I think I hate parties.
A friend I love but don't see nearly enough is throwing one to celebrate her wedding tomorrow (it's not the actual wedding, that took place in her home town) and I'm having a complete wardrobe breakdown. There is no dress code, and I hate formal events without a proper dress code - I find them hard enough to navigate even when they are clearly stated, but when there isn't one I panic.
I have a lot of clothes, but my entire wardrobe consists of two basic types of clothes; everyday clothes, and club clothes. Neither is suitable for parties like this one.
This hasn't been an issue for me until fairly recently. I have never had much occasion for formal clothes, so I simply don't have any. There's a vintage beaded jacket in my closet that dresses up an everyday skirt and shirt nicely for dinner parties and such, but I don't have a dress I could wear under it that would take it into cocktail/informal evening attire territory. There's a version of the wiggle dresses in heavy black wool that is neither skin-tight nor low-cut which works, but it's very warm and really more of a daytime garment. There's the one with lace appliqués, which can easily be made slightly more decent with some more lace, but it's still rather tight and vulgar. There are a couple of very pretty vintage dresses, but most of them are everyday dresses, the more evening-appropriate ones are too fragile to be worn, really, and anyway I like them in theory, but I don't feel entirely comfortable in them. Finally, all these garments are black, which is bad for a wedding party.
Then there's the pink dress, but I am not pleased with it and I'm afraid I'll be horribly overdressed in it.
I went a short round looking at dresses at the big department stores today and it was possibly the dreariest thing I've done in a good, long while. Once again, there are two types; the ones that look like maternity dresses, and apart from the purely aesthetic horror of it I need a defined waist in my clothes, or I look eight sizes larger and a good decimeter shorter. Then there were a few with defined waists - but they all had poofy skirts, and I don't want a poofy skirt. I'm 30. I wore tutus with relish when I was 19, but that time is long past and poofy skirts are no longer part of my style. This means I'm also old enough to remember how my mother refused to let me have a balloon skirt the last time they were in fashion, and today I'm inclined to be thankful.
And besides, everything was black there too. I was hoping for a nice, strong sea green or something, but apparently I have to make that happen myself.
So. I have no idea what to wear, and I don't think I'm going to be quite happy whatever I decide on, but it's leaning towards either a slightly de-vulgarized version of the lace appliqué dress, or that wool one. I don't know. Rant over.
I have a lot of clothes, but my entire wardrobe consists of two basic types of clothes; everyday clothes, and club clothes. Neither is suitable for parties like this one.
This hasn't been an issue for me until fairly recently. I have never had much occasion for formal clothes, so I simply don't have any. There's a vintage beaded jacket in my closet that dresses up an everyday skirt and shirt nicely for dinner parties and such, but I don't have a dress I could wear under it that would take it into cocktail/informal evening attire territory. There's a version of the wiggle dresses in heavy black wool that is neither skin-tight nor low-cut which works, but it's very warm and really more of a daytime garment. There's the one with lace appliqués, which can easily be made slightly more decent with some more lace, but it's still rather tight and vulgar. There are a couple of very pretty vintage dresses, but most of them are everyday dresses, the more evening-appropriate ones are too fragile to be worn, really, and anyway I like them in theory, but I don't feel entirely comfortable in them. Finally, all these garments are black, which is bad for a wedding party.
Then there's the pink dress, but I am not pleased with it and I'm afraid I'll be horribly overdressed in it.
I went a short round looking at dresses at the big department stores today and it was possibly the dreariest thing I've done in a good, long while. Once again, there are two types; the ones that look like maternity dresses, and apart from the purely aesthetic horror of it I need a defined waist in my clothes, or I look eight sizes larger and a good decimeter shorter. Then there were a few with defined waists - but they all had poofy skirts, and I don't want a poofy skirt. I'm 30. I wore tutus with relish when I was 19, but that time is long past and poofy skirts are no longer part of my style. This means I'm also old enough to remember how my mother refused to let me have a balloon skirt the last time they were in fashion, and today I'm inclined to be thankful.
And besides, everything was black there too. I was hoping for a nice, strong sea green or something, but apparently I have to make that happen myself.
So. I have no idea what to wear, and I don't think I'm going to be quite happy whatever I decide on, but it's leaning towards either a slightly de-vulgarized version of the lace appliqué dress, or that wool one. I don't know. Rant over.