Sunday, March 02, 2008

This one's for the girls in the audience

The downside of being away from home for so long -- not to mention all the late nights spent doing trial prep -- was that I wasn't really paying attention to my diet, or spending a lot of time at the gym, for that matter. So, I've gained about 8 pounds since Thanksgiving. Which, when you're about 5'1", is about a dress size.

Of course this poses a problem: I have a black tie wedding to go to next weekend, and the pretty Nanette Lepore dress that I bought is no longer going to fit me.

So, here are my choices:
  1. Wear the dress I wore to the inaugural ball in January, 2005. (Quilted satin, mostly black with gold squares.) Pro: It closes, and it doesn't look that bad. Plus it's not as overwhelming as my other ball gown. Con: It doesn't fit that well -- it's not quite the right proportion because it is not a petite. And it has uncomfortable boning in the seams. And it's sleeveless. And you can see my tattoo. And it needs to be dry cleaned.
  2. Wear the dress I wore to my sister's wedding in May, 2004. (Iridescent light green chiffon with beaded straps.) Pro: It's green and very pretty. Con: It's very sheer and lightweight and hard to match shoes and accessories to. And you can see my tattoo.
  3. Wear the grey empire waist dress that I wore on a cruise with my parents in May, 1999. (Grey velvet embroidered top, grey chiffon bottom.) Pro: It is a beautiful dress. And I can wear a bra with it. Con: It squishes my boobs down. And you can see part of my tattoo.
  4. Wear the navy blue dress I wore on that same cruise with my parents. (Navy blue velvet top, midnight blue chiffon skirt, cowl back.) Pro: It fits really well. Con: The zipper won't lie flat. And you can see part, if not all, of my tattoo.
  5. Wear the bridesmaid's dress from Nicole's wedding. (Navy blue satin two piece with low v-back and subtle beading at the empire waist.) Pro: It fits really well. I can wear a bra with it. And it has a matching wrap that I can use to cover up my tattoo. Con: It looks like a bridesmaid dress, which is somewhat inappropriate.
  6. Wear the black dress I wore to the law firm's office Christmas party in 2006. (Black chiffon, beading at waist, low cut.) Pro: It is a gorgeous dress and fits me well. Plus it's black, which means that I can find a wrap to wear easily. Con: It's black -- I'd rather wear something with color. Oh, and without a wrap, you can see my tattoo.
  7. Figure out a way to lose the better part of ten pounds by Saturday. Pro: My beautiful new Nanette Lepore dress would fit. As would some other options. Con: You'd probably still see my tattoo. And I'd probably make myself sick. Oh, and it's not likely to happen.
  8. Try to find a new dress. Pro: I get a new dress. Con: I have to buy a new dress when I have tons of dresses in my closet. And I'd have to go shopping, when I'm already stressed enough.


What to do, what to do?

Update: I added links to pictures of the dresses in question. Let me know what you think.


19 comments:

E :) said...

Ummmmm. New dress? Shopping is therapy and all that?

Or could you get the original dress taken out?

Paige Jennifer said...

My vote is either navy Nicole dress or something new. You should look and feel beautiful and if you're tugging or struggling to breathe, won't happen. If the navy piece is floor length, maybe shortening it to tea length or the knee would unbridesmaid it? Just an idea.

PS: And jesus woman, how big is this so called tatoo of yours???

Justin S. said...

Tattoo removal?

Or a t-shirt with a funny saying on it? Perhaps a wedding-appropriate funny saying?

violindan said...

How about a T-shirt with a black tie on it?

dara said...

E:): Shopping can be therapeutic, or stressful. I find last-minute searches for evening wear to be stressful.

PJ: It's a small tattoo on my shoulder. When I got it, the plan was that in the case of formalwear, it would be obscured by straps. But everything is strapless or low back.

Justin: Tattoo removal is a lengthy process, so it wouldn't help. Plus, in all honesty, I don't really care that much if it can be seen. And as for the t-shirt, maybe for the rehearsal dinner.

Dan: I don't have one of those yet. I do have one that says that "There's no awesome without me", though.

DSL said...

So where are the pictures of all your dresses? ;-) I absolutely would not aim to lose 10 lbs by Saturday. Way too stressful, probably unhealthy, and if you don't make it, you'll have to pick another dress last minute. From your description I'd either go with the gray or the navy. Good fits and good colors for a winter wedding. I wouldn't worry too much about the tattoo, or just cover it with a little makeup so it's less noticeable.

dara said...

DSL: I didn't have time to take pictures of the dresses; I barely had time to figure out which ones still fit.

Kimberly said...

just out of curiosity... it's not a wedding in pikesville, md is it?

Kimberly said...

oh, and now that i've actually read your post and looked at the pictures, i would go with that awesome little black dress, and maybe pair it with a shawl and accessories that have color?

Kimberly said...

OH, and i wish i could get all my thoughts at the same time! don't worry about the tattoo. it's a part of you, and it's art, it's supposed to show. :o)

Miss Scarlet said...

I vote for the black one and some light-colored, appropriate accessories (shoes, wrap, etc.) It sounds like you would definitely be comfortable in it.

dara said...

Kimmie: It is not in Pikesville-- it's in Houston. And I'm really not that worried about the tattoo. What it really means is more akin to "it shows a lot of skin," which is uncomfortable for me. And cold.

I will note the vote for the black dress.

dara said...

Scarlet: A second vote for the black dress is duly noted.

Kimberly said...

ah yes, houston! my congrats to the future kristalls. ;o)

Kimberly said...

OH, btw, i love the first dress too! i have a pink/white/black version of it. LOVE it. but if it doesn't fit right, you might not be comfortable. :o|

dara said...

Kimmie: The first dress looks really nice on me, and it is definitely in the running. But b/c I'm so short, it's a little bit long in the torso for me, so when I sit down, the boning stabs me in the ribcage.

I pretty much have it narrowed down to #1, #4, and #6. The picture does not do #4 justice since it is very plain in the front.

Caroline said...

I vote for #1 so you can keep my company in my "ball gown" (fine--prom dress. Ok, now the secret is out.) #6 is lovely too, but my flouncy skirt would be so lonely.

Caroline said...

Flouncy is the wrong word. Poufy might be better (though Firefox doesn't think it is a word). I really like to describe the bottom of my dress as curtains. How excited are you to see it now? And don't you want to wear the black and gold dress even more?
(I apologize--it's late in my world.)

dara said...

Caroline, now you are scaring me. You don't seem like the flouncy prom dress type.

What about that red dress you wore to the party where we dressed up last year?