New Dress - advice wanted!

Subject: Re: New Dress - advice wanted! Tue Dec 25, 2007 10:43 pm

karlanee, I think the thing most people will notice won't be clothes, nor even my splint-less arms, but the enormous huge happy smile I'll have at the incredible freedom after thirteen months!

Merry Christmas - now get offline and go and hug your hubby! ;-)

laura

Subject: Re: New Dress - advice wanted! Wed Dec 26, 2007 4:25 pm

I think you're right on the money!

Subject: Re: New Dress - advice wanted! Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:46 pm

Update:

I've reached a compromise ;-)

I couldn't find ANYTHING special enough to be my First Bare-Armed Outfit in 13 months... but I've gone for the low-sew option!

Okay, imagine black chiffon... slightly see-through but soft enough to gather a half-metre in your fist and it takees no space and doesn't stick out in stiff gathers but drapes and falls slinkily.

Now tear the chiffon so you have two strips three metres long but only half a metre wide (fabric bought as metre-wide). Now gather one end of each strip and sew a pretty black bead-button on. Join them using one inch of black elastic with a buttonhole in each end. This goes behind your neck. Bring the gathered chiffon forward and cross over your bust, making a wrap-around plunge-neck top, making sure it's quadruple-pleated for decency's sake (!). Now take it behind you and cross at back waist bringing it round the front again to go snugly around waist to make a defined waistband, ending up with a huge bow at centre-back-waist!

You have a V-neck, V-back, snug-waisted cross-over sleeveless halterneck top!

It helps if you don't need a bra... ;-)

To be worn with a black cotton jersey skirt I already have, just above knee-length and very floaty and swirly and a full circle. Because both top and skirt are plain matt black, I'm able to add a layer of petticoat made of a double layer of dark-dark-red, almost black, organza, simply gathered onto a ribbon, and the selvedge comes handily done with gold thread woven in so a glittering gold edge to the flounces!
Black seamed stockings and the Shoes of Supreme Silliness (dark-red and black satin leopard-print peep-toe 3.5-inch stilettos) (you see why they're called the SoSS?!)

Bright red lipstick and I'm dying my hair (semi-permanent, not permanent) "bitter chocolate" which is a very dark brown. Side-parting and falling in waves, a la Veronica Lake. Who is where la von Teese nicked the style ;-)

I think it should look stunningly alluring but have that edge of playfullness that takes the "tart" label away! Thankfully I've roped in two pals who don't turn into pumpkins if out after midnight - otherwise I'd have had to sit alone, dolled up, in a known pick-up nightclub on a Saturday middle of the night, eek! As my boyfriend's band is playing he wouldn't have been able to look after me and I would have looked very obviously on my own, heeelp, so very glad I'll have two pals to dance with instead!

I'll try and get someone to take a photo!

laura

Subject: Re: New Dress - advice wanted! Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:27 am

I´m sure you´ll look beautiful, Laura! That outfit sounds fabulous, and the idea for the chiffon top is good enough to steal! Yes, show pictures!

Subject: Re: New Dress - advice wanted! Sat Jan 05, 2008 12:12 pm

Oh.

Oh well.

The third of the three pals I was going dancing with otnight has texted to cancel. They all have valid reasons but it means I'd be sitting in a nightclub at 2am tarted up to the nines, dancing alone and sititng alone, becasue my boyfriend will be busy playing in the band.

Not much point in going, really. I'm behindhand anyway with what I need to get ready for Monday when I start a new job.

The boyfriend is coming over at 6pm to have steak with me, so I guess I give him a lift to his first of two gigs (the spit'n'sawdust pub where I'd look really stupid dolled up like La von Teese) and then come home to an empty house as my parents are unavoidably out (retirement party of someone they've worked with for 29 years). I can have a really nice long bath maybe?

I'll just have to try and reschedule for another evening. Everyone else is either away or turns into a pumpkin at midnight.

I can still do my hair and makeup nicely and dress up for dinner anyway! I've dark red varnish on toes and fingernails, waxed my legs, plucked my eyebrows, trimmed my hair and had it in curlers since I dyed it to very dark brown yesterday... talk about All Dressed Up & No Place To Go!

laura

Subject: Re: New Dress - advice wanted! Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:04 pm

Aaaand a turn-around! ;-)

A very good friend has convinced me by email from 500 miles away to go out ANYWAY!

So I'm taking the car, dressing up with a slightly longer skirt, and going out to dance the night away until I feel tired or awkward and then I can jsut jump in the car and come home!

laura