Ask Essie: On Casual Dresses & Dress Stores

I got a question in my inbox the other day from a fellow reader who asked me where I get my casual dresses. (If you follow me on Twitter, you might be a little more familiar with my dress collection because I'm almost always posting OOTD's!) To be honest, I actually don't have much experience with dress stores. I stick to my old-and-true list of boutiques I like to go to, and don't experiment much (although I'd like to start doing so more!). My list isn't all that elaborate as of now, but I thought I'd share with you the stores that I do like going to - because, it's always good being able to see what others like and are exposed to.

As far as online boutiques go, I like:

-Modcloth for semi-casual and vintage dresses and accessories

-Libby Story for "boho" styles

-Ruche for feminine and more colorful dresses

For stores you can find in the mall:

-Forever21 for budget-friendly and trendy dresses

-Wet Seal for fun and modern dresses

-Free People for original and effortless dresses

I would definitely recommend checking all these stores out, but most of all recommend just walking around your local city in search of dress boutiques and secondhand stores. A vast majority of my cutest dresses are surprisingly from thrift stores and local boutiques. A huge plus of these kinds of stores is that there's really only one type of one dress, whereas at Modcloth or Forever21, there are probably 5-6 of the same dresses.

What's your favorite place to shop at when it comes to casual dresses?

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Credits

"Dress Rack"; Twitter; Modcloth; Libby Story; Ruche; Forever21; Wet Seal; Free People

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Want to ask the next Ask Essie question? Email your questions to pinkscriptblog@gmail.com!

Ask Essie: On Photography and Cameras!

"I heard you were an avid photographer...what camera do you use?"

So, I have a little confession to make today: I actually don't own a professional quality camera! My friend Kathryn is a hobbyist photographer but is super talented; she uses the Canon EOS for her shoots. Usually, for my photo shoots, I borrow Kathryn and her photography skills with me along for the ride.

When I take pictures of things (around the house and knick knacks here and there) I use my iPad. Bulky, but reliable. I am not a photographer in any way, so the quality (on the iPad 3rd Gen.) is good enough for me! I usually upload them straight onto Pixlr, edit it if necessary, and then email it to myself.

As for vintage-y photos, I use my Diana + Dreamer! You can get the Lomography camera here at Urban Outfitters.

That's it! I don't own an uber-expensive camera, but still love photography and snap pictures as a hobby. Ask me (any) question by sending it to pinkscriptblog@gmail.com or by tweeting me @PinkScriptBlog and you'll be featured in the next "Ask Essie" post!

XO, Essie