What to Wear to a Casual Christmas Party
Well, I’ll tell you right off the top what not to wear: American traditional holiday knitwear. 24 comments and the most commonly repeated word was “hideous”. Tiffany suggests the following reasons people wear them:
- love of that cutesy, “country” Americana,
- love of crafts and decoration (I’ve run out of things to make and decorate for the holiday, so I’ll decorate myself!), and
- “thriftiness”/pack rat tendencies (it only gets worn once a year, so it’s too nice to toss).
Do you see yourself in any of those?
I’ll be honest; if I were ever tempted to wear that kind of thing, it would be because that’s what my host(ess) was wearing and I wasn’t sure how to translate “casual” + “festive” into my own idiom. But I’m thinking, this year, that my new dark brown trouser-style cords will come in handy.
What’s your Christmas casual formula?
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Topol in Fiddler on the Roof, the Farewell Tour
Topol in Fiddler on the Roof, the Farewell Tour, in a sense an opportunity of a lifetime, is in Spokane this week! And, yes, I’m going. 
(Many thanks to the offspring who insisted, for Father’s Day, that it just wouldn’t be right for the hero to miss this opportunity. And many thanks to the hero for choosing me to share his blessing!)
What am I wearing? Something fun - no LBD for me! (Actually, I’m wearing the M of the B ensemble, but with swingy light red silk skirt instead of white/black print pencil, possibly more jewelry. I’m encouraging the hero to wear the collarless dress shirt we had made for the wedding and a VEST.) What would you be wearing?
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Wedding or Bridal Party Gowns Long and Short
Monthly at David’s Bridal, a bride is blessed with her choice of wedding dress or 5 bridal party gowns. Click here to enter the drawing.
When I was in High School, my friends and I wore previously-worn-as-a-bridesmaid dresses to high school dances. Nowadays, with people marrying later in life, many bridesmaids are far beyond the season of high school, or even college, dances. The dressiest place they have to go to is the theatre or a “cocktail” type party.
Recently the trend has been toward short bridesmaid dresses, however, once upon a time, short bridal gowns were all the rage. Do you see them coming back ever? I do like this one.
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Friday Fashion Lab: Black vs White
Two summers ago, after Creationfest, I proved scientifically that a black shirt is up to 11 degrees hotter in the sun than a white shirt. Read on …
Why Superchick
I am so sorry I couldn’t get more pictures of well-dressed music festival goers. As the event wore on, the outfits seemed to get worse. Since when is ordinary beige bra + spaghetti strap top acceptable to wear in public?
Almost without exception, they violated my sense of propriety on one or more of three points:
- Visible lingerie straps.
- Pants with no (arms and no) legs.
- Dark colors.
Yes, one of these offenses is not like the others.
However, when dressing to be outdoors all day in 100 degree temperatures, it would be useful to know exactly how much difference the heat absorbancy properties of the color black makes. So I tested it for you.
First I bought two identical thermometers. I then put them side by side in the shade of my front yard to make sure they read the same. They did (86). But when I moved them into my south-facing side yard (”the hot-spot of the universe”), they varied a little. One went up to 106.5, the other to 104.2.
Using shirts which I bought at around the same time, Gap Short-sleeved favorite T - white and black, I set the white one over the thermometer which read higher and the black one over the other and went away for 15 or 20 minutes.
The results: the temperature of the thermometer covered by the white tee actually dropped a degree, to 105.4. The black? That thermometer read 109.2!
Today I repeated the experiment. My hero suggested that I try angling the thermometers toward the sun to get them to read more similarly, an idea which worked. Today, at around noon, when the temperature started out at 96, the results were even more dramatic: 103.8 vs 114.3! (BTW, msn weather says it’s 91 here today.)
How about you? I am totally convinced! And just in time, too, it’s great white hunting out there right now.
Behind me is the bathroom.
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Joseph, The Rock Opera
Does that sound more appealing than “a musical based on the Bible story of Joseph and the coat of many colors”?
But what does that have to do with matters pertinent to this blog? Well, some of you may remember that last summer I made over an old maxi dress (60s/70s?) for my daughter. Unfortunately, I finished it right after the weather change and she never got to wear it. But tonight it makes its debut in the go-go dancing scene in the local production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Tonight I am working the show, thus I am required to wear all black. But next weekend I plan to wear my mother of the bride outfit. Unless I decide it’s not costumy enough.
What are your plans for this beautiful weekend?
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Semi Casual Revisited
SCON (Spit Coffee Out Nose, according to Bella Online). I stand corrected, but I still think it’s ridiculous. Apparently, semi-casual is an actual dress code, albeit in the American context. *sigh* According to Lisa Plancich, Bella Online’s Etiquette Editor:
Where semi-formal is a step down from formal, semi-casual is a step up from casual.
That, my friends, is the end result of the mass confusion between “casual” and “leisure“. Casual, as a dress code, has never meant “what one would wear fishing”.
All I can say is “ugh”. And what I’ve said before (links are to pictures of what myself and others have worn to this annual semi-casual event):
- year one: I’m going to a nice dinner tonight, but I don’t get to wear my nice dress because it’s semi casual (which I should have realized means black jeans, white tennis shoes, and a western shirt - for a guy)
- year two: since western shirts are kinda costumy, semi-casual can be too!
- year three: any opportunity to get dressed beyond “just get dressed” can be used as therapy
year four: 
Sufficiently costumy, yes?
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What Do You Wear to a Bridal Shower?
I don’t think this is exactly what I wore to my daughter’s bridal shower, but something like it. If I remember correctly, I wore this outfit to a baby shower around the same time period.
The pieces:
- coral blazer - last year’s birthday gift from my sister
- short-sleeve knit button-front top - $1, clearance with coupon at Gap
- navy cotton trousers - $16.30 at TJMaxx
Although I would have been a little over-dressed and out of place, I’m still intrigued with the idea of dressing up - like in a dress - for a ladies luncheon type event like a shower. In the summer, I would be more likely to wear a dress or skirt.
What do you usually wear to a shower?
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Mother and Grandmother of the Bride
Finally I got around to posting a picture of my outfit. I even found one that shows the shoes.
BTW, most of the grandmothers of the bride wore pants. I realize that isn’t the globally correct term for that article of clothing, but I just can’t bring myself to call them trousers unless they are of a certain quality of both fabric and fabrication (that is, construction). Although, I would never have considered wearing “trousers” to a spring wedding, it didn’t seem out of place. We are, after all, in The Great Northwest. 
So, do you think we look alike? If so, what is your reason, coloring or something else?
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An Elegant and Affordable Bridal Gown
Where would you look for bridal gowns if the consignment shops, thrift stores, and craigslist all turned up nothing?
My daughter, who had every intention of buying her own wedding dress for around $200, thought to head to David’s Bridal. When asked the upper limit of her budget, she truthfully told the consultant that she would not go over $400. And look what she got!
Now a word on modesty. See the little cap sleeves? This dress came with them, but it’s good to know they can be added to any strapless dress!
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An Alternative Mother of the Bride Ensemble
+ 
+ 
= not exactly a mother of the bride dress. Nonetheless, what I will wear.
Details:
- the “shrug” (which word will never pass my lips when describing an article of my own clothing) is actually a tan color which makes a nice set with the metallic “bustier” (which word I will also hereafter not use)
- the skirt has the tan in the print
- skirt and top are lined, and mostly cotton. Sweater is mostly silk. Thus I will be warmer than if I wore a $300 polyester dress
- I already had all the correct underpinnings and accessories to complete the ensemble
- bride and groom both like it
- I will have another opportunity to wear it in late May
Now, the truly amazing part of the story: yesterday, at the suggestion of one of the ladies in my Bible study, at stopped at this store on the way home, around noon. With the helpful service I received, I spent well over an hour in the fitting room before deciding on the outfit pictured. But they didn’t have my size in all the pieces. I took home the top and ordered the rest from Bellevue, and they arrived today! Before the mall was even open today, I had my entire outfit, with time to try it on!
Now I can relax and enjoy the season.
