'Dress' rehearsal

The hunt is on.

With the summer clothing finally off the shelves, it is time to go hunting for that elusive party-dress again. I need to find something festive for a upcoming occasion, but it seems I'm a bit early for the winter collection (when the Christmassy clothes start coming out).

Nevertheless, some shops already have a supply of sparkly dresses, disco tops and the always-in-fashion black dress.

The trouble is, I find it hard to find anything to fit me.

Don't get me wrong. There's a lot of stuff in my size, but nothing seems 'appropriate'. Today, I've spent over 4 hours on Oxford Street, tried on 12 dresses (ranging from £150 - £30) and have not bought a single one. The reason : the dresses either don't fit well, have plunging necklines or look tacky. And who the hell can wear those floor length maxi dresses? Besides supermodels?

There was one that I liked - a black halter neck with sequins on the neck and waist. It fit rather well too. Until upon closer inspection I noticed that a lot of the sequins had fallen off. The label said 'Made in India'. It's a shame it was so mangled.

Waste of time? Well, at least I now know where NOT to look. Eliminating this, this, this and this store makes life so much easier. Or does it?