Always Buy Your Formal Dresses Used

Most of us have few opportunities to wear formal dresses. As I write this post, we are in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, with few opportunities to attend a wedding, a gala, or any other more formal event.

This too shall pass, and I suspect that opportunities to get out and dress up will rebound. Meanwhile, what better time than now to score a couple of nice dresses?

Here are some dresses I've found at Goodwill and worn to some formal occasions in past years:

I wore this most recently to a friend's wedding last year. I also wore it to my high school reunion two years ago, which is always a quite formal affair. It's a Banana Republic dress that ties in the back. I don't remember what I paid, but the typical cost for a dress at Goodwill is $12.99, and I likely paid under $20.00. I intend to keep this dress for a few more years. The necklace, a simple sterling silver strand, was purchased new.

I got this dress for an audition just prior to the pandemic shutting down all of the theater activity in town. It's a Calvin Klein dress that likely cost under $20.00. The necklace was also purchased used from a consignment store.

This faux wrap dress is from Chico, with their trademark shiny, stretchy fabric. This is my current favorite "little black dress" to wear for more formal occasions. I was fortunate to have an occasion to wear it in early 2020. I purchased the pearl necklace new in the early 1980s, swayed by the argument that a simple strand of pearls would stand the test of time. This dress also was likely under $20.00.

I got this dress at a consignment store rather than Goodwill. I don't remember what I paid, but it was likely under $30.00. It was my "costume" for a holiday cabaret that I sang in for several years running, and so I've had many opportunities to wear it. The necklace, costume jewelry, was purchased new.

I purchased this last dress new in 1988 for my ten year high school reunion (fun fact:  I also wore it to my 20 year reunion--don't tell anyone!). I include it because, now that I've photographed it for posterity, I've donated it to Goodwill, along with the dress shown immediately above, for someone else to cherish.