How to shop for formal dresses | Sophisticaited by Cait Fore

Dress: Anthropologie | Earrings: Kate Spade | Necklace: TJ Maxx similar here | Purse: Shopbop similar here | Shoes: DSW (old) similar here

Y’all know I love to get dressed up. But, when it comes to more formal events, I know first hand how hard it is to hunt down and find just the right dress. Formal dresses that are both formal and too bridesmaidy! And then the price! They are always SOOOOO expensive too! And then you only wear them once, I hate it too. So, when I knew Kansas City Fashion Week was coming up, I knew I wanted to find something more on the formal side of things, but was still FUN for the Bubbly and Bowties event! I went hunting to find a just the right dress, and was so pumped to find this number! And when I thought about how finding dresses for events like this, pretty much sucks, I wanted to share how I found it, and how you can repeat what I did, when you’re on the hunt too!

Now here’s the deal, I am about to share the places I always have luck finding formal-ish dresses for special occasions, that AREN’T Bridesmaidy! Are you ready!? Okay, the first stop is ALWAYS, Nordstrom Rack! Yep, that’s right! Now, I always have to dig a little, but if that’s not your speed, you can shop them online! Woop! And here’s how to do it!

How to find formal dresses, you actually like:

Go to NordstromRack.com
Click on Women’s / Dresses
Then select the length you want. (I pick Midi for more formal events).
Then I select ‘Newest Arrivals’ from the preferences on the right side.
I scroll and scroll until I find a dress I like, and then I right click it and open the dresses I love into a new tab. So, I can keep shopping and keep a good pace, while also knowing I haven’t lost any of the options I love.
Then I go through the options to scope out the sizing options and make sure my size is available.
I pin EVERYTHING, I love to this Pinterest board! So, I can keep everything I love in one spot and check back to make my final selection!
Then I will head to Anthropologie, Shopbop, and Amazon, for good measure!

My favorite Nordstrom Rack options:

My favorite Anthropologie options:

My favorite Shopbop options:

My favorite Amazon options:

I hope you all found this style of post to be helpful and inspirational too!

xo,

How to find Formal Dresses