And what I wore to grade

I started the day in jeans and a tee shirt, which I hadn't planned to photograph. But during my laundry haul (3 1/2 flights of narrow stairs, necessary greetings to folks on the street, and 1 1/2 blocks of lugging), they kept sagging and falling, until I was almost guilty of pants on the ground, so I changed in this thrifted dress I haven't figured out how to wear yet.
I like the dress, and I have been on the thrifting look out for a denim dress since it's now quite trendy. While this petite dress generally fits (even at the waist), the shape is a wee bit awkward. But the more I've worn it today, the more comfortable I felt. Even though this lacks the strong utility elements of more current denim dresses, I like this dress because it feels functional but still femme-y. It's a bit late 90s with its princess seams and angled breast pockets, but the late 90s weren't so bad.
I have some ambitions of lightening the dress through a salt wash or other methods. Has anyone has any luck fading denim?
(and I'm still grading. Stupid laundry and other household labor has taken me away from my work duties).

Edit: Yes, I coiled the laces, highly imperfectly. The blogosphere tells me that it's called an Eastland Knot. Click here for a tutorial, complete with awesome illustrations.

Dress: Talbot's petites, thrifted
Belt: from a pair H&M pants
Necklace: street vendor in Hawaii
Shoes: Eastlands, via Alamo Shoes (Chicago)