Outfits of the Season: Retired Trashy Diva dresses

I love Trashy Diva. I love Trashy Diva most of all when I can get the designs I want on sale. Usually, getting exactly what you want at a really amazing price means walking a very fine line. Sometimes, your size sells out before it hits the discount rack. Other times, a decent sale presents itself, but you wonder if you might save more money if you wait until Black Friday, or end-of-season clearance sales…and the same thing happens. Last year, I waited too long on two great Trashy Diva styles, and thought I’d never be able to find them in my size again. Turns out I was wrong! I was able to get the Obi dress in a beautiful orchid silk and the adorable gingham Norma Jean dress without having to buy secondhand. And, I got them both on GOOD sale!

Since I live in sunny California, I tend heavily toward sun dresses. Last Spring, Norma Jean was one of dozens of warm-weather pieces I wanted, but ended up back-burnering in favor of other dresses. By the time I had the cash to buy this black-and-white gingham beauty, it was sold out in my size…and ONLY my size. Talk about disappointment!

It never restocked, and soon it became pretty clear that the dress wouldn’t be back. Fast-forward to November, and Rowena of Edmonton (also known as Retroglam.com online) was advertising a fabulous Black Friday sale (with great shipping terms for U.S. customers). Turns out they had two great Pinup Couture Heidi dresses I was after (red rose and the Canada-exclusive black polka dot print) and…NORMA JEAN…IN MY SIZE. In fact, the only Norma Jean they had was in my size, so I took it as a sign.

I ended up getting her for less than half her original price, which is a steal. And once she arrived, I was glad I hadn’t paid full price. While the dress is beautiful, the skirt front has some seaming issues that aren’t ideal.

The Trashy Diva Obi dress story is slightly different. She sat on the clearance page at the Trashy Diva website for what seemed like months, the lone straggler. I ignored her for the longest time as she was a size 12 and I normally wear 14 in Trashy Diva. When the website had an extra 20% off sale early last summer, I decided to chance it. The beautiful purpley-orchid color was just too much to resist. And you know what? She fits!

So, the moral of the story is to keep watching…everywhere. You never know when a return will resurface somewhere, or when an unlikely size will end up panning out for you.