five ways to wear a bridesmaid dress
Point: this is a post about me wearing something frilly and yellow and sort of liking it.
I have to admit that when my dear friend Heidi asked me to fly out to LA to be a bridesmaid in her wedding later this month, my joy for her was clouded by a bit of concern. Surely at some point during our four years of friendship throughout college she must have realised that I was an irascible and highly caffeinated New Yorker, disinclined to ever leave Gotham, a far cry from any sunny California bridesmaid? And secondly, surely she realised that nothing remotely resembling a poufy pink prom dress had ever graced my figure and, god willing, never would? I agreed to, naturally, but not without some warnings: “If you make me wear pink we’re never talking again” and “Don’t be surprised if I show up in combat boots.” But apparently I misunderestimated the bridesmaidly charm of my cantankerous facade, as well as Heidi’s ability to not make a bridal party a sartorial nightmare.
When I found out that we were free to choose our own dresses that loosely fit a theme and palette rather than being forced into ill-fitting satin David’s Bridal cookie cutter gowns that would flatter none of us, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I would even - famous last words, I know - wear my dress again! But I still wasn’t entirely without trepdiation: the palette was mustard yellow, salmon pink, and terracotta orange. I was going to have to do some work. A closet of neutrals makes you surprisingly lazy — having only texture and form to deal with makes getting dressed in the dark a breeze. I could not invest in a mustard yellow dress and get dressed in the dark. Plus there was the issue of finding something still appropriately bridesmaid-esque that didn’t also, you know, suck.
dress just cavalli // shoes marc by marc
Which is why this 20’s-ish drop-waist mustard yellow froisse silk Just Cavalli number that I scored on Yoox seemed like the perfect solution, and when I got it in the mail a few weeks ago, I was even happier. It’s gorgeous, for sure — but ruffles and, well, yellow are still pretty far out of the range of my usual looks. But what the hey — I rave about Nina Ricci enough to pull off something girly (I repeat, ruffles?!?!) for once, and I loved the mustard and black in Lanvin SS11. I would make this work. AND SO I PLAYED DRESS UP YOU GUYS OMG!1111!1!!1!!
It fit in surprisingly well with my usual leather jacket and ubiquitous wedge combat boots, and I liked how the subtle 20’s silouhette worked with the flapper-esque length of the rosary necklace:
jacket april77 // tights aa // boots surface to air
A bolero and lace-up boots seemed appropriate for work or dinner out:
jacket h+m // boots aldo
A cloche hat kept with the 20’s feel and a scarf, snake cuff bracelet, and penny loafers seemed nice for a Saturday brunch or something, I don’t know:
hat vintage // scarf canal street “mcqueen” // shoes urban
And finally, it worked surprisingly well under my favourite “I feel like crap today and/or it’s raining or I don’t feel like putting real clothes on” sack sweater dress and blazer:
sweater too old to even remember // blazer zara // studded flats dolce vita // bag acne
