Disco Mondrian (Dressopotamia Giveaway!)

Time for another Dressopotamia giveaway!

In Bloom

A few years ago, a dear friend of mine went to Montreal and all I got was this incredible dress.

I know, right? (Note: I definitely encourage this sort of behavior.) I went to Montreal myself a while later in the hopes that lightning would strike twice, but I couldn't even find any vintage shops, let alone one with red polyester evening gowns.

Spy

All clothes are costumes, when you get right down to it. That's the idea behind the advice "dress for the job you want," as well as "beware of all enterprises that require new clothes" (Thoreau). So why pretend? Can't we just wear costumes every day?

And wigs? Can we wear wigs every day?

Spies are tricky, and so is Spy. I bet you think you know what the back of Spy looks like, don't you?

Enter the Dragon

It is a sad paradox, if not the sad paradox, of shopping, that the more money you spend on an article of clothing, the less likely you are to get a lot of wear out of it. The fragile embroidery, the delicate fabric, the intricate stitching: all the elements that justify a higher price turn into reasons to not wear your new lovely garment.


Además, in the age of Facebook, we're all mini-celebs being hounded by paparazzi, except the paparazzi are our nearest and dearest. It's hard to wear the same fancy dress to multiple parties, knowing that everyone you've ever met will see pictures from all of them. Counterpoint: I am reminded of the fashion icon (name escaping me) who claimed she made sure to be photographed in her dresses at least twice, to prove she owned them. I don't worry about this too much.

I own this dress. Take my word for it.

Anyway, in case you're interested, I have hacked through this particular Gordian knot. The solution: embrace formality. If you like to dress up, 'fess up! There is absolutely nothing wrong with being the dressiest person in the room; in fact, if I could express the wrongness in negative numbers, I would.

Case in point: my aunt received a literary prize the other day. Forgive my bragging, but I can't stop kvelling! Not a suuuuper fancy occasion (daytime ceremony), but I had a new dress that I was already worrying wouldn't amortize well.

In a bizarre oversight, I have no photos of me at the ceremony, but it made me feel great to be wearing my newest, nicest duds; it was my way (which is certainly not the only way) of marking the momentousness of the occasion.