Unlike other chains like Brooklyn Industries, Urban Outfitters or Gap, if an item sells well at American Apparel, chances are it will continue to appear on the shelves for years.

Debuting two summers ago, the overwhelmingly popular Cotton Spandex Jersey Bandeau Dress has created a sea of multicolored extras from Feist's "1,2,3,4" music video. Still featured as the first dress listed on the website, it can be seen on at least three girls at any one time in any neighborhood, from the the East Village to the Upper East Side. Sold for $36 and in 19 different shades, the dress can be worn in at least 15 different ways (even as a shirt and a skirt). The dilemna: Does one buy the $36 wonder dress, or back off because everyone and their mom, younger sister and cousin in England own it.

If you do decide to go through with the purchase, here are some tips for wearing it:

1. Strapless- Top-heavy girls, be careful with this one. Unless you like to attract attention, avoid publicly exposing yourself by wearing a V-neck short sleeve shirt underneath the dress. You get the style without the embarrassment.

2. The Skirt- If you like the skirt look (which can be suitable for a casual work environment), buy the dress a size larger than you normally would. You'll regret eating lunch otherwise.

3. The Shirt- To be honest, even in a large those curvier than a size 6 may have trouble wearing this style. But no one's missing much … the fabric bunches up underneath the arms in a less than comfortable way. Sometimes a dress should stay a dress.

-- Jacqueline Wasilczyk