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Dressing Up

When dressing up for more formal events, there are a lot of options for covering-up your compression.


Plus, with most attendees wearing similar short dresses, you might even out-dress them with your different but fashionable look.


For parties or other casual events, I typically wear a dress or skirt with tights underneath. If tights aren't really fitting in with my outfit, though, I sometimes just embrace my visible compression.


Long dresses are perfect for proms and dances, but often can be a bit hard to pull off or are too fancy for less-formal events. Jumpsuits are a great alternative to long dresses. In my opinion, they look upscale without being overly dressy.


For last year's prom, I wore a floor-length dress like many of my classmates, but paired it with Doc Martens as opposed to heels. This year I was planning on wearing a jumpsuit to prom and a long dress to an awards ceremony, but all end-of-year events were canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.


When it comes to more professional attire, I recommend pants or jumpsuits that have a business look to them. I have a couple pairs of pants that could pass for women's suit pants, but are actually comfortable wide-legged pants that I found at TJ Maxx. Paired with a blouse, these make for a great interview look. I also have a navy jumpsuit made of suit material which gives off a very professional look.


While worrying about compression can seemingly limit clothing options in some regards, when it comes to dressing up for fancier occasions, having to think about managing my lymphedema has actually expanded my style. I probably never would have considered wearing jumpsuits, pants, or tights for when I dress-up, but now these items are some of my favorites and often generate a lot of complements.


I hope these suggestions show that you can still be confident and stylish while managing your lymphedema, and maybe even end up falling in love with new fashions.


Picture from Spring 2019: My prom dress, worn with Doc Martens boots

Picture from Spring 2020: Overalls dress worn with black mesh polk-a-dot tights for my birthday; purchased at Target 



Picture from Winter 2020: a floor-length black and gold printed dress (yet to be worn outside of the dressing room); purchased at Bloomingdales Outlet Store

Picture from Winter 2019: Striped jumpsuit from TJ Maxx worn for a Banquet


Picture from Spring 2018: Floral jumpsuit from TJ Maxx
 
Picture from Spring 2019: Suit material jumpsuit from Lord & Taylor

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