When I'm Not a Prom Queen

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Admittedly I can't wear my long beautiful formal dresses or my big Civil War gowns all the time. I am up to 16 formal dresses with a recent purchase for the Kappa Beta Christmas party at Goodwill. So look out Yvonne! I'm catching up ;) Unfortunately her number of dresses hovers around triple digits. I have thought about planning a special ops mission to raid her closet. Volunteers are always being accepted. ;) Not that I'm jealous or anything. Someone might confuse me with Scrooge or the Grinch. But I digress...

The above picture is much more typical of my everyday dress. Notice it is still nicer than what the average American woman wears to go shopping, and that is part of my dilemma. A big reason that I dress up is that I am not fulltime as a woman. If I were fulltime, I'm sure that I would have my share of jeans and t-shirts in my closet. Going out is still an experience for me. It is something I have to plan most of my day around.

Let me say that I do not like to dress up when in guy mode. I am very much a jeans and t-shirt person then. It is easier plus I absolutely detest the coat and tie look. Yes I can tie a necktie properly, but it is so much work, and it makes me look like every other man in the office. It is the uniform, and you best not deviate from it if you wish to get ahead. I am fortunate to work in a field where I rarely have to dress up. I don't think I could stand myself after a week in a coat and tie. Truly dressing in drab fits the description!

In contrast, the above outfit is simple to put together. I am not saying it is the height of good fashion, but it feels and looks good. The blouse I got from eBay and the skirt from Goodwill. So it is possible to dress nice without blowing the bank account. With a blouse and skirt, I can also mix and match colors and styles. I love finding the right combination of outfit, makeup, jewelry, etc for a particular outing. In fact, I have no idea most times what I am going to wear before I go out. That is why I love finding those versatile pieces that I can wear over and over with other pieces and still have so many different outfits. I can scan my closet, see what strikes my mood at that moment, and put something together. The only time that rule changes is for the formal events. Believe me, I am thinking about the right dress weeks in advance.

That is part of the experience of being feminine... finding your style. Early on, I knew I loved prom dresses, but reality says I can only wear those on occasion. So the blouse and skirt look is the next best thing. It's not only that it makes me feel feminine, but I am completely comfortable wearing it. It just feels right. Find what you like. Don't be afraid to experiment. If you are lucky enough that your style fits the current trend, stock up on it. When the next fad comes along, you will have plenty of what *you* like.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Looks great to me, sister! Very natural and classy at the same time. Here's hoping you have a great Christmas!
December 7, 2007 at 2:18 PM
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