These Shoes! This Dress!

I think you can always tell how excited I am about an outfit by how many images I post. This one was a total winner. The reason? I built it from the (Fluevog) shoes up, and everything else fell into place just the way I imagined, including the comfortable amount of time I allowed myself to get ready (including most of my hair and makeup) so that we could catch the late afternoon light for these photos. :-) We made it just in the nick of time; it gets dark so early these days.

If you remember, we had a company holiday party to attend once again this year, and I think I hit every note I wanted to hit with this outfit. It wasn't too sparkly or shiny (unlike last year), it wasn't too casual, nor was it nightclub-y. But it was special and unique enough to make me feel confident in a banquet hall full of people I didn't know. I definitely got compliments on both the dress and shoes. And guess what? These shoes were made for dancing!

Pockets!

Dress: Tulle Los Angeles via ModCloth | Cardi: AGB via Macy's | Maryjanes: Fluevog Elizabeth (Queen Transcendent family)

The cardigan was the weakest link to the outfit, but I barely wore it since it was quite comfortable in the hall. I was dancing for part of the night, so I didn't even wear it until we made our way to the car to go home. This December weather sure is different from last year's frostiness.

Some notes about the fantastic shape of this dress. As you can see, the bodice flattens "the girls" a bit while the skirt puffs out from a high waistline. I think it has a retro 1960s-1970s vibe, which is why I did the semi-bouffant with my hair (I know it's subtle, but it's there!). The waist is almost but not quite empire in the front, but in the back it is basically at my natural waist which makes it look like a standard A-line dress. I am a fan of how different it looks from different angles.

Details, details

Then there is the matter of the detailing. The scalloped fabric design is just so elegant, and when you add the black ribbon with the fabric-covered button, it turns into the perfect office-party dress. I could definitely dress this down with a different pair of shoes, but while the Elizabeth heels might look on first glance to be demure maryjanes, they are clearly something special. "Glamorous" was the word my husband used. I will admit here that I did get a blister on one of my right toes by the end of the night, but 1) it wasn't very painful and 2) I was dancing a lot in shoes that weren't yet broken in.

Finally, I wanted to say that I was happy with how my eye makeup turned out. I don't wear makeup often so I don't get to experiment enough, and I was worried that my makeup would make me look weird like the last time I did up my eyes without wearing glasses (at my mom's brunch). This time, the makeup looked much more natural and accentuated the shape of my eyes rather than reshaping them completely. What did I do differently? I used a lighter hand with the eyeliner, brightened the center of my eyelids, and applied the darkest shade only to the outer corners.

After we took these photos, I actually did more with my makeup and hair: I curled and applied mascara to my eyelashes, darkened/filled my eyebrows, added another layer of eyeshadow, and finished straightening my hair all around the back of my head with a straight iron. But basically this is what I looked like for the party. I considered wearing a red lip color but finally decided to only use lip balm. With the freckles and the subtle dress, it just seemed to make sense to keep it natural. I'm glad I did. :-)

xo, Gladys