Old Navy's Sweater Dress Is Perfect For A Breezy Home

My mom lives in a warm house but due to high ceilings, it can get a little chilly in winter. Old Navy's Sweater Dress is perfect to wear during the colder months so her home's thermostat doesn't have to rise above 72 degrees F, keeping her gas and electric bills reasonable (though not cheap).

In her senior years, too many layers can get too heavy and cumbersome, restricting her moments or causing her to fall. This is a one-piece, knitted dress that wraps around her like a soft warm sweater. It's 56% cotton, 25% polyester, and 16% nylon. I bought her the dress last year in a light tan color and hoped Old Navy would bring it back this year in new colors ... which they did! She loves wearing shades of red, so I ordered her dress in cherry bark.

I highly recommend buying clothes for seniors at Old Navy, and unless there's a medical reason, skip those senior apparel websites. They tend to be greatly overpriced and unfashionable. If you dress old in garments resembling sweats and pajamas, you start to feel ancient and feeble. My mother likes fashion and wants to maintain the same dignity she had at ages 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc. 

Old Navy offers cute comfortable clothing that looks appropriate for every decade of a person's life. The sweater dress isn't too loose or skin-tight, but just right to flatter most body types. Moreover for everybody, they are easy to put on and take off, as well as, to care of by machine washing and drying them.

With a promotion code, I just spent $22 on her new lovely durable sweater dress. It sure beats paying $70+ for a sweats-pajama-house dress that nobody ever called fashionable!

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Walmart's Cheap Thrill Dresses

I no longer buy high-end summer dresses. The pricey ones hang in my closet while I grab a swing dress from (1) Lands' End, (2) Uniqlo, or (3) Old Navy to go to the theater, ballet, or a restaurant. I call them my Cheap Thrill Dresses. No dry cleaning is needed!

A Cheap Thrill Dress is a dress that's cute, cozy, decent quality, and won't break the bank. Paired with ballet flats and some bling, the garment looks polished and suitable for a night out on the town. You can wear a Cheap Thrill Dress without fuss. If you sit on a park bench; in the open air on the fountain at Lincoln Center; or decide to ride the subway, you won't have to fret about ruining your dress. Cheap thrill dresses can be machine-washed and dried all summer long!

Let me introduce you to a 4th retailer carrying Cheap Thrill Dresses worth considering. Walmart has a reasonably good brand, PPYOUNG, which is getting tons of 5-star reviews from happy customers. The dresses feel as comfortable as wearing T-shirts, yet are much more stylish.

The knit fabric of 95% rayon with 5% spandex is a winning combination for a hot steamy summer to keep you cool and wrinkle-free. The adorable swing style is universally flattering on nearly every body type.

What a versatile dress ... going from a night out on the town, to a Saturday running errands frock, or an all-day beach coverup, to an easy-to-pack in-a-suitcase vacation dress.

If ordering clothing from Walmart (or Target known to collaborate with upscale designers), I recommend reading all the reviews. Customers usually mention when a dress runs large, true-to-size, or small, plus check the manufacturers' size chart. 

The PPYOUNG dresses from Walmart come in several styles, colors, and patterns, and the price points are a steal making owning a few a no-brainer! 

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Part II: 5 Gown Styles I Like And Would Wear

On Monday I wrote a blog describing 5 gown styles I dislike and won't wear even if a top designer were to loan them to me for free. Instead, I'd buy a gown off the rack. Well, perhaps it begs the follow-up question what gown styles do I like? Therefore, allow me to post 5 Gown Styles That Are My Cup of Tea. Here we go ...

As you can see, I prefer balanced, classic, or even modern styles of gowns. I'm also fine with a fun element on the gown as long as the gown remains tasteful and above all flattering and pretty. At a fancy function, I also like to enjoy the evening instead of having to manage a problem dress caused by too much dress (a train, etc), or a feature that is determined to pop open or work itself lopsided out of place.

I mean, getting to attend a gala and dressing up is a special occasion ... usually commemorating or celebrating something that doesn't occur every day. I'd never waste a chance to make the extra effort to look my best and then my desire is to forget about my attire and enjoy the evening out!

I have a ball gown that resembles this black one.

A mid-ankle length makes sashaying around the banquet room less cumbersome, and black gowns are a favorite for their slenderizing effect. A black gown for a black-tie event might also let you get away with wearing the dress (with bling) multiple times to mingle, glitter, and shine the night away in the future! I think people tend to remember bold (red, lime green, orange, or bird feathers) before neutrals. Chances are with black, they'll simply remember how dressy and polished you look at the formal affair without remembering you wore it last year. What's more, I favor a mid-ankle to a full-length gown for ease. I don't have handlers to help me futz with yards of fabric. In NYC, it's not uncommon after attending a gala to walk to a fancy bar/grill for an after-party.

What styles do you like? Which order (#1 then #2) is more important to you?: Would you rather stand out or look pretty?

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Part I: 5 Gown Styles I Dislike And Won't Wear

May is a time when retailers feature ball gowns as people attend proms, weddings, award shows, and charity events. Different strokes for different folks apply. Often style boils down to personal tastes and arbitrariness.

So let's have some fun! I'll share 5 styles of gowns that are not my cup of tea. If a leading designer sent me a couture dress to wear to a high-profile gala in one of the following styles, I'd turn it down and buy something off the rack. That's how much I dislike them. So here we go!

5 Gown Styles I Dislike and Won't Wear include:

      

1) The Asymmetrical Gown (including the top image) - I dislike gowns that are off-center or have a noticeable piece of fabric missing from the hemline. Is it a cape or a dress? I prefer balanced hemlines all the way around, and I dislike sporting a formal dress covering one leg in a different proportion than the other leg. Like with minor children, I like to treat my limbs with the same status. I also dislike the asymmetrical light green gown below👇 showing both legs. What's that skirt-like flap in the middle of the front? Toga girl. Was there not enough material to go around?😁

2) A One-Sided Strap Gown - On me, it's a balance thing. I prefer either no straps or 2 straps, but not a single strap on one side only ... and the same goes for sleeves!! Give me either sleeveless or two sleeves on a frock! The other arm is waiting for its sleeve.😳

3) The Bare Midriff Gown - I can't imagine attending a formal indoor gala in a 2-piece dress showing a lot of flesh! The style is more beach-friendly than ballroom-worthy. Another worry is air conditioning! Burrr!☃❄❅❆

         

4) The Deep Dive Cleavage Gown - No, no, never, ever, Jennifer Lopez! It isn't me!! At a fancy shindig, I do not want to see that much of another woman's anatomy and certainly don't want eyes I-do-not-know gazing at mine. Outside of a nudist camp, there's something unequal about it.

5) High Or Cross Front Neck Gown  - The opposite of deep dive cleavage reminds me of a noose! Lose the hangman's knot, lasso, bibb, or whatever that extra textile is for a neckline showcasing the loveliness of a human neck ornamented with a necklace ... yeah, that style is more me.

On THE SAVVY SHOPPER, I mostly write about likes, not dislikes, but fashion should be more fun than serious so I hope you find humor in today's blog. What style of gown is your least favorite? Feel free to share a few of your own out-of-favor gown styles.

Part II: Gown Styles I Like and Will Wear will be published on Wednesday.

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Dresses For A Senior Mother

Are you surprised by my choices? For a moment let's think outside the box. 

Today I'll post the dresses I bought for my elderly mom over the span of 2 1/2 years. The top 4 dresses are my latest purchase for her. She requested sleeves. She likes pink when available. Florals are lovely on her too. In the above image, 3 of the dresses are $12 and the pink gauze dress is $17, so steals at Old Navy this week!

Here are the 6 Features I Look for in Selecting Dresses for my Senior Mother:

1) Easy to slip on and off

2) Easy to machine wash and dry

3) Soft fabrics - I like cotton, linen, rayon, or a blend of these cool textiles for spring and summer. A little spandex is fine. She also has a part wool, part rayon knit dress for winter. 

4) She prefers loose clothes, so I usually order her a size large. Although my mother isn't large in weight or stature, the large size often fits her upper body better, the reason is a mystery to me.

5) Dress lengths that won't trip her  - At Old Navy, I must judge whether to order her dresses in petite or regular. She is petite in pants, yet ON dress styles aren't consistent in sizing. The 4 dresses at the top of the blog are called mini swing dresses, therefore I ordered her the dresses in regular as opposed to petite sizes, with the anticipation they'll fit her slightly above her knees -- not as the minis shown in the photos. If I'm wrong ON offers free returns or exchanges.

6) Cuteness - My mother is a chic dresser. Her style has become more casual as she's gotten physically less flexible and moves with less ease. I do my best to meld pizzazz with easy-to-wear and carefree fashion.

Frequently clothes made expressly for seniors look dowdy and old-fashioned or like bedclothes. Their greater cost is also puzzling. 

There's absolutely no reason for an elderly woman (1) to look frumpy, (2) to adorn ill-fitted clothes (3) to sport clothes resembling pajamas and slippers, or (4) to pay significantly more moola for them than younger women.

Crinkle Gauze Mini Swing Dresses - Also in hot pink, amber, black, and light blue.

Just like my clothes, my mother's dresses can be dressed up or down, and for the price of one dress at a senior apparel shop, at Old Navy, we brought an entire wardrobe of more attractive everyday dresses to wear over all 4 seasons!

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My Favorite Oscar Dresses 2024

America Ferrera in Versace

The show is not half over! This year's Oscar gowns are lovely and tasteful if not as drop-dead glamorous as other years. Would you agree? Many of the dresses look comfortable so perhaps more attendees decided to dial it down a notch to better enjoy the evening without the fuss or pain. 

Left: Jennifer Lawrence  wears Dior Culture, Middle: Anya Taylor Joy in Dior Couture, Right: Charlize Theron adorns Dior

Left: Emily Blunt in Schiaparelli, Right: Zendaya wears Armani Privè

Left: Michelle Yeoh in Balenciaga Couture, Right: Zuri Hall shimmers in Rony Abou Hamdan

The gowns are unique in a refined way! There's something of interest in each dress. Michelle Yeoh's long black gloves look so smart with her shimmering gown. Emily Blunt is elegant but her straps don't move with her. Jennifer Lawrance wears playful polka dots elevated by her diamond tennis necklace. More shine than vivid colors this year too!

All photos - Getty Photography

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J. Crew Factory's Summer Dresses

Cotton is a popular summertime fabric that tends to be cool and comfortable. A cotton dress is a good investment because not only is it easy to wear and easy to machine wash and dry, it lasts for years before showing signs of wear and tear.

The following are cute dresses from J. Crew Factory, the same quality as in the J Crew retail stores:

J. Crew Factory is less pricey than J. Crew's retail stores. The factory offers discounts along with special promotions as high as 50% off. It also carries stylish accessories to complete the look. Although the footwear is adorable it tends to lack arch support, which is ok for the suburbs, but not for walking miles on city blocks.

J. Crew Factory is where costly budget-buster dresses at J. Crew morph into budget-friendly ones. I especially love the top👆sleeveless dress. You?

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