Sea Shanty Singing: How to Find Your Unicorn Dress

I thought a little something red, white, and blue would be appropriate and patriotic on this Independence Day.  Ok, be honest, is this dress on your unicorn list too?  If it is, don't give up.

This has been the summer of unicorns.  I don't know exactly why or how, all I know is that every single dress on my long wished for list has been turning up on resale sites either new or very reasonably priced and in decent condition.  Is this just the summer for clearing out closets or am I amazing at finding those missed opportunity dresses?

I'm not exactly sure, but just in case it turns out that I'm amazing at this, let me share a few tips with you on how I track down those hard to find dresses.

1.  Write it down  When you see something you love in the stores or if you missed it, make a note of the name, brand and shop, and type of style it is.  For example this dress was called Sea Shanty singing by Rock Steady sold by ModCloth and is a navy sailor dress with a red sash.  So, each time I search I use things like Sailor Dress, Rock Steady, ModCloth, Sea Shanty.  Mix it up and eventually something will pop up.

2.  Search Multiple Marketplaces  Don't limit yourself to just one hunting ground.  Check any places second hand things are sold.  Ebay, ThredUp, Facebook--not just the BST groups but the general marketplace as well.  I found one dress on my list that was selling for $75 everywhere else for $10 new with tags.  The trick was that it wasn't in a closed group but in the marketplace and under a very generic search term that I just tried out of frustration and it worked.

3.  Be Flexible On Sizing  If you really, really want a dress, and can't seem to find it for ages, but then it turns up in a bigger size than you wear, consider buying it and having it tailored to fit you.

When it comes to tailoring, it's usually fairly simple to take a dress in by a size or two and a really skilled tailor can do it in no time at all.  The only trouble is that you can only size down.  Unless there is some spare fabric lurking somewhere on that dress, there's usually no way to make a dress bigger.

4.  Be Patient  It takes time to find that perfect dress that slipped by you and this is where be a little OCD pays off.  If it's something you really want, scan the resale sites once a week (heck, do it once a day if it brings you peace of mind) but you may be in it for the long haul.  It can take months or years for a dress to turn up in the exact size and color you're searching for, but if you keep at it, chances are highly in your favor that you will find it eventually.

5.  Send Out an ISO S.O.S. The fashionista community is pretty freaking awesome when it comes to ISO's  (a post all about this coming soon!).  There are so many awesome people out there who love great fashion just as much as you and I, maybe more, and they are more than happy to help by tagging you in a post when they either have the dress you're looking for and are ready to part with it or if they've seen it out there and are more than happy to share that info.  It's happened for me a couple of times this summer and God bless them for their kindness; I couldn't have done it without them.

So, if you've had something on your unicorn list for ages now, don't give up.  Keep searching and it is bound to turn up.  And by the way, if you'd like a little help, drop me a line in the comments with all the details on your unicorn dress and I'd be more than happy to help.

Shopping Info:  Sea Shanty Singing Dress is old by Rock Steady Clothing and from ModCloth, Hat from: SHEIN, Lobster Bag from Amazon