Every week a different FADER staff member will pick a clothing item or accessory that he or she has lately been spending a lot of time with—or would like to—and write a little love letter to it. We would’ve done a column on who we’re dating but that seemed a little bit much. This week Amber Bravo talks about her new Raquel Allegra dress.
I don't think I've ever bought something straight out of a store window. Like, something I literally walked by, stopped, looked at, then walked into the store, asked to try it on, justified spending an exorbitant amount of money by quickly inflating my mental allowance for superfluous spending and convincing myself that everything in my closet is insufficient for that semi-casual wedding I'm attending up in Maine at the end of the month. In short, it was crazy and reckless, but it's exactly what I did when I saw this Raquel Allegra dress in the display window at Assembly New York.
I'm almost positive, too, that I wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't been at Assembly. After I tried on the dress (which, I should mention is made out of a soft jersey cotton that will totally work in the winter underneath a big sweater—post-rationalization!), I noticed a small tear in the waistband (which is flatteringly wide and thick with an elastic band and grosgrain bow) and I thought to myself: An escape! I don't have to buy this! It's damaged. I pointed it out the the sales clerk, and she snatched the garment out of my hand, assessed the tear, and told me that "production team" in the basement would be able to fix it in five minutes. She got me. And I got the dress, all sewn up and ready to wear.