sheath dress from BR: http://bananarepublic.gapcanad.....=230010003

Pros: Looks substantial, good price on sale, fun leather trim, free returns if it does not fit.
Cons: Black. V neck MAY be a con for me, depending. Might need shortening since no pettites available. May not fit, period, since petite is not available.

J Crew stretch wool shift dress in navy or grape: http://www.jcrew.com/womens_ca...../95962.jsp

Pros: Navy or a fun purple vs. black. Can order in petite and regular to compare. Nicer fabrication?
Cons: Possibly not as packable as jersey. Pricey (though I have a gift card to offset some of the cost). Also, i don't really know my size in J. Crew and might have to do some trying on/ returning, which with J. Crew costs (no free returns). May not be truly cross-seasonal in my climate --- tough to say.

J. Crew Emmaleigh dress in navy: http://www.jcrew.com/womens_ca...../24155.jsp

Ditto above concerns...fit is a bit different on this one as it has a defined waist.

I would love your thoughts.

Should I replace my dress before the trip, or just make do with the old one for the trip and wait? After all, most people will see me with my coat on during this trip...it's not as if the dress will be on prime view.

And are any of these serious contenders? Or do you have alternatives (that I can source in Canada.)

Note: I tried on a pile of great Calvin Klein dresses at the Bay last year....not a single one of them fit me properly. Problems were mainly that they were too big in the wrong places.