2017 Flashback, #1 - The Wedding Outfit

Well, the big night is looming before us.  I'm going to be enjoying an extremely low key New Year's Eve with The Photographer.  V. relaxed with party nibbles and a glass or two of bubbles, maybe a film.  Do you have plans?  PJs or partying?

I've been in a reflective mood this week, sharing with you some of the blog's more popular posts.

Is it just coincidence that two posts featured items from Roman Originals? My jumpsuit and the grey lace number featured (here).  Another pretty RO was my last dress of summer (here).
Here's my togging up process for the wedding of some dear friends back in the summer.

4 June 2017

The following is a post of epic proportions.  So sit yourself down with a cuppa and indulge yourself with today's read.

Taadaah!

My Wedding Outfit Finalist

Grey lace dress, Roman Originals here; Artigiano ivory silk/linen jacket from Back In The Day, Adesso heels, also BITD and my ivory beaded clutch ... last worn for MY WEDDING!

The Contenders

Let's cast our minds back to just a short while ago, when I had resigned myself to wearing my lovely silk pink/mauve/orange mix "wedding dress" here for another decade but giving it a teensies twist.

Then along came Laurie and I was sidetracked (but in a very nice way!) by her feature of a gorgeous navy and white dress from Roman Originals.  I'd not come across the brand and inspired by the super-smart dress and the lovely Leslie's styling of it, I hit the website.  And of course, I was tempted to test the brand for myself!

I first started with a grey/pink side-ruched dress.  I also ordered a little chiffon shrug which I thought would be useful with my starting point, the pink silk dress.

I liked the cut of this dress as the ruching seemed to do nice things to the tummy area.  The length was also just right.  Most dresses these past few years have just been too short for me, and I am classed as "petite" - in height, anyway!  The hemlines hover around my ugly knees and bringing them unwanted attention.

I tried it with my M&S white linen jacket.  Then with my cropped grey silk/cotton Woolovers grey cropped cardi which had also arrived.

I liked both these looks but the cardi look would probably be the most worn.  But for a smart restaurant meal or summer party, not for a wedding, in my view.

This was a similar style in mauves but the cut was too boxy for my shape, good length though.  So, a naaah.

Then, I announced to The Photographer that the next try-on might be The One.

 And it was.  I loved it!

Grey was so perfect, for the bride and I have had a running joke on the colour (more on that in the later!) so the dress could be worn in her honour.

I tried the dress with the grey cardi as a potential ensemble for the wedding.  Felt good but I wanted something a little zappier.  I love pink and grey, as you probably know, so I thought about wearing my pink beaded pashmina and pink shoes (more on that later too!).  But it would have involved sourcing a grey clutch and that would be a sidetrack too far.

G

Now this was a surprise when I downloaded the photos.

I really liked the grey with the Monsoon silk dress.  It really did tone down all that profusion of pinkishness.

And the chiffon shrug just didn't work.   It seemed to scream out "hey, look at my boobies!"



 But my head had been turned by the Roman Originals grey lacy number.

So after the pink silk Monsoon affair having been my go-to wedding dress for the noughties, I think I have found me a new go-to, more in keeping with the teensies.

The side-dangling label was snipped off and it was official.  

Meet my new go-to Wedding Dress.  Thank you soooo much, Laurie.

But this little dress won't be exclusively reserved for weddings.  I think it can go to so many other places, like smart dinners (hint, hint, TP!) 

Now, the dress length was just about acceptable for this ugly-kneed lady, but I saw that the 1 inch hem was edge-stitched to prevent fraying.  So I unpicked the hem and that gained me a little more knee cover.  The little bare-lace hemline also echoed the bare-lace short sleeves, so in effect I think I had added the final design feature this lovely dress deserved.

I added a simple string of pearls and that seemed just the level of jewellery required for this lacy dress.

 I first added my ivory wedding bag to the cardi outfit and tried to convince The Photographer With Fashion Views that it discretely echoed the ivory of the string of pearls around my neck.  He was having none of it and he announced "That bag doesn't go!"

I ran upstairs for this vintage bag I've had for years.  It has a grey background and is strewn with sludgy green beads.  It has an lovely silver clasp which expands to open the bag.  I love it, so did he.

But we both agreed that I'd have to hunt around for some Greenery jewellery and that really was diverting my focus in a very dangerous direction, seeing as the wedding was by now just a day away.

However, I have mentally stored this look and I think I have just the jewellery to try this.  Somewhere.

The Wedding Day Outfit

And then on to the wedding day.  I was ready remarkably early. Uncharacteristically so.   

So what does the devil do with idle hands.  Yes, he got me experimenting with pearls, much to the annoyance of The Photographer, who thought he was getting an easy ride up to that point!

I grabbed my 1973 chunky pearls and played around. 

 But I had to agree with The Photographer With Fashion Views, all the dress required was a simple strand of pearls.

So that is where I ended.  Some pearl and diamond earrings and pearl braceletage and I was done.

Oh apart from showing you the lovely v-back.  And a white bird thing perched on my head!

And dear reader, having travelled this long, arduous and quite traumatic journey together, we have finally reached the culmination of our efforts. 

Me leaving the house in my grey lace and ivory Wedding Outfit.

The Credits

But, of course, in true celeb style, I wouldn't have got out the door without my stylist.

I give you The Photographer With Fashion Views in his Wedding Outfit.

He chose his smartly cut Rohan dark charcoal suit and made quite an exciting decision not to wear a tie.  I think it gives him quite the James Bond look, via Daniel Craig.  I therefore asked him to do the male model thing with the cuff fiddling.   He didn't know what the heck I was talking about!

 So that took a lot of direction until we got to something that gave the impression that he had done this so many times before.  It took almost as long as it took me to get to my Wedding Outfit choice.

I would also like to thank the lovely readers who gave me their views and ideas.  It has been a truly wonderful experience having girl friends to call on for their outfit thoughts.

I would like to thank Janice of The Vivienne Files for being on the same wavelength as me - pink, mauve and orange shouldn't work together, but they do.

And I would like to thank Laurie for coaxing me in the direction of a whole new cache of smashing dresses.

The Wrap-Up

I think the outfit was pitched just right for a 2017 wedding.  I received compliments on the dress, from strangers, and even from The Photographer!

The Wedding

The couple looked so happy, they are truly perfect for each other.  Their gorgeous little son had a whale of a time throughout the day and behaved himself perfectly.

The bride wore an absolutely fabulous dress in cream lace, she looked soooo beautiful.

The wedding was fabulous, such a happy day with some poignant moments.  The day was captured by an amazing photographer.  

The ceremony and reception meal were held in a castle by the sea on a perfect summer's day, with dancing in the evening in a gallery with beamed vaulted ceiling garlanded with flowers.

 The ceremony itself was outdoors with a backdrop of twinkling water, skudding sailing yachts, a P&O flagship cruise liner, and our lovely neighbouring islands.  There was even a French naval frigate dashing around - I don't know how the bride had arranged that!

Then the bride's imminent arrival was announced.  Bubbles started flying in the air, courtesy of the couple's cute son's bubble gun!

I should tell you at this point that bride has teased me over the years about me frequently turning up in grey.  So much so that she used to bet on it.  I wore a grey lace dress in her honour.  The bridesmaids arrived at the ceremony wearing, yup, lovely grey lace dresses!  And pink wraps!!

And I should also tell you at this point that the bride is French.  So as soon as the bride walked down the aisle to the opening bars of Le Marseillaise, followed by The Beatles' Love, love, love  harmonies in All You Need Is Love, yes, I cracked.  I laughed, I swayed to the music and I blubbed all in the space of a few seconds.  I instantly "got" the humour of mixing the French bride, her anthem and rom com.  So clever.

But it played havoc with my maquillage, ça c'est sûr !

A la perchoine.