Shopping Spree. . .

My mom is in town for Memorial Day weekend, and she is -- bar none -- my favorite person to go shopping with. She just has infinite patience, a great eye, and I also really trust her opinion. Today, we were looking at dresses for me to wear to the wedding of my friends Erica & Adam. I'm a bridesmaid (one of two) in the weddding, and Erica only set a few basic guidelines (no black, no red, and no one-shoulder gowns -- her dress is one-shoulder). Very reasonable.

Did I mention that I will be seeing my ex-boyfriend (of the Peter Pan Avoidance Tour) at this wedding? Yes, I probably did. What I haven't blogged about is that I found out he basically started dating the very next girl he even spoke to after we broke up (some random he met on his trip to Kilimanjaro last September (!!!)). By all accounts, it's nothing serious, but it really sticks in my craw (a) that he moved on to another relationship -- regardless of the grade -- so quickly; and (b) that I am probably going to have to see him with this girl at our friends' wedding. Honestly, I've been thinking about it way too much, and the whole prospect is very upsetting to me.


So, obviously, I need to look amazing at this wedding. As in "Oh-My-God-Look-At-Her" Amazing. Also, as in "Oh-My-God, How-Did-I-Lose-That-Amazing-Woman?!?! I-Am-An-Idiot!" Amazing.


You're beginning to understand the importance of today's shopping extravaganza, aren't you? :) So, during the week, I called up the shopper I use at Saks (I know. . I'm fancy like that . .) and another one at Lord & Taylor (amazing dress department). Leaving aside that the L&T shopper was a freaking nightmare (seriously. . showed up late, looked like sh*t, had only pulled 3 dresses, was MIA for basically the whole appointment -- and on personal calls on her cell when she actually was around. Hello. . isn't retail in crisis?), we had a great time.

Turns out that I actually love Badgley Mischka more than I even thought. There were two standout dresses today, and both were from that designer. The first one (at L&T) was this emerald silk wonder that made me feel fantastic. Truth be told, it was way too formal for this wedding, but I loved it anyway.

The second one is the one in the photo. Admittedly, this is a size too small (wedding is in late July & it will need to fit then), so the hip part is bunched up and the cleavage is a bit more than it will be then. But, I really like it. The color and the cut are just what I wanted.

Also, today was a big NSV for me. For the past many years, every time I've gone shopping, all I did was focus on the flaws in my figure -- how dismayed I was about not being thinner, how disgusted and embarrassed I was with/about myself for having gained weight, etc. But today, I just felt great. I know this dress does not fit perfectly yet -- and it's still obvious that I have a way to go to get to goal, but I just felt so good about where I am at this particular moment in time, and where I am headed in the next several months. I attribute a lot of this to my band and to how far I've come with that extra help.