I recently celebrated the (socially distant, mostly outdoor) wedding of a close friend, and let me tell you during covid these moments become that much more special. I’m the kind of person who really likes to put a lot of thought into an outfit, especially when it’s for an important occasion, and especially when there are covid practicalities to consider.
Here’s my completed look:
What I love about this look is the fact that I only bought one new item. Everything else came out of my own closet. That’s not because my accessories collection is particularly vast, it’s because I truly love every piece I own. They are all 100% me so it’s easy to mix and match them in a million different ways.
Here was my thought process in building this look:
- I immediately knew that I wanted to wear The Tulip Dress. There’s been a long standing debate among Lovelies whether or not the Tulip Dress is a gown, so it was perfect for this event where I wanted to honor my friend and her new husband by really dressing up. Not needing to worry about a long gown dragging on the wet floor in the rain was a consideration as well.
- I also immediately knew that I would be wearing my fascinator. I think it might be my favorite item in my closet, including all of the pieces I’ve designed. In 2015, my cousin got married in London to a great British girl. The second I heard where the wedding was going to be I knew I wanted to get a killer fascinator. I bought this headpiece from a hat store in Cedarhurst called Sherel’s to wear with a navy gown I took from my closet. Since then I’ve pulled it out for almost every super special occasion. I’m talking weddings, bar mitzvahs, my own post wedding parties and pretty much any other time I have even the tiniest excuse to wear it. This was a while ago so Sherel’s doesn’t make it anymore but they do have lots of other fascinator options if this is your thing. I also found this headpiece on Etsy that will give you a similar vibe to mine.
- Next my thoughts turned to the jewelry, specifically my ears. I recently added 2 piercings to the lobe of my left ear and ever since I have been counting down the seconds until I could switch out the studs I was pierced with and wear a threader earring. Threader earrings get their name from their needle like back and long thin chains that act like thread. They’re usually long and can weave in and out of multiple piercings. Unlike traditional earrings, these don’t have backs and instead the chain just hangs behind your ear. I spent a long time looking for the perfect pair of affordable, striking threaders and my search led me to discover MAM originals. They’re a brand based in Barcelona that makes all sorts of unusual and striking jewelry. These shipped quickly and were the only new item I purchased for this look. They’re neutral and a bit edgy so they’re a great addition to my closet that I know I’ll get a lot of use out of.
- When deciding on what shoes to wear I went the responsible, practical route. This was an outdoor wedding, in New York, in November-it was cold. I don’t love this dress with black tights so I compromised and wore booties. The added support a bootie gives my ankle was also something I considered because your girl likes to DANCE. I also checked that the venue’s outdoor areas were paved so I didn’t have to worry about stilettos getting stuck in grass. These navy jewel toned impo booties have been in my closet for I think around 3 years now. I loved how they picked up the blue in my fascinator and tied the look together. I found these similar ones on Zappos.
- My next bit of jewelry to consider was what goes around my neck. The Tulip Dress is a perfect blank canvas that you could really do anything with, so this choice was the one that took the most amount of experimentation. I took all the elements of the look that I had already decided on- the dress, headpiece, earrings and shoes- put them on, and started experimenting with the necklaces I own. I actually tried on the one I ended up wearing, a string of pearls my husband gave me on our wedding day, and didn’t initially love it. So I packed up the whole kit and caboodle and headed over to my mom’s house to raid her jewelry and see what we could come up with. We settled on this longer pearl necklace with a pendant that is an heirloom from my grandmother. It’s a true vintage piece and while I love it, the look didn’t feel quite like me…
- …and then I remembered the jacket. My husband calls this my lacy motorcycle jacket and he’s totally right. It’s from Macys’ INC International Concepts label at least 10 years ago. (Die hard Project Runway fans will recognize the brand.) The one I have is not available anymore, but I found this similar one and this style for plus sizes. It’s a very cool piece that makes me feel totally badass. I ran home, grabbed the jacket, ran back to my mom’s, assembled the whole look, and fell in love. (This photo is cropped really strangely because my hair was uncovered, I really just want to show you the necklace):
- I very carefully packed up the heirloom necklace and went home quite proud of myself. Then as I began thinking about how much I wanted to dance and really party the night away the thought of wearing that delicate piece became more and more stressful. I want to enjoy myself at parties, not worry about destroying a piece of my late grandmother. So later that same night, over my pajamas, I put my favorite lacy jacket back on and began thinking of what necklaces would look good with it. And then I remembered the string of pearls my husband gifted me! On its own it wasn’t quite doing it for me but when combined with the jacket it was absolutely perfect.
- My nails were a no brainer- I went with a Jewel tone navy to go with the blue accents in my fascinator and shoes. This color is Style Cartel by Essie
- Hair and makeup is such a personal thing and to be perfectly honest I much prefer to do it myself. But I don’t feel comfortable styling my wig on my own so I enlisted the help of Sarah Simon (@stylesby.sarah). I knew I wanted something side swept, to balance out the volume of the fascinator. For makeup though, I used Gitty Berger’s 72 Hour Glam Mastery. Gitty’s Masteries are in depth tutorials designed to help you achieve a pro makeup look on your own. I love how there was no need for me to specify what I wanted to a makeup artist, I could just do what I loved with her tips and tricks. I followed her instructions exactly except that I used peacock blue eyeliner to go with all the other blue touches.
- Every outfit needs a mask because 2020. I hand appliqued lace over a black mask from Valeri’s Boutique. It wasn’t as breathable as The Most Perfect Mask but I’m sold out of black and forgot to keep one for myself 🙈. These masks have space for a filter which is a nice touch for any event, even if it’s socially distant and outdoors like this one was.
- I almost forgot about the bag. For real, it wasn’t until I was on my way out the door that I realized I needed something to hold my driver’s license, Karmela Cosmetics lipstick, extra cash and phone. This bag is from The Metropolitan Museum of Art gift store from the Manus x Machina exhibit in 2016. What I love about it is how unique it is, and honestly this was the closest I could find for you. It’s another one of the pieces in my closet that is just so me. I pulled it out of my drawer, shoved all my stuff into it and flew off into the night.
Putting this much thought into a look comes pretty naturally to me. I’m someone who is a planner by nature and I find that having all these little details worked out beforehand makes getting ready on the day of that much more enjoyable and stress free. But the truth is, when you're starting with a great base all the other stuff is really extra. The Tulip Dress really lived up to the task and is pulling most of the weight in this look.
Wishing upon you evenings that are just as magical as mine was with outfits that bring you this much joy!
Here’s to making an Impact together!
