Oh, hi there.
(Ahem.)
So remember that post that I wrote last week about Zulily?
Yeah.
So, that very same afternoon, I received a package in the mail – one of my Zulily orders.
As I mentioned before, the one-click ordering makes it a wee bit too easy to order without thinking too hard, and the tiny screen on my iPhone makes it challenging to understand the exact idea of the fabric and stylings of some garments.
But enough excuses.
I opened my package and discovered this.
I recoiled in horror.
Oh dear stars of the western sky!
I had ordered my very own saloon girl outfit.
(Well, for Ali – not for myself. But close enough.)
My brain panicked.
What was I thinking??? Where did this come from??
I must bury this in the backyard immediately before my blog sees it and divorces me!!
Where’s my iPhone?? Surely this isn’t what I ordered!!
Oh. Yes, that is indeed what I ordered. I swear it didn’t look like that two weeks ago!!
At least it’s not strapless. And a romper.
What are you saying?!?! It’s still fuchsia and black tulle!!!! It’s like Coyote Ugly at the Turn of the Century!!
I can’t let Ali see this. Then she’ll want to wear it all the time. And it will inadvertently make it into a blog photo. And the world will know what a horrible hypocrite I am.
But the next day, before I had fully decided how I was going to hide my sins, Ali did see it.
She squealed with delight.
“It looks just like a Ladybug Girl costume!!!”
I looked at it….
hmm.
Through the context of her eyes, it’s really not so bad…
I let her try it on.
I could definitely see where she was coming from…
And it certainly looked better on her than it had on that nauseatingly pink satin abomination of a hanger…
She immediately fell in love with it and insisted on wearing it every time we were home, all weekend long.
And it began to grow on me. It was cute and bouncy…
Then Chris, being the softy that he is, fell prey to her begging and let her wear it out of the house on a Daddy/Daughter Yogurt Mountain Date. But it IS January after all, so he had her add some “warmth” to the outfit, giving it a seriously awesome Punky Brewster flair.
I couldn’t deny being impressed with their finished product.
I actually began to like the thing … a little bit.
Right as I was about to completely dismiss my breach of judgment as maybe not so breachy after all, my family came over for lunch.
“Gramamma!! I want to show you my Ladybug Girl costume!!!!!”
She ran upstairs and put it on.
“Don’t I look BEAUTIFUL??”
“Yes! You look amazing!!”
After a few minutes of twirling and dancing around the house, mom asked her, “So who gave you your costume?”
“Mommy gave it to me.”
She stopped. She looked at me. I saw the scoffing rise in her eyes.
“Wait a minute. YOU bought that for her?”
“Well, you see…it was all a big mistake. I got it on Zulily, and …”
“On Zulily even?!?! I was just thinking that it looked identical to all of those outfits you were criticizing so vigorously!!”
“I … I … I KNOW!!!!!! …. but at least it’s not a romper….right??”
The laughter and taunting filled the house.
I hung my head in shame. I deserved it, after all.
Hooray!! She’ll be in smock before you know it!! MUAH HA HA HA!!!
It’s definitely frilly but only a little girl that cute could make it work! Your posts always crack me up. :)
Thanks! I was pretty shocked how … normal-ish … it looked after she put it on.
Hilarious! What’s next? Smocked outfits?
As I read your blog, the song “Girl’s Just Want to Have Fun” started running through my head.
Ha! Yes, that would be quite fitting.
oh i hope you ordered a smocked owl dress too! Next we need to get them to put minivans on zulily and you will be ready!
The top is a little Best-little-whorehouse-in-Texas for my taste, but luckily, Ali is angelic enough to pull it off. Also? The bottom half is awesome – especially with the leggings and runners – just throw a sweater over it!
Not a bad idea at all!! Although those frilly ruffles would give her quite the I’m-Hiding-A-Small-Dog-Under-My-Sweater look.
This. is. awesome.
At first, I thought you were going to tell us that in the process of your blog-post “research,” you’d *accidentally* one-click ordered it, and I was going to have to die laughing.
Still pretty awesome, though, and the version with the hounds-tooth leggings and sneakers ROCKS!
If the top wasn’t so frilly I could think of purchasing a few for my girls. They would love them. I like it with the leggins, too!
haha, that’s awesome.
I have to admit, even on your first post I didn’t think the ridiculous ruffles would be a bad idea for dress-up/costumes. As a kid, I would have thought those dresses were amazing and fought my sister for them. I don’t think they’re sexual unless you pair them with red lipstick and eyeshadow and pageant curls.
Though, I do have to wonder what you *thought* it was going to look like.
I’m a bit confused as to that, too. It was definitely a “dress-up” outfit – I just didn’t see all of those ruffles. I’m really at a loss for an explanation for my actions…
OK, on the hideous pink excuse of a hanger, yes I thought it was horrendous and hoped it was a “misclick order”, LOL! But but BUT it is absolutely fantabulously ADORABLE on Ali! And the houndstooth leggings and sneakers just MAKE the outfit! :)
Don’t beat yourself up too badly. And look at it this way, she’ll out grow it quickly, and this will be a great memory to recount to her kids one day. :)
It’s pretty stretchy… I think it may have me for a few years.
Well, Ali does look adorable!
I think someone at Zulily read your post and decided to get the ultimate revenge on you. You done be TRUMPED.
I agree with Nicki, when I first saw that I knew I was going to read that you imediately put it in the package and returned. It looked worse than anything I can remember. Then, you put it on Ali with the leggings and shoes and she looks so great. Knowing her tastes I bet she is thrilled.
You now you will have to get her Ladybug wings now.
True! With wings, it’d totally look better. After all, everything looks better with wings.
Ha! That’s what you get about writing about their “fashions.” Sure is a bright pink. And what little girl doesn’t like frilly? Love the leggings and tennies with it.
Oh my goodness, she looks adorable! Noah and Ali will be in matching smocked outfits before you know it!
LOL! That is too funny. Epescially since she’s totally making it work! Love the leggings and tennis shoes. She’s going to start a new fashion trend!
Oh my goodness! How DID she end up being so cute in that!! B/c she did look adorable! Way to go, Ali.
Sitting here “working” and hopped on FB for just a moment and had to see what your post was about. I literally gasped out loud in horror when I saw the picture of the dress on the hanger but as everyone else already said, Ali makes it look absolutely adorable especially with the houndstooth leggings and the tennies.
If only I were so photogenic. (sigh)
I can definitively say that if Kristina ever got her hands on a dress like that she would NOT take it off EVER AGAIN and it would forever be her most favoritest dress in the world. So go you, for being an awesome mommy and sucking up your pride to make your little girl sooooo happy!
Oh, you are so funny. I have to admit that I recoiled when I saw the first picture of the dress too. Yikes! But it did look really cute on Ali – especially when paired with the leggings and sneakers. I don’t think I would have thought of that.
Me neither!! That’s why I keep my hubby around. :)
She will be the envy of all at church….or the saloon. So adorable. Might as well dress her in potato sacks as she will likely make a fashion statement out of them too.
You’re right! What a versatile garment!!
I have an Etsy shop selling hair accessories and take my own shop pictures. Since pettiskirts and rompers are so popular, I use them in a lot of the shop modeling pictures, and since my models are my daughter and daughter’s of friends, I’ve had to buy quite a few of them. I’ve never let my daughter (nearing 5) out of the house in them, put they are fun for play (she loves to twirl in them) and always look cuter on then they do on the hanger. I promise, even the rompers can look adorable on babies – quite a few of my friends have eyed them suspiciously before they put them on their daughters – but I swear, once they go on it’s all ohh’s and ahh’s. Not the kind of thing you would take them out to Target in, but can be cute and sweet in pictures.
Yup, I learned the hard way that they are cuter than I thought they were! :)
I must agree, the dress looks super cute on Ali with the houndstooth leggings and black sneakers!
What is with all the lacy baby & kid clothes? I even saw a few at Target today!