SWIMSUIT COVER-UP? NOT A CHANCE!

Hello friends! Today I'm so excited to share with you another fashion secret of mine. I decided to finally reveal the truth behind one dress that some of you, who personally know me, love and wish you had in your closet. So next time you see me, you will no longer be wondering, is it a dress, skirt, shirt, cover up, what is it?  The reason why I decided to feature this dress is because no matter how I accessorize it or how I wear it, I get compliments every time.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever been to a store and seen a dress that you absolutely love and once you get so close to take it off the rack you find out that is not a regular dress? Perhaps it's a swimsuit cover up? Did you buy it? Some of you might be knodding your head saying ,yes, or maybe this has never happened to you before. Well, my friends, it has happened to me a lot of times. The sad part is that sometimes because of my lack of creativity I have left that gorgeous dress hanging on the rack and I walked away thinking, oh it's not a dress. Pity! NOT ANY MORE! I learned my lesson the hard way. Today I want to encourage you to be a little more brave next time you go shopping. Good news, that swimsuit cover is a dress, and YES, you can wear it and rock it how ever you want. No one will ever know that is "not a dress," unless you tell them. Shhhh that will be our secret! 

When I saw this dress, I knew I had to the get it. I had the feeling that someone else was looking at it. Let me tell you a short story how I found my dress. And if you are a mom, you can probably relate to me in so many different ways. Imagine this scenario.  Here I am shopping with a 2 year toddler who wants to get his little hands on everything. I'm constantly distracted by taking things away from his hands, offering treats, new toys and giving up on the whole shopping experience. Right before I decided to walk out of the store, I decided to look back, and there he was, hanging in the rack calling my name. It caught my attention so much that I decided to go back and start the whole shopping experience again. So here is mommy negotiating with Logan another episode of Elmo, just so I had ten more minutes to shop. If you have ever been to a TJ Maxx store you probably know how busy it gets during Saturday mornings. I think I picked the busiest day of the year to go shopping. The store was packed but luckily the dress was hanging in a rack near to the restroom, so I had to think fast. I immediately started speed walking, jumping over all kind of obstacles, squeezing between people and saying to Logan as loud as I could, don't worry baby we are almost there, I know you need to go potty! All of this just so that I could get to that dress before anyone else.  Yep, I'm guilty, I used my baby as a shopping tool, but just this time, I promise! Turned out that this was a simple dress, but the fabric was soft, comfortable and the price was amazing. Unfortunately it wasn't what I was expecting, it was a swimsuit cover up. I was tempted to leave it, but I didn't. I needed a swimsuit cover up any ways.

That night my husband decided to surprise me with a date night. I probably spent a long time looking at my clothes and thinking, I have nothing to wear. I wanted to dress sexy but modest and look beautiful, but nothing in my closet was inspiring me. Suddenly I spotted my swimsuit cover, some nice high heels and  a nice black jacket. Bingo! He took me to the nicest restaurant and I did not feel under dressed at all. On the contrary I was feeling exactly the way I wanted, beautiful and confident. Oh this dress was a total success! Short story, I really nice lady approached me and said, "excuse me, I saw you when you walked in and I couldn't resist telling my husband to look at that stunning young woman. I love your dress! Do you mind if I ask you where you bought it? Did you buy it at Caché? I think my daughter would love a dress like yours!" Oh I felt so special, especially coming from this gorgeous sophisticated woman. So I'm sure most of you are wondering, what did you tell her? Well, knowing that I didn't buy it at Caché and that it was a $7.99 dress, I just smiled and said, you are so kind, thank you so much for your compliments. It was a gift from my mother and I'm not sure where she bought it! That night we spent hours talking to that couple, we exchanged contact information and left the restaurant. They were visiting from England and we became really good friends. Claire.. I'm sure if you are reading this article and wondering why I didn't tell you? I'm sorry, I was embarrassed to say that it was a swimsuit cover up that cost me $7.99 and was not a dress! I love you! 

I love this story, and I have many more, but I will focus on the dress....... Ready? And here is that AMAZING dress!

Dress: Cristinalove ( TJ Maxx) 

Yellow Blazer: Platino (Centro Andino, Bogotá, Colombia)

Black Blazer: Ann Taylor Loft 

Black T-Shirt: Down East Basics 
Black Dress Shirt: E.K Designs (Ross) 

Belt: Ross 

Shoes:  Kenneth Cole Reaction (Ross) 

Sunglasses: RayBan (Sunglass Hut) 

Watch: DKNY (Macy's) 

Bracelet: I made it 

Erarring: ICING (Paradise Valley Mall) 

Did you noticed something about these pictures? I'm wearing the same dress, accessories and shoes! I was able to use one simple "dress" and wore it in four different ways. All I did was to wear a different color blazer, wore a simple black t-shirts and a black dressy shirt. How easy was that? I bought one swimsuit cover for $7.99 and was able to mix and match with what I already had in my closet and the outcome was, four gorgeous different looks.

So next time you are at the store, be open minded, be creative, be adventurous, be brave. If you see something you like at a really good price, buy it. I guarantee that you too can be creative.

Hope you were inspired my friends. I would love to see pictures of you trying one of my fashion secrets.

Send me an email or become my friend of Facebook and I will feature you on my next Readers Spotlight!