The Directrice attended two fancy professional dinners this summer. One of the dinners was for a professional organization that skews male, older, and conventional. The other was a fundraising gala for a progressive non-profit. What to wear, what to wear.
I have a few party dresses in my closet for just such occasions, some of which you’ve seen before: here, here, and here. But these dinners were opportunities to trot out previously unseen treasures. And, because Your Directrice is feeling a little restless, to shock and awe.
Here’s what I wore to the extremely staid dinner: a graphic Maison Margiela dress that makes me look like a visitor who has traveled light years to deliver an urgent message to Earth.
Remember, Directorate: When I go places, I go for all of us.
Don’t panic. I’m not wearing a dress printed with an image of the moon. I have not lost all sense of professional propriety.
It’s an image of a solar eclipse.
And the band around the hem is text describing the event, which happened in 1963, in Courier font.+
I don’t have the vocabulary to describe the cut of this dress, but it is ingeniously cut and draped through the bodice and sleeves: no seams. The fabric is a heavy satin in deep deep blue fading to black. The belt is six inches wide. All of these things spoke to me when I saw it on YOOX many years ago and I knew that one day I would have the perfect occasion to wear it.
I wore something more conventional to the progressive gala because there I had nothing to prove.
Conventional can still be colorful.
I found this Mary Katrantzou dress on The RealReal while looking for a different Mary Katrantzou dress (which will be the subject of a future post). Such good fortune!
It’s predominantly a silver, icy blue, with dark blue, green, orange, red, and gold playing out an elaborate pattern of scrolls, poppies, koi fish, and zodiacal figures. After reading the fabric label, I still don’t understand what it’s made of. It has structure and sort of feels like Tyvek? When I take the dress off, it can stand on its own.
Can you believe that it fit perfectly?
Almost perfectly. After arriving in Nashville for my event, I decided the bodice was a little loose. But I was able to fold — like tin foil — and pin the fabric along the placket with a handful of safety pins.
I didn’t want to crush this epic skirt, so the dress (with accessories) got its own small suitcase. It was a two suitcase trip.
Note how beautifully the pattern lines up at the placket and waist seam. That’s extraordinary dress-making.
This may be my favorite dress ever — and I stumbled across it when I was not looking for a party dress and did not need one. I think we can agree there’s a lesson in that.
+ Some of you may remember that The Photographer and I traveled to Wyoming to see a solar eclipse in 2017? He went to Texas this year to see another.
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Don’t keep us in suspense! How did the “august body” react to your dress?
Yes, how?
One woman (a judge) told me she liked my dress and I was so surprised that I said “Really?!?” Other than that, no reactions — no dad jokes and no side eye.
I have the same question! What comments did you get? Both dresses are magnificent!! I also like the shoes – credit on those?
That belt is huge!!
Both dresses are divine and you look wonderful, but that Maison Margiela dress is out of this world!
And I, too, would like to hear any responses to these at the events.
I *love* the Maison Margiela dress. I’m not sure if I would have had such a strong reaction to it before I saw my first total eclipse (in April).
Me to Tory last night, after reading this entry: “Dear, what if some of your readers don’t know what Fifty Cent Dresses are?”
Tory (archly): “Oh, they all know.”
Still, I can’t help putting this link here, for those who are not Directrice scholars…
https://thedirectrice.com/a-fifty-cent-dress/
Thank you, Photographer!
Both dresses are divine and I’m SO appreciative of the modest cuts. You are a wonderful role model. Please keep sharing!
Fabu!!
You look great, always!
Both dresses are gorgeous and totally worth $.50, but that MMM? Absolutely divine.
I don’t think I could pull off the solar eclipse dress but you do wonderfully!!