Monday, December 17, 2007

Feeling Festive?

I am so not.

I've been looking forward to the holidays this year but now they're here I'm just meh.

The party was good. I was hoping to have pics by now but it looks like they might have to wait. The hubs and I brought our phones to take pics but of course didn't, so we're waiting to get everyone else's in. (I've seen one so far of myself, blurry and from an awkward angle so it looks like my huge rubber face is melting. Won't be sharing that one, sorry.)

But the big thing about the party was, none of the other women dressed up. The men were all in tuxes. The women? Plain dresses. The type you'd wear for a regular night out to dinner. I, in my floor-length, corset-bodiced, crinolined burgundy gown felt rather out of place, and seriously disappointed in my fellow women. No sense of occasion, I guess. If the men are in tuxes it's a formal affair, ladies, not Business Dressy.

I just don't understand why you might not want to dress up, once a year. It really put a damper on the evening, especially when some of the women sneered at me like "Who does she think she is?" Last year a few of us were dressy. This year just me. I'm considering what I want to do for next year, but I hate the idea of letting the Lowest Casual Denominator turn a special occasion into a bland one.

But oh well. The important thing is, I got to have a nice night out with no kids, with my hubby looking all dashing in a tuxedo, and I'd lost enough weight to fit into the dress (fourteen pounds since September, go me!)

Also got a great review (4.5 stars!) for As the Lady Wishes, the Torrid Tarot story Anna J. Evans and I wrote. Suni from Just Erotic Romance Reviews said, in part:

"Torrid Tarot: As the Lady Wishes is by far one of the sexiest novels I've read in a long time... Ms. Evans and Ms. Quinn did a marvelous job of writing an enjoyable erotic tale that I won't forget for a long time to come. A definite must read."

And that's it. My blogging will probably be spotty until after the New Year (here, but spotty), but hopefully I'll be able to visit more.

16 comments:

bettie said...

Dress up next year, December! I hate that nobody dresses up these days. Usually the worst offenders are men, so if the guys went to all the bother of tuxes and bow ties, the ladies ought to reward the effort with a schmancy dress and a tasteful bit of cleavage or leg--it's only polite.

It just feels nice to dress well. Is there any better confidence booster than occasionally rocking the hell out of an evening gown? I can think of a couple, but none of them are legal in public. ;)

Charles Gramlich said...

congrats on the Stellar review. Sorry the party was not as rocking as you'd hoped.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the reviews!!

As for the party, let the old biddies blend into the wall, and next year, wear a head peice too. My company holiday event was last weekend and it was totally fun to do silly things to my hair, wear all sorts of makeup and borrowed jewelery to go with my "bought to wear for this occasion only" dress. The pointy toed, high heeled shoes on the other hand...next year, I just might wear my steel toed boots with my gown.

SdB

Sam said...

I love to dress up too!
As Miss Manners would say, 'there are limited occasions where one can bring out the white gloves,' so one must make the most of festive invitations.
I think being the one the 'most' dressed up is quite fun though. I'm never above putting on my over the elbow kid gloves and long dress.
:-)
I also wear my pearl necklace with my jeans, lol.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I've heard that women in the UK aren't into getting fixed up nice and you're making me wonder if that's more than just snark and rumor.

I say if your man is going to the trouble, you should too, if it makes you happy. Let the other women wonder what it feels like to be gorgeous!

Gabriele Campbell said...

I also say get dressed up again next year. Maybe you can borrow that swan hat. :)

I'm overdressed a lot because I just love dressing up, and it's not my fault other women don't. The best time I had was in Stockholm where opera tickets were cheap I and went almost every week - dressed in a gorgeous swinging blue velvet robe with decollete and matching, gold embroidered shawl. And I usually took the underground. Now, dresses like that aren't common in theatres these days, but the Swedes are a tolerant people, so I only got few looks in the underground and none in the opera (save a few compliments by older ladies).

McKoala said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
McKoala said...

Bunnygirl, alas, I think it is more than snark and rumour. I went to a black tie do for DH's work in the UK a few years ago and I was the only one there in a full-length dress. Some of the women simply wore shirts and skirts like they were off for a day at the office.

Stacia said...

No, Bettie, there isn't. I felt like a million fucking bucks that night and it was really disheartening to be sneered at (but lovely that a few people went out of their way to say they loved my dress.)

No, I'll still dress up next year. Somebody has to have some standards.


Thanks Charles! Hopefully my holiday will make up for it, right? :-)


Lol, SdB, you know I actually considered it? I wore my hair down this year actually--glad I did--but next year who knows? I love fun stuff in my hair. (Which sounds really dirty, doesn't it.)


See, that's what I think too, Sam! You can wear a plain old dress anywhere, how often do you get to wear a gown, right? A real fancy Princess-type dress.
Perals with jeans are an excellent combination. Pearls go with everything. And I adore Miss M.

Stacia said...

No, Bunnygirl, sadly it is not just snark and rumour. They tend to be fussier/dressier on an everyday basis (try finding a skirt here below butt length but higher than the calf, it's impossible) but when it comes to really getting dressed up and pretty it just doesn't seem to happen. There's no excitement about the idea of getting dressed up.


Lol Gabriele! I will totally find a swan hat of my own for next year. (I thought she looked FANTASTIC, as did the Shomi girls.)

I agree. Not my fault they don't know how to make themselves look special. But still I felt like the Loud Overdressed American. I'd love to see a pic of your opera dress!


Right, McKoala! The women at the party at least dressed up a little more than that, but not by much. Like I said, the stuff you'd wear on a nice date, not to a black tie event. Sad. It's like being frumpy is part of the culture, really.

BernardL said...

At one of those parties, I never pay attention to anyone other than the person I'm speaking to at the time. When it's over, my wife usually lets me know if it was good or bad, depending on some subjective indicators of which I am clueless. :) Congratulations on the reviews.

Anonymous said...

Ah, to hades with them. I love a chance to get all dressed up, whether it's all nice-going-out-to-dinner or going-to-a-convention-need-to-goth-out.
How could someone not like that? It's like not dressing up at Halloween :)

Tyhitia Green said...

I'm feeling kinda blah myself, December. I have tons of work to finish and we are having a Christmas party for our clients today (Mentally Challenged/Autistic) That is one of the few highlights of my holiday. I love to see their smiling faces. I won't be blogging until the new year myself. Too much writing and life going on! :*)

Carolyn Crane said...

Good for you for wearing the major dress. Now you have to post photos! And I'm with Bernita - I bet they were envious. Hell, I'm envious. I haven't even gotten to wear my new holiday skirt yet.

cindy said...

holy shit, you lost a lot of weight! wow! we missed our holiday party cause we didn't have a sitter. the hubs was sick anyway, and now i finally am. i had mil send me some custard powder to accompnay our x'mas pud this year. =)

writtenwyrdd said...

OMG, they dressed for the office? Tacky. At least a cocktail dress. Shiny fabric, velvet, sequins, something that is a trifle dressy.