4 March 2008 No Comment Print This Post  Email This Post

Wear ‘em once dresses drive me nuts. From prom dresses to wedding dresses, I can’t stand the thought of plunking down that much cash for something I’ll only spend a few hours in, ever. In high school, I got so mad about the matter that I considered wearing my prom dress to classes a couple of times, just to get some more use out of it.

I expect my clothing budget to stretch — I buy decent quality items that I can easily mix and match, just so I don’t have to go out and buy special occasions outfits. I take care of my clothing: last week I bought the first pair of blue jeans that I’ve had to pick up in almost five years. I even mend my clothing when I can. Clothing is one area where I have no problem being frugal.

The problem with my wardrobe, though, is other people’s expectations. If you mention a wedding, there’s an instant expectation of a big fluffy white dress wit a price tag that easily tops what I paid for my first car. There are a few work arounds — buying vintage or Target’s wedding dress line come to mind — but we’re still talking about three digits worth of dress, with minimal resale value. Personally, I think there should be an easy way to rent wedding dresses, just like guys rent tuxes.

Weddings create problems, too. Bridesmaids’ dresses (another ‘wear it once’ dress) are typically a little more expensive than a prom dress. Right now, one of my friends is in the process of getting fitted for a bridesmaid dress for her best friend’s wedding. The real issue? My friend is paying her own money for this dress — just over $300. The odds of her wearing the dress again don’t seem to be too high, either. Whether or not a bridesmaid can afford to buy a dress, it’s an awful position to put someone in, I think.

There are other occasions requiring spiffy outfits — graduations, funerals and church all come to mind — but the outfit that you buy for graduation can often be worn to church later on. I know plenty of people who can get by with little more than two nice outfits, one for weddings and one for funerals, at least until a kink like a bridesmaid’s dress gets thrown into the works. I’ve only got two dresses in my closet, as a matter of fact, although I have several more flexible pant or skirt combinations — I just happen to have to think about fitting the cost of a wedding dress into my small clothes budget.