Raiding My Sister’s Closet: Holiday Party Wear
I am one of those people who never ever goes shopping for holiday party or events and then ten minutes before it is time to go, I get really panicky because, surprise! I have nothing to wear.Happily, the number of holiday parties where I need to get dressed up have been mercifully low over the past decade. I think I’ve had one work event and Bart has had three (the most recent one was when I was two days overdue with Ani and there wasn’t so much stressing about what to wear because I really only had about one option – I certainly wasn’t going to buy something when I was really holding out hope we’d be missing that party with a brand-new baby. My dreams of having an early or on-time baby were, as usual, dashed, and we went to the party where I drowned my sorrows in a very large buffet).
This year, the shopping gods smiled on me, though, and last month, I just happened to see this skirt on ThredUp and ordered it on a whim. And then it came and I LOVED it and I’ve worn it a half dozen times in the last six weeks. I wasn’t thinking holidays when I bought it, but it’s perfectly festive and easy to dress up or down.
I love it when I have the right thing to wear without any stress about it (this happens exactly never to me, so I’m glorying in it this year).
And then I realized I had a little date with myself to go see Bart’s choir Christmas concert last week and a perfect reason to dress up a little.
I put on heels, some jewelry, and lipstick and enjoyed driving to downtown Mesa all by myself (is it just me, or is driving by yourself the most luxurious thing after you’ve had children?). The streets were lit up with Christmas lights and the weather was perfect. It all felt very magical and glamorous.
And then I sat next to two teenagers wearing hoodies, torn jeans, and dirty sneakers.
So I guess I didn’t need to dress up after all.
But I was still glad I did.
Arizona is hands-down the most casual place I have ever lived. My parents always made us dress up for things like church and nice brunches, and it seemed like everyone else was wearing jeans and t-shirts.
And now, left to my own devices, I almost always over-dress for the very rare events I attend. It's hard to buck that early childhood training.
I love that red midi skirt! I have one really similar to it and I wear it all the time with a black top. It's my go to in the winter.