Ball Gown Update

While we are all watching the Oscars tonight, I thought I would put together my ball gown update.



Yeah. I found my dress.



I pretty much knew in the dressing room this was the one. I've tried on about another half-dozen since, from flowing Grecian-styles to bedazzled sequins 1970s looks to one amazing Tadashi number which looked like it could be worn on the red carpet at the Oscars (also too small). But none of them beat this Adrianna Papell. Despite all the lousy pictures, it really does fit amazingly well, is slimming while also form-fitting, and is sexy without being slutty. Plus it's black without being black on top and draining all the color out of my face; if anything, the nude fabric under the black lace allows me to warm the whole look up with gold accessories. Like this Banana Republic necklace, which will get a chance to be worn with a fancy outfit instead of my everyday ones that I usually wear it with.



So the necklace is out of the way, but what about shoes? I have two party sandals already, one in a pale gold and a strappy black. See?



The pale gold won't work, and truthfully the black ones are not very comfortable. So finding a new pair of black strappy shoes is essential. The dress is a little short on me, so I need a smaller heel than usual. A sky-high will only make the dress look too short. Faux pas!

DSW has an Audrey Brooke Kristin sandal which is a contender. (No pic because DSW's website is the WORST at linking photos.)

But I really like this BP Platinum Twirl from Nordstrom. The t-strap idea is very appealing with this particular dress. The height might be too much though.

Of course, I need a bag. A sparkly gold evening bag. I like the hard ones, but I am open to a different shape. This Tasha from Nordstroms is pretty.

Even a simple one like this other Tasha is a possibility.

My girlfriend J might have one I can borrow too. So I am keeping my options open.

One critical item I need to make the outfit complete is shapewear. I probably could get away without it on the bottom half -- the shutter pleats of the dress are remarkable at slimming and framing even my dupa nicely -- but I would prefer not to be so boobalicious at a company party. I went for a new bra fitting on Saturday, but wearing the new one under the dress made me notice finally that my bra peeks our quite a bit from the armholes. I think my other bra had a smaller band so it was less noticeable. Still, I need to fix that.

Enter shapewear. I am thinking about trying a Miraclesuit. That one doesn't seem too painful, unlike this strapless number, or this ugly Assets one.

But my last accessory will be my new glasses. Voila!





This is my new everyday pair. I need to replace the smaller dark Liz Lemons, but I didn't want to go crazy on the color or shape. I have my turquoise ones for that! I also got the news from my optometrist that it is time for reading glasses. Not interested in progressive lenses (at least not now) so I am having my chunkier brown glasses converted to reading ones. They didn't get much wear anyway so this should be perfect.


The ball checklist:
Dress, done.
Necklace, done.
Glasses, done.
Shoes, need to find, but can live with black ones I have if needed.
Bag, need to find.
Undergarment, need to find.
Hotel room, booked.
Hair color, will be making appointment this week.
Hair styling, will have appointment that day for a blowout.
Makeup...pray for me. ;-D