clothes minded

[oiran]

dress code vagaries: The Mr.'s company is having a non-denominational holiday party in about three weeks and I have nothing to wear. The dress code requests that gentlemen wear jackets, but cocktail dresses on ladies have been deemed "too dressy." The party is taking place from 6:30 to 8:30 PM (a very narrow slot IMO), which seems quite cocktail-dress-appropriate to me, but what do I know? I'm having trouble picturing what a lady wears when the man is required to wear a jacket yet she's not supposed to be "too dressy." Sparkly top and...jeans with heels? Sparkly top and...random skirt? Anyone have any ideas? Because I think it ought to be holiday-ish, I'm going to have to get something fresh regardless. As an example, I was thinking something like this sequined jacket, which is expensive and impractical but screams HOLIDAY!

Fretting about what to wear is at least a distraction from the fact that I won't know anyone there and I haven't been to a social event in literal years and am not sure I know how to behave in public at this point.

laundry: When we moved to Nashville, we bought a used top-loader washer and dryer that were already very old, and we've proceeded to use the shit out of them for ~12 years and now they're done. The front legs have broken off of the washer and it has lost two of its three main cycles and is permanently off balance. The dryer has fared better, but still creaks and wheezes and makes loud metal-on-metal scraping sounds with each rotation of the drum. This past weekend, we bought ourselves a fancy (not really) new front-loader LG washer/dryer set and it will be delivered later today. I am actually a little giddy at the prospect of doing some laundry!

Comments

[rhiannonhero.livejournal.com]

It means you're a grown up when you're excited about new appliances! Congrats, you get another stamp on your grown up validation card!!

I, for one, am excited about you going to the holiday party. I think you should buy the sequins coat if it speaks to you. Impractical is awesome and one fantastic benefit to being child-free (you can't say, 'I shoulda put that money in a college account'). I vote yes!

I also vote that you post again tomorrow so I can reply to you. I will use a lot of exclamation points in an attempt to penetrate you with my love and joy.

See?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did it work?

[oiran.livejournal.com]

The delivery time I was given for my new appliances was somewhere between 2:30 and 6:30 and it's now 3:00 and WHERE IS MY WASHER AND DRYER??? I'VE GOT LAUNDERATING TO DO! So, yeah, I'm more grown-up yet somehow being really childish about it.

Provided that the jacket would even fit me, being child-free yet child-adjacent means that someday C. could end up with a cool sequin jacket from Auntie Jed.

LOL on the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

That jacket is a WARDROBE STAPLE and you should get it.
Say a white sleeveless top, skinny dark jeans and heels = STYLE. Although I guess sleeveless is not so sensible in your land right now... but anything can be 'dressed down' with jeans.

[oiran.livejournal.com]

Hee! I haven't even tried it on yet, but it's so shiny that I can't help wanting it, and since you have deemed it a WARDROBE STAPLE perhaps it's a more practical purchase than I thought.

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

Well of course it is, any wanky fashion editor would tell you so. It's a "piece" that you can keep forever and wear at festive times forever. You can put it over an elegant dress or dress it down.... yadda yadda.

[oiran.livejournal.com]

Well, now I'm really hoping that it will fit me properly. I've got to go to the mall tomorrow anyway, so I might as well try it on.

While it's true it would be wearable more than once for me, I actually see its value more in terms of Rhi's little C. wanting to wear it someday!

[tehomet.livejournal.com]

Conventional advice would be to wear a black dress, but if you like the jacket, get the jacket!

[oiran.livejournal.com]

In order to wear a black dress, I''d have to get a black dress! The only black dress I have is a summer thing and very casual. Since the jacket alone is hardly going to be sufficient, I may end up in sequins over a new, appropriate black dress.

It would be so much easier (and less expensive) to stay home, but this is, unfortunately, not a real option.

[tehomet.livejournal.com]

I sympathise. I don't enjoy work-related enforced-socialising events either.

[dougiefelchtone.livejournal.com]

I'll add my name to the list of those saying "Hell yes, get the jacket". It'll be totaly practical when we go to Mardi Gras again. Also, screw the haters, if you wanna wear a cocktail dress, where a damn cocktail dress.

If you got the same model of LG washer and dryer that we have you are going to LOVE them. The dryer plays you a little song when the cycle is finished. A SONG!!!! It's AWESOME!!!!!!

[oiran.livejournal.com]

The jacket is seeming more and more practical! I guess I'm going shopping tomorrow...

Heh. The song! The SONG! I'm looking forward to finally hearing it--it was a mentioned in a surprising number of the zillions of user reviews I read.

[disbelief11.livejournal.com]

Hi you! It makes me happy to see a post from you! (It also makes me happy that I *can* see one as I've been having computer/internet issues for the past 3 weeks.)

Good luck with finding something for the party (the sequined jacket would look great on you, IMO) and enjoy the hell out of your new washer and dryer!

[oiran.livejournal.com]

Hi to you, too :) I hope this does mean that your internet troubles have completely cleared up. Despite never posting (which I'm trying to change), I would go batshit if my internet went away for 3 weeks.

As for the sequined jacket, I am at least going to try it on, having been convinced that it's more practical than I initially thought.

[jay-jay.livejournal.com]

I need to go shopping for holiday party dress. For some reason I am dreading this. Which is weird, since I love shopping.

[oiran.livejournal.com]

I went and tried on that sequin jacket and it was awful on me, so I am back to zero and also feeling dread. I don't even know where to look. Where are you going to do your shopping? Should we try to coordinate our efforts?

[jay-jay.livejournal.com]

Yes, I guess I was just going to go to Rivergate and I suppose it should be one evening early this week? Since Thurs and Fri are right out as shopping days. Although I could do Sunday too, if that isn't too late for you. Although I suppose Green Hills is an option, since Nordstrom is open now...

[oiran.livejournal.com]

Tues and Wed are both fine for me, as would be really any day except for Monday evenings.

Have you been to the Nordstrom yet? I'm kind of disappointed because it's so relentlessly high-end. While it was always the swanky dept store option back in the PNW, it did also have affordable things. Not so much at this store.

[jay-jay.livejournal.com]

I haven't been to Nordstorm yet. I avoid Green Hills as much as I can. Let's go to Rivergate. Macy's & Dillard's should have something. Tmrw? I'll text you early afternoon about what time, but probably 5/5:30ish?

[oiran.livejournal.com]

Sounds good to me! I shall look forward to your text :)