I wrote the other day that I bought a dress that was a size 2! I had one khaki J. Crew skirt back in high school that was a size 2, but that was the only other time I’d been able to fit into such a small size.

I’m anywhere between a 4 and an 8 in clothes these days; a size 4 at Ann Taylor or Banana Republic, a 6 most other places and usually an 8 in dresses. I wanted a Lilly Pulitzer dress for a Derby party I was going to, so I went to Bloomie’s and grabbed an armful of preppy bright dresses to try on, all in a size 6. I started with a strapless one, and it was too small. Slightly dejected, I moved on to the one-shoulder dress. I love one-shoulder dresses for some reason, so I hoped it would fit. It fit well in the shoulders and chest but was totally boxy everywhere else, so I asked the saleswoman helping me if she could bring me a 4. “Do you also want me to bring you a 2?” 

HA!

“There’s no way a 2 will fit me!” 

I tried on the 4, and it was way too big. “I guess you’ll have to bring me the 2!” I tried on the 2, and it was definitely a little snug, but not too snug to not buy, so buy I did. I’m pretty sure I walked out of Bloomie’s glowing.

The strapless dress was an 8; I bought the dress that was a 2 — and that’s in the same designer. It’s the same body that was in both dresses, so I didn’t get any bigger or smaller depending on the size tag that was hanging from the neck. Remember that when the size tag is governing your moods.