Special occasions are for suckers

If I've learned one thing from years of buying fanciful fashion, it's that if you wait for just the right occasion to wear a special something, you'll end up waiting for far too long. I'd be lying if I said that I've weaned myself off that procrastinatory habit, but I am making a more conscious effort to wear my new stuff while it's still new.

Case in point: this year's Birthday Shoes, which (in stark contrast to the sandals that sat around for over a year before I wore them) have only been in my possession for slightly under 2 months—a record low for a pair of Birthday Shoes!

Despite their rapid integration into regular wear, these booties have a long history. I first noticed them on eBay at least 3 years ago, falling in love with their subtle gold sheen and architectural Lucite wedge, but there were other shoes that were more important to acquire. I waited and waited, hoping I might find a pair in my regular price range, but I never did. When I finally pulled the trigger on August 8th this year, I paid $61.91. They were still a record low price for Birthday Shoes, and just as well, because they're also the most disappointing.

The picture that made me buy them

From the pictures online, I believed the shoes I was buying would be an ever-so-slightly metallic gold; the shoes I received were a muted harvest gold. There was nothing remotely metallic about them. They look much better in my photos than they do in real life.

 

They're okay, I guess, but not the fab party boots that I'd been envisioning when I blew my Birthday Shoe budget on them. Oh well, don't expect good quality, consistent sizing, or believable imagery when you buy direct from China! Live and learn! Or don't, as this is not the first (or second, or third) time I've made this mistake and vowed not to repeat it!

Well, since I'd already proved myself a sucker for breaking my trade embargo with China and living to regret it, I certainly wasn't about to make things worse by waiting around interminably for a special occasion. I wore those boots as soon as the weather got cool enough, on an entirely ordinary Wednesday at work. 

 

 

The only thing special about this occasion was that I finally got to unburden myself of the sadness I feel at getting a subpar Birthday Shoe for the second year running.

Better than before

Usually, the first outfit that I wear with a garment becomes my favorite outfit with that garment; there's no time like the first time, apparently!

But such is not the case for this black sheer dress dotted with hearts, which I wore for the first time this May.

Its second (or possibly third?) time around, I got to take advantage of the cool weather and try a little artistic layering. The purple cardigan is not only a perfect match for the purple shade of hearts in the dress; it also adds a little much-appreciated waist definition when fastened on the middle button.

Last but not least, I added a purplish-pink necklace, which perfectly filled out the open neckline of the dress. You might (not) recognize the necklace from the last time I remember blogging about it: over 5 years ago, when I wore it as a headband. It had faded and yellowed a little since then, so I decided to refresh it by dipping it in some pink hair dye. Though it ended up slightly more purple than I had intended, it was better than the unwearable shade it had been, and it turned out to be a great complement to this outfit!

And what an outfit it was! I didn't put a whole ton of effort into it, so I was surprised when I looked at myself in the full-length mirror at work and realized I liked what I saw! Much more impressive than the last time I wore this dress; everything involved was better than before!

Suits and Sneakers and Sparkles

 

My employers probably haven't realized it yet, but I am a champion of dress-code reform! Every time I do something bold and daring like anchor my work outfit with shorts, I am breaking down boundaries. Maybe they're just self-imposed boundaries, but they still count! I feel powerful when I juxtapose the business-casual with the totally casual.

While I once used to challenge myself to see just how formal I could dress at the office, I'm definitely enjoying taking it in the opposite direction these days.

Or am I? 

 

 

When your ultra-casual shoes are ornamented with ultra-dressy embellishments, does that make them more casual or more formal? Could it possibly, magically, unite the two extremes into the perfect paradigm of professional attire?

I'd like to think so, because that's what I wore to the office today.

I was going to go all out with a complete set of dress and matching jacket, but I can no longer pretend that I don't feel overdressed showing up to work in a full suit—even when I decorate it with a squirrel and leg warmers. So I took the ultimate middle path and paired my fancy-not-fancy sneakers with a (fancy) suit dress and a (not-fancy) cardigan. I've worn this combo before, but I have to say, the rhinestones bring it to the next level!

The world's longest refashion

Many, many years ago, a friend gifted me a new-with-tags dress among a large collection of other old clothes she was getting rid of.

The fit was everything that I avoid in a dress (strapless, blousey, ruffly, ankle-length, you name it!), but it had two things going for it: 1) a lovely lavender color, and 2) butterflies! I'm a sucker for anything with pretty insects on it!

My goal was to find a way to make this dress actually look good on me, and it only took 5 years and some change for me to figure it out.

The first year, I got as far as deciding I didn't like the dress in its current form, but by the end of the summer, I still didn't have any ideas as to how to fix it, and I lost interest in refashioning a summer dress when it was winter.

The second year, I tried it on at a few different lengths, and experimented with making the bodice tighter. I still couldn't decide what to do with it.

The third year, I finally settled on a cut: I would convert the dress to an empire-waist style with sort of Ancient Grecian vibes. 

I even went so far as to decide on where I'd cut the bottom portion from the top (the fold line at right in the photo).

The fourth year, I figured out how I would form the bodice: I modeled the neckline on a halter top I have.

I stuck in a few pins to mark key points, and got so far as cutting out armholes before I ran out of steam and let the project sit for another winter.

The fifth year, I really charged forward with the project! Over the course of a month and a half, I laboriously completed the basic shape of the bodice and attached it to the skirt.

But the sixth year (that's this year), I decided all the previous work had to go! The empire-waist dress was a stupid idea, completely impractical for my lifestyle and too complicated to sew! 

In retrospect, I have no idea why I came to this conclusion when I was in the home stretch, because what I ended up doing was certainly just as complicated, but I guess the years of frustration were finally getting to me. 

I decided instead to make the dress into a skirt!

I marked the top of a waistband with pins and cut it out.

When the waistband was folded over to the inside and not-so-artfully sewn down, here's how it looked!

All that remained was to put in a side zipper, which I accomplished more or less gracefully (at least from the outside view).

The skirt is not finished on the inside by any means, but it looks passable on the outside, so at that point, I decided my creation was good enough to wear in public.

And... here it is!

Now that I've had a chance to look at my photos, I think I should have worn it with less highly contrasting shoes and shirt, but after 5+ years of work, it's kind of miraculous I wore it at all!