Happy New Year

I don't blog many of my "going out" outfits, for a lot of reasons including the fact that usually I'm scrambling to get ready until the last minute, which means photography tends to fall by the wayside. If I remember it at all, we're usually already at the venue where the lighting is too bad or it's too crowded to get a good picture.

But I'm happy to say that my New Year's outfit is a rare exception! My boyfriend and I were attending a huge hotel party and our admission time was quite late, so we checked into a room at the hotel, where I had a ton of time to get ready and get a few photos in the corridor by the elevators before joining the party. The lighting still wasn't that great, but I think you at least get the idea.

The focal point of the outfit was a short off-white dress covered with layers of delicate fringe. This dress is one of the most expensive items in my wardrobe, costing something like 45 dollars at a boutique in Nashville back in April. I wouldn't have ordinarily bought such a costly dress, but my boyfriend seemed to really like it, so I yielded to his encouragement. Besides, I was on vacation! I've historically used that as an excuse to splurge on new clothes, and once in a while, it's nice to have an up-to-date piece in your wardrobe.

The dress had a bit of a 60's vibe to it, so I paired it with matching go-go-style boots (These boots have graced my wardrobe for a long time, making their first appearance almost six years ago to the day, but I fear they are not long for this world...RIP in advance!). I almost went full-on mod with this outfit, but as the accessorizing progressed, I realized that I didn't want to dress like I was in costume, so I veered instead towards an ultra-modern, slightly artsy aesthetic.

I carried a furry pink purse I got over a year ago in Japan, and I'm glad I waited this long to use it, because it was an excellent complement to the furry-looking fringed dress.

It also happened to match my hair, which was a bonus that wasn't entirely intentional. My hair has been various shades of orangey-pink for months now. A few days ago, I freshened up the orange dye and followed it up the next day with bleach to the roots. I was feeling kind of mopey and unmotivated yesterday, so I almost didn't get around to bleaching, but I'm glad I did it, because it produced an exciting gradated effect with pale roots and pink ends (the yellow component of the orange color washes out really easily, which is how it ended up pink instead of orange). I don't think I've ever got so many compliments on my hair as I did at the party!

My whole "look" also received its fair share of praise, so by the end of the night, it's safe to say I'd lost the last of my mopey-ness! Nothing like a few positive comments on her handiwork to put an Unfashionista back in a good mood! I think 2019 is going to be a great year!