B and I were recently discussing the virtues of fixing things instead of automatically replacing them. Why? Because I feel like the past few weeks, all I’ve done is shuttle pieces of my wardrobe back and forth to various vendors for mending; two dresses to the tailors (one for a busted zipper, another a burst seam); my favorite watch to the jewelers — twice; soon, my best knee-high boots will visit the cobbler for some resoling. Oy.

Why do I bring this up today? Well. This dress.

When taking photos this morning, I was elated that I still managed to get another “summery” wear out of this frock. I jazzed it up with a cobalt blue belt, snow leopard print flats, and a blue-purple gem pendant (a slight variation from the last time you saw it). I thought these were fun, bright ways to wear it slightly differently before autumn weather really set in.

Then, while at work, my hand brushed against the side seam, above the trumpet flair of the skirt, and I felt it: a mass of errant threads that only means a burst seam. Ugh. I left it and thought, “ok, not too bad, I can fix that.” Then, an hour later, I thought to test the back seam — conveniently right on my butt — and, yes, you guessed it, another wider, uglier mess. Sigh.

With a work event this evening, I asked B to bring me another dress to wear at least. He’s a peach.

Dress: Donna Morgan via Modcloth (sold out)

Flats: TOMS

Belt: TJ Maxx via another dress

Necklace: Global Odyssey

I love this dress. So what’s a girl supposed to do? I ended up Google searching “Donna Morgan dress red” and found it at Nordstrom Rack — the last one, one size bigger and for $45. After some debating, I decided to buy it (it’s thankfully a pay week!). While I’m dismayed at how fragile this dress it, I’m wondering (and hoping) that a slightly larger size will give me some ease on the more pressured seams (especially in the skirt). Also, despite buying this dress twice, I still haven’t spent the full retail amount. Damn you, Donna Morgan, on making such an addictive product! Gah!