Julianne

I thought this jumper dress thing would be totally practical when I found it at the charity shop I used to volunteer at. I tried it on and instantly discovered how fun it is to wear. The beads! The asymmetrical hem!

But I much prefer wearing skirts and dresses to trousers, and wearing this with skirts or dress would risk Hem Clash, and probably Neckline Clash too.

When I am wearing trousers, it’s still a jumper dress without any sleeves. I have to wear either another jumper on top of it, or a cardigan, and because it’s long I have to keep it hung up. Because it’s not with all the other jumpers, I often forget it’s there! I definitely like it though, and enjoy wearing it when I do, so hopefully writing this post will help me remember, and reach for it more often.

Do you own any items of clothing that seemed practical on the way to the till, but turned out to be less easy to wear than you’d like?

I definitely bought this dress secondhand, but it may have been from a dress agency rather than from a charity shop. If it was from a dress agency, it was definitely from The Anerley Frock Exchange, a shop that I only managed to visit one time before it closed, on a day when I decided I was going to do All The Charity Shops.

Better photo, with me actually wearing it, down below!

I started by Beckenham Junction station, then went through all the many charity shops, and one dress agency, of Beckenham. RIP Frock Follies, and a) is it a law for dress agencies to have ‘Frock’ in the name and b) why are they all closed, oh wait, I know – eBay. Then I got the bus up the road to Penge and Anerley and finally Crystal Palace.

I believe that dress agencies are extremely underrated – like charity shops, they sell clothes much more cheaply than they were new, but unlike charity shops, they’re more curated. You’re unlikely to find Primark in a dress agency – they will only stock higher-end high street and designer. And unlike eBay, you can actually try things on, which is a must if you’re in anyway awkwardly proportioned.

This dress, for example, was originally from Zara, something that endlessly surprises me because to be honest I find most of Zara’s stuff to be a bit crap.

But it’s made of linen, fully lined, full-skirted, and has-

-OH YES-

-pockets.

It’s not perfect. I love the rolled halterneck but it sits just a little too close to the neck to hide bra straps. I go back on forth on the colour – it’s probably destined to be dyed either a darker shade of blue or purple. It’s a little too close to denim blue, a colour I do not do, for my liking. Being linen, it creases so easily I can’t be bothered to even try ironing it.

Here is a picture of me posing in front of my newly tidied bookcase in this dress, so you can see exactly how creased it gets!

But all in all, it was a good purchase, and one I can wear in summer, with sandals and a cardigan, or in winter, with a long sleeved top underneath and very thick tights.

Have you ever shopped at a dress agency?