Crystal Jewelry Design
I ended up buying a black dress
for a mere nine pounds. It's Calvin Klein, and originally ¡ê60. It's kind
of very slim and fitted, straight down to mid-calf, going in slightly at
the waist, with a straight across neckline and thin black spaghetti
straps. It's made of two layers, one sort of jersey-like, and the other
more gauzey. It is really nice...but is it really nice enough to wear to
post hotel?
[...]
But I don't want to turn up and feel like the plain wallflower in black. What's the
answer? Is it tacky beyond belief to trim it with ribbons or something?
Or would glittery shoes and a glittery wrap make it more glamorous?
Being in "plain black" will actually make you stand out as even *more*
stunning and lovely. Expensive does *not* guarantee "the most fabulous
dress ever," and in fact--at least this is how it works with proms
here--often guarantees that it will be something incredibly flash and
of-the-moment that the buyer will look at in two years and cringe with
embarassment. Your dress, on the other hand, sounds classic and elegant
and something that won't "age" so badly, so you won't mind looking at
the photos in 10 years. And nobody needs to know how much you spent
on it...
Accessories are the way to go with this. Leave the dress itself alone,
because you don't have a lot of time to design what you would do to it
and would probably end up being *more* unhappy with whatever you did.
I'd wear some spectacular jewelry--something really stunning or unique
in design, or lovely vintage stuff. Vintage rhinestone or crystal
jewelry, if you can get your hands on some, will go great with this dress.
Wear sheer black hose/tights and elegant black shoes. If you can find
some interesting vintage shoes, all the better. If not, dress up the
shoes with some shoe clips that fit with the theme of your jewelry, or
some small fabric bows pinned onto the vamp (if they're pumps) that fit
with the colors in your jewelry or wrap.
A nice wrap is a good idea. Something vintage if you can find it, or
black velvet or a sheer pastel chiffon if you want to buy something new;
or a lace shawl, or even something in an Asian fabric with a strong color.
Have your hair "done" if you can afford it, and if it's long enough (if
you have layers that reach your chin, it's long enough to be "done").
Put it up in swirls and curls with tendrils hanging down, or in a French
twist, and put in small fabric roses or some jeweled pins (pearls or crystals).
Are you wearing makeup? If so, since you're focusing on the
accessories, I'd go with the "classic" '40s look. Do your face matte,
and use very subtle eyeshadows in light browns or grays or even a subtle
white, with perhaps just a hint of shimmer. Then black liner along the
top lashline, black mascara, and red lipstick. It should look simple
and not too heavy.
Finally, the most important thing: no matter what you do with your
makeup and hair and accessories, walk in the door like you own the
place. Your attitude will do more to make you look stunning than
the most expensive dress in the world. You are beautiful, you are
fabulous, and *this* is the dress that *you* felt would be perfect for
you (the cricumstances under which you picked it are irrelevant).
That's all that matters.