Sunday, January 4, 2015

If The Shoe and Sock Fit

So I bought a dress for this here wedding what's upcoming. Me. I bought a dress. Let me tell you about that.

When I went to visit Carole and Larry at the end of October, it was to, mainly, participate with my clan at the Central Virginia Celtic Festival in Richmond. That Richmond is a 2 hour drive from Carole is a bonus. I tacked extra days onto the trip and that meant I had time to go with my daughter to shop for a wedding dress.

The first time we did this, it was fine. We got lost trying to find the stop but she got a lovely dress, not the one she initially wanted, but something she liked and something that looked good on her. This time, we picked up Larry's mom, Donna, and the matron of honor, Andrea, and headed to Springfield to a large Alfred Angelo bridal shop. I don't think I've been in one of these stores, ever.

Carole tried on several. My daughter does her homework and had prepped for this adventure by printing out a list of the dresses she wanted to try. The one she really liked looked good on her. It would have been a lovely dress. But, to make sure she had seen everything, she asked the clerk if she could suggest something. Given her likes, the gal came back with an amazing dress. Carole came out of the dressing room and the three of us just knew it was 'the one'. Carole needed a bit of convincing, but she did come to see that what she bought is perfect and reflects her personality.

Then it was Andrea's turn. The bridesmaid's dress Carole picked is going to be stunning. Donna found a suit that, when she put it on, she just glowed. She had some health issues going into the end of fall and to see her looking so pretty and so happy filled us with happiness.

Carole picked out a couple of dresses for me, and they were nice, but didn't grab me. I really wasn't going to buy a dress. I can sew. I sewed something for the first wedding. I can go, after Christmas, with Pam, as I did before, and find a pattern and material and make a one-of-a-kind dress I will like. In that spot, however, surrounded by ideas, I got to thinking that if I could find something, it would ease my mind about having just the right outfit. With help from the clerk, we picked out a two piece set that I can't wait until it arrives. When I put it on, I knew it was right, it was "the one". I've never, in my life, spent that much for any article of clothing. I don't have to worry about finding the time to make something. The next step was to buy shoes.

I said, at the time, that I would wait until the after Christmas sales and yes, that was the perfect time to go shoe shopping. I am in love with Clarks shoes. They fit so well and are incredibly comfortable. I'd figure out a way to buy a pair for the wedding. On New Year's Eve, allowed to leave the office early, I headed to the Clarks store. Shoes were on sale 50% off. Huzzah! After 45 minutes of trying on pairs and pairs and having an incredibly patient sales clerk, I came home with these.


My dress is black lace over a wine red crepe. Originally, I was going to get black shoes. What other color was there for an evening wedding? Then, I'd have them for any other dressy event. When I saw these on the shelf, I was drawn to them.


The dress doesn't show up for another 2 weeks, but I know they will be perfect with it. There's enough of a heel to feel dressy but not too much that I feel I'll topple over. I never really learned to walk in high heels so this size heel is comfortable for me. I'm so excited. They even look good with jeans.


I posted the above photo to Facebook and friends asked if I was intending to wear those socks to the wedding. While I laughed, I have considered just what I want to wear. I figured I'd get a pair of black trouser socks or a pair of knee high nylons, but what if I wore something from my sock stash? The shoes are comfortable. I should be comfortable in my stockings. Carole and Larry, Meredith and Jon and Becky contributed to my sock drawer this Christmas.


This is an excellent haul. I gathered them all up and decided to see how they would look with the shoes. I call these "Seuss socks".


Then there's the variegated ones.


These are close to the color of the shoes. I'm not sure that's the look I'm going for, you know.

The toe socks are great to wear around the house,


But it was uncomfortable to wear them with the shoes. Given that I can have my toes cramp on me, due to my RA, I don't need to wear socks that scrunch my feet. These are best in my tennis shoes.


Yet, the splash of color, the riot, actually, is intriguing. Maybe that's what I'm going for. I'm going to look good and I should also reflect something of my personality. Today's socks have potential.


They don't "go with" anything. They clash with the burgundy of the shoe and won't match the dress at all. But they are comfortable and fit in the shoe. I could whip off the shoes in the middle of the reception and dance in these, like I'm going to dance, right, but the thought is nice. I have 3 more to try. The pink peace sign socks are thermal and are too heavy to get into the shoes.

With Christmas decorations packed up and put away, we begin the countdown to the wedding. I have roughly 10 weeks to decide the important subject of what to wear with my dress and shoes. There will be more experiments, I promise.

Beverage:  Scottish Breakfast Tea

Deb

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like you had quite the outing :)
    The shoes look nice and it's good they are comfy.
    The socks are a scream. They would be fun to wear anytime.
    Happy hunting ;)
    Nancy and the kitties

    ReplyDelete