On Sunday, I went shopping at The Houston Galleria. I had a strict list to go by: new make-up and maybe a new dress for summer.

Unfortunately for my pocketbook, I had to cross in front of Torrid. It’s hard to resist taking a peek inside one of my favorite stores on a Sunday morning when there is no crowd inside. So, I entered. Out with the “maybe a new dress” and in with the “definitely going to buy a new dress.”

With one caveat…

Let’s take a moment to go back in time. Do you remember that episode of Oprah where she did interviews with little-known people behind famous things? She interviewed Marc Jacobs and he brought his Marc by Marc Jacobs collection to the show. There was one particular sundress that I thought was beautiful.

That Marc dress was on my mind as I made my way towards the Torrid clearance racks. I thought if I could find a dress like that one it’d be worth the splurge. And to my surprise, there a very similar summer halter dress marked down from $78 to $62. By Torrid standards, that’s like half price or something.

The first thing I thought was, oh no! I can’t do halters. I figured the challenge in a dress like that is finding the right strapless bra. Strapless?! I have enough trouble finding a bra with straps to keep these puppies up, let alone trying to find a sturdy bra with no straps whatsoever.

But the dress kept calling me. So, I decided to pick it up and try it on.

Surprise #2! It looked fantastic when I put it on. I’m not sure I’ve tried on anything ever before that looked as good as this halter dress did. I was sold.

Now, to find a strapless bra. I headed to Macy’s since I’ve had good luck finding the right bra there. Actually, I wear only one brand and style of bra. It’s the Bali minimizer with underwire. I buy about eight a year. It’s the only bra I’ve found that fits, lifts and separates and if you catch the department store at the right time, you can get two of those eight for free (Buy 3, Get 1 free).

I’ve never looked for a strapless bra before, but I was more concerned with finding the right size (40 or 42 DDD) and less concerned with any miracles the bra might claim to provide. I didn’t want a strapless bra attached to a body suit (too hot!) nor did I want one attached to a girdle (too confining!).

I gave the entire lingerie section a thorough sweep… nothing. I thought to myself surely there’s at least one strapless bra in this department that I can make work! So, I decided to give it one more try. On the very back wall, I found a single strapless bra by Lunaire in a 38DDD. That was as close as I could get to the right size. At least it’s the right cup size.

Still, I was even less convinced about this purchase.

I took home the bra and tried it on. It was tight, way too tight, but I managed to pull it on and I looked in the mirror. “Is this the way it’s supposed to fit? My boobs are sitting awfully low without the straps.” Surely there is some lift I will have to forfeit for the sake of a cute dress and hot weather.

The real moment of truth will be the way the halter dress looks with the new strapless bra. I put the dress back on and took a gander in the mirror. Surprise #3 (the final surprise), everything looked fine!

The strapless bra I bought will work for my mini vacation coming up. In the meantime, I’ll be on the hunt for a strapless bra that fits a little better. If anyone has any recommendations, don’t hesitate to make some suggestions for me.

Most of the time, I wouldn’t recommend wearing things, especially undergarments, that are too tight or too small. I think it’s just as important to feel as comfortable as you feel beautiful, but I’m going to look at this bra situation like a pair of high heels. High heels aren’t always comfortable, but they sure look good!

This weekend was all about shopping firsts for me. I bought my first halter-top dress and my first strapless bra. Two things I thought were impossible.