Finding a Formal Party Dress

I'm not the kind of woman who pays much attention to fashion. I work from home, so I pretty much live in jeans and T-shirts, and I don't even bother with makeup most days. I guess when it comes to my clothes, I prefer being comfortable to simply looking good. Nevertheless, I do recognize that there are a few occasions when I need to take things up a notch or two. That's why I always make sure I have at least one formal party dress in a current style hanging in my closet.

Even though I don't have much in the way of fashion sense, I know that there are few things worse than showing up to an event in a formal party dress that was hot five years ago. It would be like a man donning a leisure suit or one of those super-wide ties from the 1970s for an important occasion today. Trust me, there are plenty of women who instantly recognize how old certain styles are, and who are not shy about letting loose with cutting comments. I certainly don't want to get involved in that kind of drama when I attend a black-tie dinner or ball, so it's far easier to just give in and buy a new formal party dress (or two) every so often.

Fortunately, I'm able to shop for my formal party dress selections online, which makes staying up-to-date a lot easier on my pocketbook. One thing that would ordinarily hold me back from buying apparel from the Internet is the size issue. We all know that sizes aren't standard and can vary from designer to designer -- or even from style to style on clothing from the same manufacturer. I might be a size 6 for one manufacturer, and a size 8 for another. The last thing I want to do is deal with a bunch of returns because of buying the wrong size. But luckily I've purchased lots of cocktail dresses over the years from many different designers, so I usually know precisely what size to buy no matter whose label is on the gown. Because I know my size, I can take advantage of all the discount pricing that web-based retailers offer.

I definitely think that knowing your size is the biggest obstacle to finding the right formal party dress. Once you have that aspect under control, you can go ahead and start shopping around for dresses that flatter your figure and make you look fabulous for those important nights when you want to paint the town red.

Every woman needs a formal party dress in her closet just in case she receives an invitation to a wedding, museum opening, christening, or any of the other events that require proper attire. When the time comes to buy one, you can either spend hundreds getting something off the rack at the local mall, or you can save from 50 to 70 percent or more on designer brands by buying online. Clearly, this is one of the easier decisions in life!