I’ve finally realised the secret to both looking AND feeling good when it comes to special occasion dressing.
And now, I’m going to share it with you, because I’m nice like that 😉 .
Whatever you decide to wear, make sure you have a trial run a few days before the big event.
Now let me be clear: when I say a trial run, I don’t mean just trying the outfit on. I mean, put on the outfit in its entirety – underwear, dress, pantihose, shoes, accessories, jacket, whatever you will be wearing at the big event. And then – WEAR it for at least half an hour!
Practice Makes Perfect!
Go for a walk around the house in your outfit. Sit down and watch TV. Have a cup of tea and a snack (if you’re worried about spillage or crumbs, pop an apron over the top). Give yourself a thorough once over in the mirror – front and back.
When it comes to special occasion dressing, you want to know if there will be any problems, or potential wardrobe malfunctions, so you can either fix them or change your outfit before the day. Otherwise you won’t be comfortable, and will spend your time stressing and getting hot and flustered (especially if you are prone to hot flushes like me!) instead of enjoying yourself.
Take the gala evening I recently attended for the Redlands Business and Retail Awards (did I mention I won Redland Woman in Business 2016?!). I had my outfit all picked out beforehand, but neglected the all-important trial run.
All glammed up and ready to go, I slipped on my (new) heels. Only to discover that now I was wearing pantihose, the shoes kept slipping off as I walked! I popped some insoles in, thinking that would solve the problem. NOPE. For the rest of the night I had to mince along very daintily (and slowly!) because otherwise my shoes would have come off.
In fact as I walked up the stairs to the podium to collect my award, I nearly *did* leave one of my shoes behind!
Pantihose and Sequins Don’t Mix!
And the other problem? Pantihose and sequins don’t mix. Even before the entree was served, my pantihose were shredded, so I ducked up to the ladies and ditched them. (That also helped with the whole keeping the shoes on thing as well.)
I don’t know about you, but I would rather know of any problems before the big day so I can sort out solutions.
Common Problems with Special Occasion Dressing
What if:
- you can’t actually sit down in your outfit?
- the fabric in front of your crotch clings and creases in an embarrassing way?
- you have a camel toe?
- you can’t breathe comfortably?
- there is a button missing?
- your decision to go without a bra means every time you bend over, people copped an eyeful?
- your undies can clearly be seen through the fabric?
It’s taken me nearly 50 years to learn the secret to successful special occasion dressing. Hopefully you aren’t as much of a slow learner as I am!
Have you had any special occasions where you had outfit problems, that could have been avoided with a full trial run?!
that black and red dress in the last photo looks absolutely amazing on you! Congrats again on your award and on looking lovely on the night 🙂
Thanks Leanne, it’s by Vannessa Tong one of my fave labels. I do love me a bit of a vintage retro styling sometimes!
That black and red dress… I have the same darn dress! We should plan an outing together where we both wear it! P.S. You look better in it.
I’v e had the stocking / shoe slip many a time and have ducked into Priceline before an event for suede heel grips for my shoes! Fully support the idea of a full-trial run and walking about for a time.