Retail Therapy - Work Dresses That Transition Into Going Out

I purchased these dresses recently. The ruffled purple dress is from Madewell.  The black cut out lace dress is from Kate Spade.  

 

The Kate Spade dress is a bit shorter than I expected (makes sitting a little bit awkward in a business meeting)  but I love the high quality details.  The fabrics are thick, made of silk, very well constructed, and lush.  The buttons feel solid.  The cut is very nice.  Overall, the quality and fine workmanship is very evident in their clothing, which is a good thing considering how expensive their clothes retail!

 

I don't immediately fear that these tenuous lace links will tear. 

The lining is very thick and the neck and edges are all very well finished.

 I think this tag should say "look for the champagne lining" given that that is the color of the lining. 

The Madewell dresses are less nice but at their price point I guess that is no surprise.  I loved this purple one - the jewel tone is lovely and the ruffles are a nice touch.  The cinched waist is a little bit weird in that it causes the top part to blouse out a little bit.  But overall it's still really nice.

 The drop sleeves are sheer.

 A big motivation for buying the dress - the zigzagging ruffles.

I like that these dresses are really versatile and can be worn to work but also out afterwards.  I really like each of them, so all in all I'll chalk it up to a win.  Now if only I can get a move on wedding dress shopping the same way.