It feels like I have not done a style post in ages! Gift guides and holiday content has dominated the blog this month! I was not even sure I would be working this post into December but there is a funny story that goes with this plaid maxi dress. It is a story we can all relate to as we anxiously await for those final packages to arrive! So, below is the story of this maxi plus pictures and tips for how to wear a plaid maxi dress.
The Versatility of a Plaid Maxi Dress (and the story behind it!)
The Story of a Dress
You know when you see something and you think to yourself, this is meant for me? And then you look at the price and the idea of having it goes out the window? That is this dress. I actually came across this dress when I saw it on another blogger. I immediately fell in love with it but not the price tag. It’s by no means super expensive in the world of fashion, but when you want it for the holiday season and so much else takes priority, it is hard to pull the plug.
Thank goodness for the ability to stalk Cyber Monday sales and find it heavily discounted during the Intermix flash sale. Christmas came early with that news! So I pulled the plug and bought it. My excitement doubled when I learned the dress immediately shipped out and would arrive in time for my husband’s airline Christmas party.
The Story of a Lost Dress
The dress was set to arrive on a Thursday. I was gone all day and came home late that night to learn that it was not delivered. So I went on to the UPS website only to find out it was rescheduled to be delivered the following day. The warning lights are already starting to going off! The next day my husband and I are out walking the dogs and we see the UPS truck pulling up to our house as we made our way up the driveway. I nearly tackled him when I saw him! He had two packages but neither were my dress. I asked him if he planned on making another delivery to us that day but he assured me that was all he had.
Panic is setting in because now of course I cannot imagine wearing anything else to my husband’s Christmas party. I need the dress! So I go inside and call UPS. After being on hold for over 20 minutes, (remember this is the week when all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are shipping out) I finally connected with an agent. They look up my order and tell me that the dress was not on a truck but still at the UPS processing facility a few towns over. I could wait for it to be put on a truck and delivered or I could request to have it picked up at the facility. Obviously with my Type A personality, I wanted to take matters into my own hands and go physically pick up the dress. So down to the processing facility I went.
I walked into the processing facility and let them know that they should have received a message that I was picking up a package. They received the message alright but there was no package waiting for me! I was told it was out for delivery. Hmmm. I explained my story to the processing agent. He placed a phone call to his manager and now there is a whole new story waiting for me.
The Story of a Lost Dress Continues
I guess when the holidays are so busy for UPS drivers, UPS managers deliver bags of the smaller packages to the driver’s trucks at the end of the day for them to deliver. That way the drivers get all of the big stuff out of the way, and the smaller items are delivered later. The idea behind it is they won’t get “lost” (oh the irony!) in the shuffle. According to the manager, this is exactly what was happening to my package. So I was told to hang tight and it would be there later that day. Because I was wary, the employee gave me the facility’s phone number and told me to call it if my package did not show up.
Tick tock, tick tock. 6:00 and no package. So I call. And once again, tell my story. I am promised a phone call back. That did not happen (because of course I am the only one with a package issue!). I call back again and talk to someone new. I am promised a phone call back again. This time it did happen and the news was exactly what I feared. UPS did not have any idea where my package was and I needed to file a claim with Intermix . . .
The Ending to the Story of a Lost Dress
I went and filed a claim with Intermix and I also called the Intermix store in the city to see if the dress was in stock. Cleary, I am still determined to wear the dress! Thank goodness the manager was on the floor and once again, I told my story. The dress I needed was there! She was amazing (we fashion lovers get it after all!). Not only did she place the dress on hold for me and honor the discount, she assured me that if the dress did turn up, I would be able to return it for a full refund.
The next morning I drove down to the city and bought my beloved dress. I know. I am crazy. But you know what? I love this dress!
How To Wear The Dress
For starters this dress is plaid. Plaid is a pattern that never, ever goes out of style. It is a pattern that dominates holiday attire, but what I love about this particular print, are that the colors extend beyond the holiday time frame. It is perfect from fall to Thanksgiving and well past the holiday season. This dress is easy to pack and take with you out of town. I imagine it gracing the streets of just about any city and love the idea of bringing it to Europe one day.
The fact that the dress is maxi style is another major bonus. It negates the needs to wear any type of hosiery and works with just about any type of shoe. An OTK boot, bootie, heel or ballet flat are an option! I also love that I can wear this dress as a duster. Boyfriend distressed denim and a fitted tee is just one option to style it this way. This dress would also look great with a pair of leather leggings and a great boot! A final reason to love this dress: there are pockets!
For those who stuck with this post, the dress indeed showed up on my doorstep ten days later!
To shop this dress and other items featured in this post, click on the widget below:
To all my wonderful followers and readers, I am wishing all of you a wonderful holiday!
Photos by Jules Kennedy
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Thanks for stopping by!
L, M
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