Me and Jess (Jessica Simpson That Is)

I'm not a label snob as in "I will only wear certain labels", or, "I get esteem from labels."  That's a pretty obvious oxymoron if you're shopping at Value Village for a year!  However, it doesn't hurt to know your brands or at least be able to spot quality when you see it so you can make savvy shopping decisions.  And then brag to everyone you meet about your amazing score.  With selfies.  It's required.  I must admit that the Sears line "Jessica" constantly throws me for a loop when thrifting because I keep thinking I'm finding a Jessica Simpson piece only to realize it's plain old Sears.  Not that there's anything wrong with that!  If you love it and it fits well and is in good shape, the brand is irrelevant.  Still, I always hoped for some real Jessica.  Say what you will but that woman is smart and talented.  She inspired me to take my Ugg-type boots camping (where ugly but comfortable shoes belong);she can sing, she's a mom and she has babies like I have babies (doubling in size then doing Weight Watchers).  She seems like a real woman to me, and I'm pretty sure we'd be friends if she lived in Alberta.  Needless to say, when I finally found a Jessica Simpson piece, I snatched it up.  And there it has sat until today...

Jessica Simpson dress $11.90 VV Boutique

This piece was in the dress section but it is clearly not a dress on me.  It's hard to see in photos but it has a dropped waist and came with a tie, which I chose not to wear.  Didn't really want to tie a sash about my hips.  I really liked the pattern and the colours - there's hot pink, mint, mustard, cobalt and emerald.  It is forgiving, as one would expect from a real woman designer, and was the perfect outfit for a day of sitting on my butt writing reports and eating my way through the office chocolate stash.

Paired with my Oxmo leggings and these sequins flats...

Gift from my sis, originally from VV Boutique. 

Even though I basically saw only my kids and my day home provider extraordinaire, I still styled my Jess up with a necklace, arm party and big gold hoops!  I was trying to capture my accessories with self-photography when I noticed something peculiar about the pattern...

 Rather accentuating, as it turns out.

But my She Does Create necklace looks awesome!

I also realized that this dress is a size small.  Bless Jessica's sweet heart for making sizing we can all feel good about.  I wonder, though, if that's why I have hesitated to wear it; it is made for a truly small person on whom it will fit like a dress!  I might wear it a couple more times so I can attempt more styles per cost and feel satisfied with the cost per wear.  Then, I'm going to pass it along to a small friend and see what it's meant to look like!  I'll share when I do, and in the meantime I will leave you with this...

My girl wanted to be in my shots this morning with her own VV Boutique shoes -

these unworn ballet slippers $2!