Two Sides of the Coin

I need some opinions here.  I have my company holiday party tomorrow (Saturday) night and I'm trying to decide what to wear.  This is a pretty low-key event - just a cocktail party at a local, nice restaurant with our small group plus spouses.  But since I feel like I never get out of the house, part of me wants to go a bit crazy... at least by North Carolina standards. 

To put it in perspective, I wore fake eyelashes last year and caused quite a stir.  So yeah...

Anyways, I've narrowed it down to two options.  One a bit "crazier" and the other an outfit I picked up today that I really like which also happens to be a bit more elegant.  So here are the choices -

Option 1 - Short dress with added crinoline, cardigan and uber-high heels.

The black and white petticoats I bought a long time ago.  The dress is from Forever 21 about a year ago and the cardigan is Twelve by Twelve also from about a year ago.

I hate going sleeveless so I would add the cardigan no matter what, but the fact that it's chilly means it's going to be necessary.

I love these fabric rosettes and the rhinestone buttons. Gives is just the right amount of shine.

Now, if it wasn't winter I'd be totally wearing my Alexander McQueen rose heels.  They are just too smashing.  But, even though bare legs and these peep-toes look great with the short, short skirt, I think I would look ridiculous as it is 20 degrees out.

So I was thinking of these sheer black tights with the thigh bow detail from Cynthia Rowley (bought from Gilt Group - really loving the tights they get on there).

And pairing them up with my Manolo Blahnik Campari black patent mary janes.

So that's my wacky options. 

Option 2 is a bit more subtle. 

I walked by a New York and Company store today and, which I never do, decided to pop in.  They merchandised well because my eye was caught by this paillette skirt right off the bat. Not surprisingly of course.  I love the muted olive-y green sheen and had to have it.  I wanted to keep it low key but glam so I found a heathered bronze v-neck sweater and, just in case, a taupe cami for layering. It seems a bit loose here but the look is more relaxed and slouchy, contrasting with the fitted gleaming skirt.  I probably wear just a simple necklace and maybe my watch.

To keep the neutral elegance going, I was thinking of my Le Silla Stardust heels. 

They have a beautiful, almost retro shape, handcrafted heel details and a subtle metallic gleam as well.



Of course, the second option would be more comfortable but I kinda want to wear the more silly dress.

What do you think???

Blast from the Past

On Sunday a local group was putting on a Summer Solstice Celebration which included vendors and bellydancing and face-painting. They invited people to come out and dress up.

I was debating dressing up all princess/pixie but in the end opted for more of a Victoriana-inspired idea. I already had these petticoats, for lack of a better description. There are actually two of them. The bottom white one is multi-layered and very fluffy and ruffly. The top one is tulle edged in black lace. I wore a portrait collar jacket and a black straw top hat/riding hat with a long black satin bow down the back.



I also had these funky striped stockings that remind me of the Can-Can.



Not a great set of photos, I know, the lighting in our room here isn't great.

The back of these boots lace-up all the way, much like a corset. I little saucy, I'd say!



So we drive all the way over to the event and are getting ready to park but it was not well organized. I guess the pixies aren't good at traffic control.

Also, we, uh, did not see a bunch of folks dressed up. Yeah.....

So we decided to drive down to the other lot and see if we could get a closer look and tell if anyone was dressed up. There were a few folks but there was no parking to be found. As we talked with someone working the lot it started to pour down rain. We were like, the heck with that, and decided to head back.

Just for fun we wanted to get something to eat so we went to the bistro just up from our house. In our "outfits". I mean, we looked awesome, right! So we walked into this little restaurant where they know us, in these get-ups. It's funny when you see that look on a person's face that is obviously "Okay, what the h**l do we have here?"

They thought we were a bit nuts I'm sure, but I don't mind looking a bit silly. Actually, I liked my fluffy skirt, stockings and boots, so I didn't mind. I'm not saying I'm going to wear this to work or anything.

But you never know, right?