For That Cocktail Dress You Never Wear...
Showing up for an event, overdressed, is somehow QUITE embarrassing. I can’t think of any times when it doesn’t sting a bit.
I once showed up for a wedding rehearsal dinner, in high heels and a shimmery dress. I walked up only to find that it was a pizza party picnic. Clearly… I missed the memo.
It was BEYOND embarrassing to show up as the LA girl ready to hit the town, while everyone else had just jumped off their 4-wheelers. When your dress quite literally outshines the bride’s cargo capris… it’s memorable.
But… I redeemed myself!
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This past summer in England, I had another dinner rehearsal to go to. Again, I knew no one there and so had to make the outfit appropriate for a dressy dinner, or maybe even… another pizza party.
What solved it was a timeless shoe and sweater with a cocktail dress. I knew the sweater would either a.) cover the dressiness of my cocktail dress or b.) remove the sweater if I rolled up and everyone was dressed fancy.
All i had to do was peeeeeaaaaaak my eyes into the party before I walked in, LOL.
The sweater and shoe made all the difference. And we don’t just need to use this trick when we’re hazy on the dress code, but we can use this trick to get more wearability out of our special occasion dresses.
This Winter Formal dress I’ve worn a handful of times could easily be worn way more than I thought. It doesn’t have to sit in the clear Dry Cleaner’s bag forever!
Take this gold sequin dress (it’s a lot, i know). Pairing it with heels and a red lip skyrockets it super dressy. HOWEVER. By pulling up my hair into a pony, popping on a sweater, and slipping on a bootie… it’s TOTALLY casual. I’m talking, just out for groceries casual.
Isn’t it amazing what a MINOR adjustments do to your outfit?!
When I remove the booties, let down my hair, and slip on some heels… I’m ready for an evening event!
So next time you’re wavering if you should by the cocktail dress… you don’t have to say “Well, when am i ever going to wear this again?!”. Just remember, it only takes a sweater to make it something new!