If you are a regular reader of my Blog, then you must be aware that last weekend was my daughter Riona's second birthday. we had been planning for weeks literally. Every detail was taken in to account. We wanted to make sure we made the day as special as we could for her.
We had picked out Baby's dress to tie in with the theme, Riona's dress was black and white with a red accent belt. So I opted for red stockings for her and a red bow to tie in the red belt. She was set. Now what do we wear? I have always loved my friend Pritha's posts on social media for any occassion. She co ordinates the outfits of her entire family so beautifully. You are an inspiring woman. We had cocordinated outfits only a few times, but I clearly wanted to increase that count. So Mommy and daddy had to shop or hunt in their closets, which tied in Black,White and Red together. Yet not look tacky. Not a tough challenge for avid shoppers like Deb and me.
I was clear in my mind that I wanted to wear a dress. Last year on her First Birthday I had worn skinny trousers with a glitter sequinned top. This year I wanted my look to be a bit more feminine. Yet make sure that there was no Cleavage Central happening anywhere.
It took us quite a few trips across quite a few stores at the Mall to find THE dress. H&M was my first stop and practically had nothing great which could be worn at a party.
Next stops were MACY's and Forever 21.
These two won over my heart the instant I had seen them on the racks. When I tried them on, they clearly sealed the deal. The first dress had a vintage feel with its lace and the dress on the left is actually a pencil skirt and a blouse. I loved the leather detailing. These came home with me.
Of the two I decided to wear the All Black outfit as the leather detail was edgy. Daddy picked up a similar BLACK SHIRT with Leather detailing as well. He would pair that with a burnt red corduroy trouser, and a black velvet jacket
We were almost set. Or were we ?!
I started having a feeling that the outfit was getting too boxy for me. My assumptions from the dressing room grabs. All black is a classic after all,but can go wrong.
I was having second and third thoughts. So yet another trip to the Mall and some more dressing room drama followed.
No they didn't work for me. The first one was very '80s and the second one made my bulges so oddly prominent that I wanted to shove it to the darkest corner of the store. In a bid to have a safe choice, I was not settling in for some typical Mommy Clothes which would make look as if I had come out of the history books.
I needed to give it a break for a few days and then think again. After a few days, it was time again to hit the stores.
Windsor Dresses was my choice this time. I had shopped from them, for a lot of parties and my cruises and I was hopeful that they would have a few options, which did not look like Prom Dresses. They had an entire section for Monochromes which surely made life easier.
I tried on quite a few again and played with different lengths. My top three picks were clearly two with white and black stripes(top picture on the blog post). No they didn't look make me like a zebra,which was my Mom's concern. One had broad horizontal stripes, which did not make me look broad at all. The second one also had broad stripes but they were almost crisscrossing across the body. Sexy yet understated. The third was a black dress with a whitish nude lining and made it look lacy. I discarded it the first, so that it didnt look like lingerie. Also my tummy was bulging out big time. And I don't wear shape wear like Kim K.
So which one did I pick up? The best one of all . It complimented my petite frame and had longish sleeves which were not very matronly. The material was soft yet not flimsy and highlighted my best features while camouflaging my flaws. I had no tummy bulge at all. I hosted a kiddie birthday party in it all evening long and could not have felt more comfortable.
So when you plan an outfit for a special event, try doing your research online, on what could look good on you. Then it gets easier when you are scourging the racks. Always try quite a few options and do take pictures. They will help you in making the choice. Last but not the least, take the opinion of someone who understands your personal style, if you feel you cannot make up your mind.
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