Petite Fashion Challenge 17: Candy Colorized $9 H&M Dress

This month's Petite Fashion Challenge is hosted by the talented DIY'er, SewPetiteGal. Please be sure to check out her post for links to all the participant's outfits.

The challenge: Candy Colorized - Take a bowl full of colorful candies, close your eyes, and draw 2-3 pieces. Now use those colors (+ a neutral of your choosing) to form the basis for your ensemble. H&M tunic dress, J.Crew belt, Adia Kibur necklace (from a friend), 

Target T-strap sandals (similar and on sale), Mango aviator sunglasses c/o last year
Summer face: Stila bronzer shade #1 (lasts me for years), Revlon "Coral Reef" lip gloss

Before I got around to closing my eyes and letting the candy gods pick my PFC fate, I peered into my bag of Starburst and noticed how starkly familiar the colors were. They were a perfect match for a new dress and necklace lying around, both of which I have been very eager to wear.

I fell in love with this tunic dress online back in March, but was too late. With H&M, the good, affordable stuff tend to sell out in a matter of days, so I was ecstatic to find this lone dress hanging on the clearance rack for $10, three months later, in my size nonetheless. A quick look told me that the dress had been abused...holes from being run over repeatedly by rolling racks, sash belt torn off, and seams coming apart like it had been stretched out then returned. I got another 10% off for the damages, and brought the poor thing home for some TLC. The fit of this tunic dress is extremely similar to my other H&M shift pre-alterations, but even longer. It's very "nightgown" on me as-is, but I knew it was intended to be worn with it's (missing) belt. For this brightly-colored outfit,

I decided to use matte gold as my "neutral." I cinched the shapeless waist and pulled up some of the length using an old gold belt, protected my eyes with gold-rimmed aviators, and finished the look with some barely-there flat gold flat sandals - my summer staple (similar here).
This challenge brought back some interesting memories for me. Ever since I was a little kid, I've had a huge sweet tooth for fruity candy. Unfortunately, candy during my childhood was saved away for rare, special occasions. I remember waiting patiently until my parents fell asleep, before tip-toeing into the kitchen, climbing onto bar stools and counters, and finding the secret stash that was being saved from last Halloween. I would gingerly slip back into bed, clutching onto my Twizzler stick or DumDum pop, and savor it like it was my last meal on earth before slipping into "sweet" dreams.

The next morning, I would wake up to Dad's stern face peering at me in bed. "Did you steal candy again??" "N...n..no! Of course not!" I'd stammer groggily. Dad: "Then what's this lollipop stick doing glued to the side of your head?" To this day, my parents never fail to remind me of those stories.This was the perfect weekend outfit for strolling around town and enjoying al-fresco drinks. Just as I thought the day couldn't get more relaxing, we got drenched to the bones in a torrential downpour. On the bright side, it was a free "cleaning" for this dress, and I got to warm up afterwards with yummy pho : )

This has been a Petite Fashion Challenge. To find out more about Petite Fashion Challenges and how you can sign up, visit this thread in the Alterations Needed forum for petites.