Clothes

I've been thinking about clothes lately.  Shocking, right, since I am a woman who is interested in her looks.  Not only that, but I've been talking recently with my lovely brides for whom I am a bridesmaid this year, and this just makes me think about all the clothes I will need to wear for all the things that I have to do for them.  I also have a choir show coming up and I know that they will want us to wear formal black, and my little black dress died last show.  I caught it on a nail while helping clean up and ripped a lovely little corner rip in the fabric.  So I need a new one.  My issue is this whole new budget thing I've got going on right now.  I've got a limited amount of money to spend here, so it's a priority thing.  I absolutely need a new black dress, but should I find one that looks good but is cheap? Or should I splurge and find one that is really nice?  I just don't know!   The other issue is that because of my size and body shape, only certain kinds of dresses look good on me.  I really shine in fifties style dresses, with flared skirts that go below my knees.  Do you know how hard it is to find dresses in that style that aren't extremely expensive?  I'll tell you, it's INSANELY hard. So I'm thinking maybe I'll make me a dress.  Now this is big talk from a person who can barely sew on buttons and has NEVER used a sewing machine in her life.  So here's my thought.  I'll find a dress that looks good and is relatively cheap, and then later on down the line once I've tried and had a little experience with a sewing machine, I may branch out and make myself something that looks amazing.  I do want to try and make myself a petticoat to go under my Easter dress, which is kind of fiftiesish.  Which will give the dress a new look for some of the things I have coming up, like rehearsal dinners and the like.  What do you think?  Where do you find dresses?  What are some easy things for me to start sewing?