Monday, February 25, 2013

Seeking: A couple of ballgowns. nbd.


ESB

I'm going on the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic cruise this coming July with my husband, parents, in-laws and brother and his gf. My Dad did it once before and adored it, and wanted to do it again so my hubby and I jumped on it cause a) he was paying for part of it (you'd do it too) and b) we love traveling and when the hell else are we going to sail across the Atlantic and sing the Titanic theme non-stop?

The QM2 has several balls - one of which is a black and white ball, the other a "Royal Ascot" ball (I'm not kidding). There are gonna be lots of old folks, I'm already prepared for that. So I'd really like to look modern (eff those old folks) but also glamorous, since I will likely never have the occasion in any future years to wear an evening gown three times in one week. I'm a size 2 or 4 - small boobs, nice butt, and a normal sized stomach. My budget (here's the part where you get bitchy on me) is $1,000 and under for each dress. Oh, and my husband and I actually do dance so I need to move.

I don't expect you to find me multiple modern evening gowns, but any advice on websites or stores to check out would be much appreciated. And yes, I've been stalking gilt and other online sales.

Thank you.

Yours truly,
Rose Dawson
(I will move the hell over and let my husband up on that piece of driftwood if shit hits the fan)

*****

WHO'S IN THE MOOD TO SHOP BALLGOWNS?

I keep wanting to suggest this Lover, but it may not be ball worthy.


And I still like the Alice + Olivia leather bustier gown [pictured above]. Only available in a 2, but returnable.

As for websites/stores to check out..... UM. Search dresses and click on all the links and then search dresses some more. And search the comments on the dress posts. That's what I do.

p.s. Who's your pick for best-dressed at the Oscars? I only ask so that I can point out I have to go with Quentin's mystery date. Again!

40 comments:

  1. No insight on the ballgowns, but I just read that Quentin's gal is named Lianne Spiderbaby. SPIDERBABY!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just did this trip in the fall and had a similar quest. I'd recommend theoutnet.com and if you have time to coordinate it with their schedule protocol, renttherunway.com. Also, be prepared to be disappointed at some people's interpretation of formal, and don't sweat wearing the same dress more than once; there are so many places to be on the ship that I doubt many would notice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yellow Marchesa for $895.

    Matthew Williamson for $1000

    Rachel Gilbert for $815

    White Marchesa for $380

    Totally irrelevant to this post: somebody needs to get married in this white Lover dress.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am crazy about this dress. I wanted to wear it for my wedding, but black was just too much of a statement for me. Please wear it on your cruise so I can live vicariously through you: Aidan Maddox

    Also, this is a lot of sparkle, but when else will you get to wear floor-length black and white sparkles?

    I'm also a little obsessed with ESBs choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clarification: I love ESB's Alice & Olivia choice. I think the lacy number is too informal.

      Delete
    2. Oooh! The Aidan Maddox. Yes.

      Delete
    3. Oh! I also love the Aidan Maddox choice!

      Delete
  5. This is amazing. $800.
    http://www.bhldn.com/shop-sale-bridesmaids-party-dresses/rivulet-dress/productoptionids/180a13d5-8fed-408c-94be-b508cb0b8954

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mystery date was wearing Mara Hoffman...am I right? So maybe BG lady should hook herself up with one of those badass frocks! And totally agree...girl looked awesome.

    Kate

    www.thrillofthechaise.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh dear lord, when will you stop?...

      Delete
    2. Has anyone else considered a counter-attack? Am I evil?
      Then again it would mean actually having to visit her blog...

      Delete
    3. I won't even bother to visit a site without a nice link

      Delete
  7. omg I *love* that Alice and Olivia number. SO GOOD.

    and I'm too lazy to click through everyone else's links, but I'm sure you ladypeople will do a swell job.

    ReplyDelete
  8. naomi watts in armani privé was cate-blanchett-and-SWINTON-at-the-tops-of-their-respective-games fantastic. sorry, spiderbaby.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oscars best dressed to me was Halle Berry.
    But may I also say that I can't get over how terrible I thought Anne Hathaway's dress looked?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Best Supporting Actress without a Supporting Bra.

      Delete
    2. @Mary Anne well, first off, the dress didn't really fit. and then the nipple-accentuating seams? wtf.

      Delete
    3. The back of it was good, the front... so bad. So.So.Bad.

      Delete
  10. This Tadashi Shoji or or this one for around $500 would let you splurge on another dress like this Armani Collezioni

    ReplyDelete
  11. The mystery dates are killing it. My vote goes to Jason Scwhartzman's "guest": http://www.nytimes.com/projects/oscars/2013/red-carpet/?page=19

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. weird that NYT didn't know that his "guest" is actually his WIFE. I love them.

      Delete
    2. i didn't know that either! but they should do their damn homework.

      Delete
  12. I thought Stacy Keibler (Clooney's lady friend) looked effing amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...aaaaand i just found out she was a professional wrestler.

      Delete
    2. Like WWF wrestler? The only female wrestler i can think of is that scary looking Chyna woman.

      Delete
    3. how tall is she?? i love that the ladies on the red carpet don't give a shit about being taller than their dates. they all rock 4 inch heels!

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. ain't nothing wrong with the obvious choice.

      Delete
  14. Love how elegant but sexy this Leanne Marshall is (plus, built in tortilla chip holder).
    Great beading/embroidery on this Sue Wong, skinny column would look great on a small frame
    And, because I'm such a sucker for looking like a grandma (or, her curtains), I would totally go for this Badgley Mischka floral gown

    ReplyDelete
  15. k, some of these slinky ones don't look DANCEABLE, ladies.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You could do Rent the Runway? That way you're not paying for several gowns that you (maybe/probably) won't wear again? Unless you're planning on wearing them again in which case GO CRAZY!

    ReplyDelete