“I LOVE this dress. No, you can’t possibly understand how much I love this dress.”

I could see the excitement in her eyes as I sorted through a vibrantly colored garment rack of both custom and ready-to-wear dresses in her loft.

“But of course I could never wear it again. I wore this dress at a restaurant opening and took so many pictures.”

I felt the heartbreak.

The sheer excitement and delight that the dress once gave her was now gone. Gone because social media had already captured the garment.

After glancing at the size tag on the dress and discovering that I in fact could not fit the dress I told her “wear the dress! You love it!”

And then there was a deep sigh.

I have never seen so many beautifully crafted garments in one closet (that wasn’t in my home, tee hee.) Kimonos from Tokyo, tailored jackets from London and multi-functional tops hand-sewn in Accra. Of course this is the closet of no one other than my; TED talk giving, magazine cover gracing, #lifegoals, YAY-partner in life, mentor, sister-from-another-mister, also known as Valerie. Yet this one dress was the apple of her eye.

I’ll admit that I was once, well still am a bit guilty of that as well. Not wanting to join a group photo, or only capturing my stack-o-bracelets because I’m not quite ready to “feature” the dress I’m wearing online at that moment. It’s an awful feeling, a feeling I am challenging everyone who suffers from this ailment to combat.

If there is a garment that enhances your greatest features and evokes a level of confidence you forgot existed, say yes to the dress, AGAIN.

As it stands, I do not receive any complimentary items from retailers or designers and I am tackling blogging head on. With that, to create engagement and to continue to produce content, I must take more photos. Outside of purchasing a new phone, which I discussed in length in Expensive Cells & Chanel I simply refuse to invest anymore money into the venture. That includes clothes.

If I want an item because I absolutely adore it, that is justifiable (to me.) Purchasing additional items that I may or may not love solely to appease IG, is not justifiable. This fear of repeating the same garment online is such an epidemic (I have a Public Health degree, Im not doing anything else with it so let me enjoy saying epidemic in peace) that retailers are now revising their return policies due to the influx of clothes being purchased for photoshoots and returned.

How do retailers know that the garments are being worn you ask? Because the culprits are TAGGING the retailers or designers in their photos, in an effort to gain more likes or followers.

C’est la vie.

Within the last trois months, I have found the dress that I (have removed the tags from) say yes to again and AGAIN.

On a hanger, this dress makes me giddy. The thought of wearing this dress makes me show every inch of my dreaded Invisalign trays. This dress makes me feel that I can conquer the world while wearing (semi) couture and looking absolutely adorable.

I will wear this dress riding in a car.

I will wear this dress drinking at a bar.

I will wear this dress frolicking on a farm.

I will wear this dress next to a tractor in a barn.

I will wear this dress to the moon.

I will wear this dress again, very, very soon.

-Jessie Seuss

This dress prompts poetry.

Never defend saying yes to YOUR dress, again.

Join me in fighting this epidemic by #sayyestothedressagain whenever you rewear your favorite garment online.

Are you ever reluctant to rewear a garment because people will notice?

Name the item in your closet that instantly activates your slay.

Be certain to click “notify me of new comments via email”

Ciao for now 💋