Milly Imara Dress – can we love it for less?

I like this dress:

Milly Imara Dress – $390

I do not, however, like it’s price tag. Also, I HATE those shoes. They’re like formal Sperrys. And while I can appreciate a good boat shoe from time to time, no one should be sailing in a four inch heel.

Why do I like this dress, you ask? (well technically I asked myself, but you know what I mean) Because this dress is a good example of colorblocking done in the most body-flattering way possible. I.e. there is a color band placed at the natural waist emphasizing a woman’s narrowest part, as opposed to say, at her hips where no woman ever wants to look wider.

So I did some online shopping time wasting research and came up with two reasonably-priced (cheap even!) potential alternatives.

First up:

Tinley Road Sweetheart Dress – $49

I actually like the color combo on this dress better than the Milly version. But once again I HATE the shoes the stylist paired with this dress. Whoever thought it was a good idea to stick a pair of heavy, horse-hooved booties on this poor girl with that dress should be fired. What is it about colorblocked dresses that causes what I’m sure are normally sane stylists to completely lose their minds when it comes to footwear???

But back to the dress. This dress works on the same principle as the Milly one in that the placement of the colorblocking accentuates the natural waistline/narrowest part of the body. The bad news is the length on this one looks a little short and it would, therefore, probably have to be relegated to non-work-wear only. Given that it only costs $49, however, that’s probably okay.

My ‘research’ also helped me uncover this dress:

Mod Cloth Dressed to the Lines Dress – $58

Thank goodness this one doesn’t have any hideous footwear attached to it for me to rant about. And the dress itself is another great example of figure-flattering colorblocking. I can totally picture this dress with a black boyfriend blazer with tights and pumps for now and with a pair of wedges or leopard-print flats come Spring and Summer.

I definitely think I love the Milly dress best – and I don’t love it because it’s the most expensive, it’s the most expensive because I love it. But I think either of the two more affordable options would be a great addition to any wardrobe. What do you think?