Graduation Dresses for Chloe: Part 1

A reader, Chloe, sent me an e-mail basically saying that she needed help finding a graduation dress under $50. Can I just tell you about my graduation dress? It was the best dress ever! The perfect little black dress: quite a few inches above the knee, pleated details in the skirt, sleeveless with a deep v neckline. It was crazy short, but not indecent... I was walking a pretty fine line. If fit me like a glove... not tight because of the flowing pleated mini-skirt, but it was ultra-feminine, elegant, sexy and grown. I don't know what happened to that dress, but it was hot and murderous. I realize that look may not be for everybody so I thought about a few different options for Chloe. I wanted to show both casual and dressy casual options — you'd be surprised how you can dress up an $11 cotton dress from Forever 21 with just a set of pearls and the right shoes. I also wanted to use some fun options because it is a celebration. You can really wear whatever you want. I guess it depends on where you're going after, when the graduation gown comes off. Some people go to high-end restaurants with their families, others an outdoor party in the family garden and some go to parties with their peers. I tried to keep all of that in mind. Anyway, here's what I came up with for Chloe. All of these dresses are under $100.