When I have previously asked for feedback on this blog, some of you expressed a desire for more Casual Friday ensembles.
Though no one asked for it, I imagine there might be a small amount of interest — a scintilla, perhaps — in dressy ensembles?
So, here I am in the dress I wore to a friend’s wedding in October.
This dress looks like a heavy satin (though it is 100% NYLON) and features a full skirt. The skirt, when I bought it, was even fuller and overwhelmed me, so I asked my tailor to reduce it by about a quarter. Much better.
It seemed to me that the fabric and cut of the dress require something more dramatic than my day-to-day jewelry.
Fortunately, I have an enormous, fake-diamond bracelet.
My somewhat avant garde party dress!
Do you see that it’s a little off-kilter?
Half a collar.
You may also notice the faux flap pocket? It’s supposed to look a little like a flight suit.
I’ve been weeding through my closets for the last week, trying to reduce my clothing by 25% — a number I have set somewhat arbitrarily.
I had a number of party/cocktail dresses — six — so this seemed like good place to be aggressive. Though to be fair, some of the dresses were seasonally limited.
It was interesting for me to realize that the two dresses I bought in my 30s would have looked thoroughly appropriate on any Mother of the Bride. The dresses I bought in my 40s are significantly less conventional. Put another way, Directrice 34 was older than Directrice 46 is.
If we’d started taking pictures a little earlier, you might have more views of this dress, but we didn’t and we lost the light. And then it started to rain.
Here is one of our last photos, taken as these realities were setting in. I think it has a mysterious, interesting quality to it . . . A little Vertigo-y.
In fact, I am not hearing eerie music or voices. A cute dog — who looks like he’s getting ready to misbehave — has caught my eye.
Dress: Marc Jacobs Flight Asymmetrical Collar Dress; Shoes: Cole Haan; Bag: Furla Metropolis; Bracelet: NEST Jewelry
It’s very fun (and lovely) and the fake diamonds look appropriate. While I understand the need and urge to cull your wardrobe, don’t cull too much — an arbitrary percentage has me worried — we enjoy seeing all that comes out of it.
Oh Rhizophora! I am not meeting my quota. I am well under 10 percent. I’ve disappointed myself, but everyone else may rest easy.
Timely post! I just had to go to special occasion, which resulted in an epic sartorial fail i.e. far, far too much money spent on a dress I will most likely never wear again. Lesson learned: Must acquire dressy separates.
And a request: Please show us the 25% rejects. Apart from the “worn-out” category, what are the criteria that designate a piece to the reject pile.
AV — You ask a good question. I have three loosely-applied criteria: (1) hasn’t been worn in the last year AND (2) is neither special nor particularly useful (Morris!); (3) OR is not as well-cut or well-fitting as other similar things in the closet. For instance, I have (had — it’s in the giveaway pile) a charming Laundry skirt, black cotton voile with rows of ribbon, dotted-swiss inserts. I wore it last summer. But it’s a slightly dumpy pencil shape and the waist is too big. Despite my general enthusiasm for alterations, the thought of fixing this skirt just made me feel fatigued. So, it is in the give-away pile. So sorry about your epic sartorial fail. One deviation from my general shopping rules: All of my party dresses were bought on sale when I didn’t need them. I think dressy separates are also a great idea. The individual pieces can be dressed down and used for less special occasions.
Amen! This dress is sensational!
Thank you, Sharla!
Absolutely love this dress. And you wear it so well!
Did you get any comments on it at the wedding?
I did! I learned that wearing a slightly off-kilter dress is an excellent conversation-starter. (This is also true of a slightly eccentric/unexpected necklace or brooch. Not full-bore crazy, but just out of the ordinary.) I met so many interesting women who were childhood and school friends of the bride!
Um, I call dibs on looking through the 25% before it goes away.
Such a fabulous outfit! You are so chic!