advice and help!

[geekster_girl]

Fatshionistas, I desperately need some help.  My husband and I have made the big splurge and are attending an inaugural gala on Jan 20.  The gala is "semi-formal/black tie" and I'm having a fatshion brain lapse.  So far I've found two different dresses that I think might work, but I'm completely confused about accessories and shoes.

Comments

[palaverment]

Between those two, I think the INC one is a bit dressier. It is, technically, more "cocktail" attire - but in my experience "semiformal" or "black tie optional" really mean "wear something on the fancy side of a cocktail dress" more than "go all out, floor-length formal". Even black tie includes shorter dresses these days, according to the venerable Emily Post (fact I only know because I just looked it up today to make a point to my own inaugural escort regarding his shoes. sigh.).

If you go with that dress, though, I think you should probably keep the accessories on the simple side given how much movement and dangle the dress has. Maybe some glitzy earrings and no necklace. The bracelets they have in the photo are a little casual, but maybe some other kind of bracelet would be nice.

Some other ideas, just from glancing through Macy's: one, two (my favorite, especially in "cobalt"), three, four. My guess is that the last two might be the best for an "oval" but I am a terrible judge of these things and always have to try 15 things on to fit myself - let alone others! Luckily, I know I have seen most of these in stores relatively recently.

As for shoes, the key for this year will be elegant heels that you can actually walk in because you will probably be doing a bit of walking - in addition to the usual standing all night and dancing and so on. I am not sure I love these shoes but I like that they have that solid-looking heel idea. If you are more confident than I am in stilettos, however, do feel free to disregard this point.