Flashback

A couple months ago, in a kind of frantic bid to acquire something suitable to wear to the three weddings I was invited to this summer, I purchased a whopping 14 dresses on Swap.com (grand total: $66.90). A few of them were wedding contenders, but most ended up just being dresses I'd wear to work. One of them was this purple V-neck.

I was excited about this dress. It was the perfect streamlined shape for layering, so it would work just as well in the winter as the summer, and it was a solid color, meaning I could accessorize it with almost anything. The possibilities were well nigh endless!

As I laid it out on Wednesday night, though, I was having a sad case of creator's block. I couldn't really find any shoes, accessories, or jewelry that were fun enough for my taste. I considered taking the trusty monochrome route and pairing it with my newly dyed lavender sandals, but I'd just worn those last week. Suddenly, my eyes lit on one of my pairs of rainbow sandals, and I knew I had my answer. It doesn't get more fun than rainbow stripes and a 6-inch wedge!

For my jewelry choice, I wanted something equally colorful, which meant my best bet was probably my bright yellow rectangle earrings.

Then, all of a sudden, it hit me. I had worn almost the exact same outfit, with a different dress, years before!

The original dress was an old favorite. I still remember the day I found it on the clearance rack at Marshalls (or was it Ross?) and nearly jumped for joy. Over the years, though, I came to realize the dress had more drawbacks than benefits. Its shape should have lent itself well to layering, but that side tie made it impossible, adding bulk underneath top layers, and looking weird and ungainly when it was on top itself. A solid colored dress is basically a blank canvas for accessorizing, but the black trim really limited what I could wear it with. This spring, I dropped it in a "To-Sell" box and forgot about its existence. That is, until I was suddenly reminded of its past life by my unwitting purchase of its twin, and subsequent repetitious outfit choice.

In an effort to mix things up at least a little, I decided against the yellow jewelry and in favor of a black necklace and earrings. Right before I left the house, I also added a black belt. Even this choice reflected the past, as the only color I'd ever been able to wear the original dress with successfully was also black.

Here I thought I was exploring the limitless possibilities of an exciting new dress, when actually, I was the very picture of history repeating itself. I guess even the Unfashionista isn't as unpredictable as she'd like to think.