Category: Social events

Best Laid Plans

Sometimes, I feel like my borderline-obsessive planning is simply an invitation to the universe to mess with me. Does anyone else feel like that, or shall I go ahead and add the label “paranoid” to my bio? Actually, don’t answer that. All I’ve got to say is that, at times, despite my best efforts, things simply don’t work out the way I expect. This year, in particular, has felt like an extended exercise in things-not-working-out-as-planned, so I suppose I should not have been surprised by yet another curveball late in the game.

Thankfully, this one was of the inconsequential variety … which is not to say that I didn’t sulk about it for a day or two. Much like my three-year old, I have a lot to learn about going with the flow, I guess.

This all started with my office Christmas party. For newer readers, by way of background: every year, my firm hosts an extra fancy Christmas party at an extra fancy hotel. There is a different theme every year, but the dress code is always “black tie(ish)”. (I did a post on my past Christmas party outfits a couple of years ago, where you can see my past efforts, successes and failures both.) For the past two years, I have been on the organizing “committee” (really, there are two of us), so I’ve been putting extra thought and effort into my outfit. People don’t typically “dress to the theme” at these parties, but I like to give a subtle nod to it if I can. For this year’s theme, we chose Beauty and the Beast. Red roses, naturally, formed a big part of the décor. In the circumstances, it seemed fortuitous when I found a dark red velvet dress (with rosebud-like folds on the off-the-shoulder straps) during one of my thrifting stops earlier in the fall. I generally only wear fancy cocktail dresses at my office Christmas party, and where else but at this particular Christmas party, would a dress of this description be so wonderfully fitting? In short, it was fate.

As it happened, I also found the perfect accessories for this dress shortly thereafter: a necklace from the antique mall, and sky-high Louboutins from Value Village. It was going to be the perfect outfit … all for under $100.

Take a look:

Dress, vintage (thrifted); necklace, vintage (antique mall); shoes, Christian Louboutin (thrifted)
Dress, vintage (thrifted); necklace, vintage (antique mall); shoes, Christian Louboutin (thrifted)
look at that shoulder detail!
look at that shoulder detail!

It would have been so great, wouldn’t it? Sigh. If you remember the intro, you will have figured out that this was not the outfit I actually wore to the Christmas party. Why? Because sometimes the best laid plans get derailed by an errant hot iron.

See, the dress was vintage and while in generally amazing shape, it had a small tear in the fabric near the back zipper. Since the fabric was velvet, I decided to play it safe and take it to the tailor rather than attempt the repair myself. Velvet is tricky, after all. Oh, the irony. The tailor was able to repair the tear just fine … then proceeded to iron over her handiwork for some unknown reason. If you know anything about velvet, you probably know what happens when you apply a hot iron to it. The tailor should have known; moreover, the care label attached to the dress clearly stated DO NOT IRON.

sigh
sigh

Had the damage been done in some more unobtrusive spot, I might have taken my chances with it. As it was, I couldn’t wear it. Not at my fancy Christmas party, and probably nowhere else – save maybe a future Halloween party. I was so, so bummed out – mainly because this was a vintage dress I could never replace, and an occasion I could not duplicate. So, even though the tailor (who was very apologetic) offered me compensation, it did not bring me much cheer.

Of course, in the end, I rallied – found another dress, went to the ball, no fairy godmother required. I was still sad about the ruined dress, however; I hated the idea of getting rid of it, or keeping it in some dark corner of my closet, unworn. It seemed like such a waste of a beautiful thing. I don’t know why it bothered me so much; in an age of fast fashion and disposable everything, I suppose my feelings about that dress could seem odd and anachronistic. Still, it felt like we had unfinished business, the dress and I … and that’s why I decided to write this post, and take photos of the outfit that never was. And you know what? I feel better now. So long, beautiful dress.

alas, what might have been
alas, what might have been

Blue Fancy

Dress, Prada (thrifted); shoes, Marc Jacobs (thrifted); bag, Rebecca Minkoff
Dress, Prada (thrifted); shoes, Marc Jacobs (thrifted); bag, Rebecca Minkoff

I don’t get to go to a lot of weddings anymore — I seem to average one a year in the last 3 or 4 — so it’s extra fun getting dressed for one. I have a lot of “fancy” dresses, and not many occasions to wear them, which makes for a somewhat challenging selection process. This time around, the winner was my blue Prada silk wrap dress. Since the dress code was fairly relaxed, I kept things pretty simple, with just a hint of sparkle.

blue + silver
blue + silver

The wedding itself was a beautiful family affair, and my husband and I felt privileged to witness it. The bride’s children (from a former marriage) were very much part of the wedding party, and watching the way they all came together and celebrated their new family was amazing. I’ve never really understood the point of vow renewals before, but this experience made me seriously consider it; obviously, my kids will never get to witness their parents’ wedding, but it might be nice to have a celebration not only of our marriage but of our family, at some point in the future when they’re older.

that's a wrap
that’s a wrap

Conference Style & Thrift

Last week, I went to Red Deer for a two-day work conference, and naturally that required me to over-think a bunch of outfits. I’m not going to pretend that this is any kind of travel capsule, because I made no special efforts to mix and match; I just wanted to feel (a) good in whatever I wore, (b) appropriate for the occasion. Ready to check out some horribly lit selfies? Well, alrighty then!

Blazer, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, J. Crew Factory; jeans, William Rast (thrifted); shoes, Stuart Weitzman
Blazer, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, J. Crew Factory; jeans, William Rast (thrifted); shoes, Stuart Weitzman

I wore this for dinner and drinks with some colleagues (and clients) the night before the conference started. We went to a hipster-y joint in downtown Red Deer (To The Lost), which turned out to serve excellent handmade cocktails … and the food was not bad either. (That’s an understatement actually. It was delish.) The vibe was quite chill, so this outfit ended up being a good choice — casual, but with some dressier elements. Speaking of which, I really like the quality of this J. Crew Factory lace tank. It was something like $18 on clearance, and well worth that price; the lace is very nice and looks more expensive than it was. I bought it less than 2 weeks ago, so you might still be able to find it in stores if you’re interested.

Blazer, Anthropologie; dress, Joe Fresh; shoes, Stuart Weitzman
Blazer, Anthropologie; dress, Joe Fresh; shoes, Stuart Weitzman

For the first day of the conference, I went with comfort (my trusty Joe Fresh tube dress) and dressed it up a bit. I picked this particular blazer because it’s a heavy knit (comfy and warm) with a cotton lining (extra warmth) — perfect for the chilly temps inside the conference hall. I added a fancy necklace for some visual interest, and my comfiest heels. Pretty basic, but fail-proof.

Jacket & dress, Joe Fresh; shoes, J. Crew Factory
Jacket & dress, Joe Fresh; shoes, J. Crew Factory
sans jacket
sans jacket

The conference dinner was hosted at a restaurant located on a ranch, so again, the vibe was quite laid back. I picked a maxi dress because I thought it would hit the right balance between casual and dressy, and added a leather jacket for a bit of edge, plus warmth.

Sweater, J. Crew Factory; pants, Babaton (thrifted); scarf, F&F (thrifted); brooch, thrifted
Sweater, J. Crew Factory; pants, Babaton (thrifted); scarf, F&F (thrifted); brooch, thrifted

For the last day of the conference, I knew I wanted to wear a couple of recent thrift scores — this pretty wool scarf and brooch. The rest of the outfit was basically just “background”, but it still hit the conference trifecta: warm, comfortable, and polished.

For those not familiar with Alberta geography, Red Deer is a midsize (by local standards) town halfway between Edmonton and Calgary. The only time I usually stop there is when I’m traveling to Calgary, and then usually only long enough to hit up Gasoline Alley (a commercial strip on the edge of town where one can fuel up the car — and oneself, with donuts from the famous Donut Mill). On this trip, I realized that there was a Value Village and a Salvation Army a few blocks from my hotel so … well, you know where I’m going with this. I couldn’t let the opportunity slip, so during our scheduled “free time”, I took myself off for some thrifting.

How did Red Deer’s thrift scene compare to the Edmonton’s? It was not quite as exciting (few places are, to be honest), but it wasn’t bad either. I didn’t find much at the Sally Ann, but the VV had a few treasures.

DVF "Cezanne" dress ($12)
DVF “Cezanne” dress ($12)

I rarely find DVF here in Edmonton, so this was a bit of a surprise. I had to double check that this was, in fact, an authentic dress since it didn’t look like something you’d expect from the brand. The inside tag looked legit though.

legit DVF
legit DVF

I googled the name of the dress (helpfully noted on the inside tag, which I wish more brands would do), and this proved to be a CDN$400 piece. Hard to believe — it’s cute, but the quality seemed meh to me. For $12, it was tempting but I ended up passing on it because I don’t need another casual dress, and there was nothing special about this one except for the label.

J. Crew skirt ($8)
J. Crew skirt ($8)

This J. Crew skirt was also a decent price, but the wrong size so I had to pass.

Trina Turk dress ($25)
Trina Turk dress ($25)

Ditto for this Trina Turk dress, although the price was a bit steep in any event.

BCBG dress ($40!!!)
BCBG dress ($40!!!)

This BCBG dress took the cake, however. Forty freaking dollars for a simple cocktail dress? Holy crap. I thought my local VV was bad, but this is another story. I was amused, however, that they priced BCBG higher than DVF.

Liz Clairborne shirt ($12)
Liz Claiborne shirt ($12)
very Anthro-esque
very Anthro-esque

I loved the print of this Liz Claiborne shirt, which struck me as very Anthro-esque. The fabric was a lovely silk as well, but it was still a pass for me. The size was too big, and the style too 80s for my taste — though alterations might fix both problems. Considering the price, I didn’t feel like taking a gamble on my rudimentary skills.

Guinevere Verdant Paisleys cardigan ($10)
Guinevere Verdant Paisleys cardigan ($10)

In the end, the only thing I bought was this Guinevere cardigan. I was a bit iffy on the colour and print, but I loved the soft wool and decided the cardigan might be a good topper for a few things in my closet. If nothing else, it shall count as my Red Deer souvenir.

Speaking of souvenirs, on the way home, I made a quick side-trip to visit the (even smaller) town of Lacombe, and checked out its secondhand/thrift/antiques scene. [The thrift store did not yield any treasures, but the consignment store (surprisingly large and well-stocked) had a few, including a pair of made-in-Italy Jenny Kaye leather flats which, unfortunately, were not my size.] I stopped into the cutest little antique store where, sadly, the prices on Royal Albert teacups were no bargain, but where I did pick up this cute geegaw:

desk ornament?
desk ornament?

This little adventure off the beaten track (aka Highway 2) reminded me of an idea I’d had years ago to do a day-long “antiquing” tour of small towns around Edmonton. I’m more convinced than ever that it would be a lot of fun; now, I just have to find some partners in crime … Stay tuned.