The Classic

Normally, I pick my accessories to suit the dress. However, in this case, I chose the dress to go with the accessories. For Christmas, I was gifted a lovely choker set, which was later followed up with a slave bracelet/ring combination and matching earrings, so I wanted an opportunity to show them off, without overwhelming the outfit. This time, I was majorly overdressed compared to everyone else (we had lunch at the Sundial), but a major part of wearing and reviewing these gowns is getting used to being overdressed.

I often get flak for wearing gowns out and about. Haters are always going to have something to talk about. I wear evening gowns, I wear petticoats- so what? If all you judge me by is the clothing I wear, then you don’t know me. I pride myself on being an intellectual, a teacher, a student and so much more. This is the part of myself I choose to write about in depth- I don’t blog about teaching because of privacy issues, and I don’t blog about being a student, because most of my friends are students, so they don’t need to see the same thing over and over again- they already live it, so why read about it?

There is something magical about a dress- at least, for me. Getting ready to go out, from putting my hair in curlers to gingerly slipping on a gown, trying not to ruin my makeup is a ritual of sorts. It really is a Cinderella feeling- away goes the cares and worries of day to day life, and out comes, for lack of a word, the Scarlett O’Hara in me. Witty, charming, snarky, sexy. I feel amazing, and in the end, that’s all that matters.

Anyhoo, moving on!

Venue: We went to the Sundial Restaurant at the Westin Hotel in Downtown Atlanta. After having visited Polaris, I was really looking forward to the experience, but the restaurant fell flat for me. The view was incredible- don’t get me wrong! Because it surpasses the height of all the buildings around it, the view from the Sundial is breathtaking. However, the food and the service was not exactly up to par. I got the seafood pasta, and it was rather heavy on the salt. At Polaris, I complained that the waiter was rather snobby (I didn’t ask his opinion on my pre-dinner drink), but it was far better than the Sundial, where the waiter pretty much ignored our existence until it was time for the check. Despite an almost empty restaurant, they seemed eager to rush us out.

Accessories: The focal point of my outfit- accessories. I’m a Slytherin, hence the silver and green color scheme. The jewelry was purchased from LeBoudoirNoir on Etsy, and the set really is stunning. However, just a warning that some of the links holding the pieces together are not super sturdy, which might be a deal breaker as far as the price goes. Some of mine came apart just as I was about to head out the door, so I grabbed a paperclip and bent it to make do. Not a hard fix, but a mild inconvenience. From my perspective, it’s worth it just for the looks alone. Swarovski crystals make for very pretty and realistic costume jewelry.

The dress: The dress was chosen to be downplayed in comparison to the jewelry, so I wasn’t looking for anything that would overwhelm or draw attention to itself. I spent a good deal of time searching online for something that would complement the jewelry and suit the gown. Most of the choices had higher necklines than I was looking for, or too much embellishment for me to be able to wear with such large pieces, so I ended up hitting the mall. The magic gown turned out to be another clearance rack beauty by R and M Richards!