Thursday 28 June 2012

What should I wear to my husband's 40th?

It seemed like such a good idea at the time:

Please wear your favourite thing (and your swimming costume).

It's B's 40th on Monday (let's skip over the oh my goodness where on earth did the last ten years go bit) and we are having a party.  It's a These are a few of my favourite things party, because that way he gets to have all the stuff he likes: champagne (on offer), hot tub (hired - hence the swimming costume), karaoke, disco, roast pork, poppadoms (the curry house is bringing 100 round at 6.30 on the evening), ice cream... All in the garden (if the rain ever stops).

So obviously, the dress code is your favourite thing.  Which seems so easy, until you think about it.  Because actually my favourite thing is the thing that makes me look most like Angelina Jolie and least like a slightly stressed, slightly flabby, slightly saggy mother of four. (Angelina has six, or seven, which must be easier, economies of scale, and all that). And I don't seem to have a magic wand handy.

I've narrowed it down to the fact that I can't buy anything new (because that feels like cheating) and I genuinely like dressing up (in the posh, not stupid, sense), so where plenty of people are planning on coming in their pjs, that's not for me. I want to look splendid, and pjs (or at least my pjs) aren't splendid.  And I'm definitely wearing these:



But what else?  Because while B might be quite happy to have me in just gold sparkly shoes, I'm not sure the Scottish Borders is ready for that.

Here's the shortlist.... leave a comment letting me know what you think. I don't promise to do what I'm told, but some independent thoughts (and not that I need my legs waxing, that's next Tuesday) would be very much appreciated.

We could go sort of smart casual-ish.  These are absurdly flattering jeans (although better with shoes), and it's a nice top, although looking at the pictures I'm not sure it doesn't make my body look long and my legs short, which they are, but still....


Or the other extreme.  Nothing casual about this. I bought it for a friend's wedding in 2003.  Still love it:


 
Downsides: it appears to make me fade into the background, but I'm hoping that's just the picture.  Oh, and no bra... possibly unwise in a woman who has breast-fed (and sort of appears still to be breast-feeding) four children.

Or this.  I made this dress out of fabric my brother bought back from his gap year in China. Quite proud of that, but not sure I still have the figure I made it for. 


Or what about this?  I bought this in a charity sale about two weeks ago for a fiver.  It makes me feel all flirty.



B's always been quite a fan of this dress, which I bought with a friend (the same one whose wedding it was, as it happens) in about 1999.  I'm not convinced it does that much for me, but he wants me to put it to the vote:



He's also quite keen on this one, my amazing coat, bought on a whim for my birthday about five years ago in a funny little shop by Baron's Court tube, but I haven't got anything that really works underneath it (this purple job's a bit of a poor compromise), and as I've mentioned I'm not sure the Borders is prepared for the alternative:



So what about this?  Bought for the day after our wedding, when all the people my parents like but we don't know were invited for lunch.  Got a bit of a red wine stain on the front of it from a wedding about a month ago, but you can't really see it...


Or this? It is one of my favourite things, after all....but is it really that sort of party? And am I prepared to risk it?



Answers on a postcard (or in the comments box, if that's easier...).

44 comments:

  1. I'm with your old fella, the pink with the black overlay. If you're comfortable in it, obv. I've bought new shoes. They are my new Favourite Thing. ;-))

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    Replies
    1. You're just saying that 'cos you chose it in the first place...

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    2. I have always had impeccable taste.

      Due to this post (and nothing to do with birthday champagne) I ended up trying on my evening dresses at 11:30 last night. I think the green sequins might be making an outing..

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  2. I like the red dress. It's fun and summery (although, like you say, that might not be an factor if this rain doesn't stop!)

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    1. My wellies are also one of my favourite things...

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  3. OMG, wear your wedding dress - when else are you ever going to get the chance to do it again?! I like the long black,the red is good and the short white as well.

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    1. I know.. I know... and now Potty may have come up with the killer argument in favour of it...

      http://potty-diaries.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/life-is-short-eat-dessert-first.html

      Which puts paid to all B's "what if you trash it?" arguments.

      The only problem is that I can't actually breathe in it...

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    2. You're a bugger. I had my wedding dress on this evening because of this. Now I am in a quandary too. And its not even my husband's 40th.

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    3. Wouldn't that take packing to an entirely new (and possibly silly) level?!

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  4. The pink with the black overlay. Def.
    By the way, I just realized you had fallen off my blogroll when I redid it. Oops. Fixed. And you might see some action on that feminist post from April soon. Cheers.

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    1. Oooh! Looking forward to that.

      And I'm still not getting what everyone sees in that one. Hmm.

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    2. Two things:
      1. I note most of the ladies are choosing the red or the wedding. They are my favs too, but your husband likes the pink with black because you look hot it in. It isn't the most fun or flirty, but it is the one that gets his imagination going. Just saying'.
      2. Because that post is about the fundamental nature of being women, about life and purpose. As you will see when the post goes live, there are whole sections of the blogosphere that discusses this stuff on a regular.
      To the pub with hubs. Wish I had the black over pink. Cheers.

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    3. It works because it emphasises big boobs and small waist. Which can only be a winner. And the husband likes it, and it is his birthday.

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    4. The husband in question says he doesn't need a dress to get his imagination going...

      Apparently.

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  5. I like the red dress and the white one with the black flowers. But you look nice in all of them tbh.

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    Replies
    1. Why thank you!

      Interestingly, seeing as they seem to be coming out top for most people, B's vote is for the white and black, but he described the red as "a bit mad men, but possibly Peggy and not Joan".

      Ouch!

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  6. I would say - wedding dress. Of course you may want to keep that mothballed for the girls to use in future years. Although, being realistic, what woman doesn't want her VERY OWN wedding dress (your girls may) and of course the whole wedding concept may be ridiculously outdated by then, and then if either of those things happened you may regret not having given it another outing when you had the chance, so actually, if you want to wear it, WEDDING DRESS! It looks sensational - why not?

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    Replies
    1. My m-i-l wore her wedding dress for their 40th anniversary a couple of years ago, and the rest of us were encouraged to do likewise. I was six months post twins and so that was a distant dream, but I still regret it every time I look at the pictures.

      I think you may be right.

      Apart from the breathing issue of course.

      Delete
  7. Red dress is really nice on you' white with black also very good/.

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  8. The red dress is stunning, but the black one is fab. Always go for sophisticated at these events :-)

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    Replies
    1. It's a goody isn't it? Mrs T (see above) picked that one out too... She's got an eye for these things, as she says.

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  9. I like the friends wedding dress with the amazing strappy back. You look gorgeous - post-breast feeding and all!

    ▲ WOLF WHISTLE ▲

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  10. I was going to say the red dress, then I got to the last one... Definitely your wedding dress. You look amazing in it! And it fits the theme just perfectly...

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Am definitely leaning that way, but interested that there are votes for everything... Reserving judgement I think!

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  11. Red flirty dress, with unusual see-through coat over the top if it's cold (which it will be).

    But I'm with notsupermum. You look amazing in them all.

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    Replies
    1. Aren't you supposed to be somewhere over the mid-Atlantic?!

      But thank you. Sad you can't see them in person.

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  12. Have linked to this post in my latest, btw - hope that's OK...

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  13. Absolutely! Noticed by accident, just clicking on a title I liked (as someone who always checks the pudding menu before eating her main course).

    Honoured to have inspired.

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  14. The red is my favorite, but on this particular occasion you might as well go for it and wear the wedding dress. It is beautiful, love the little bit at the back

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Am definitely veering in that direction. Will see...

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    2. Ps although the little bit at the back is where I've tucked the train up... But still glad it looks nice like that too!

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  15. When I scrolled down to the blue coat I actually gasped. It is so beautiful. I don't know about what to wear under, something very simple I think. Blue coat has my vote. Seems to look lovely on you too.

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    1. Thank you! I love it - I used to walk past it in the window every day and yearn....and then it was my birthday!

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  16. The red and the pure white one is looking so pretty at you.Choose from both.

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  17. The black and white one with the red wine stain (it was the wine stain that swung it for me) :)

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    1. I'd love to be able to say it was 2006 Hermitage, but it was a wedding so all I can remember is it was jolly tasty and there was rather a lot of it...

      It wasn't 2006 (or any other year) Hermitage though. I'd probably have remembered that.

      Delete
  18. I love the red dress, but red is always my favourite! Or the chinese one? They all look fabulous though!

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  19. I love the wedding dress but if you can barely breath in it, it will not make for a fun evening. Something about the white dress with black flowers speaks to me. And paired with those gorgeous shoes...
    BTW, those jeans look great, do you mind sharing what brand they are?

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    Replies
    1. You are very wise. I'm going to try on again on Thurs and make a call then.

      And they're Ted Baker, but can't remember what variety. Am on a train and wearing at the mo so can't check (!) but will try and pop back later if I remember.

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  20. Did you take the spam comment down? It was kinda funny, as they sometimes are. You could have worn a fancy hologram dress.

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I know. I'm sorry. I hate these word recognition, are you a robot, guff things too, but having just got rid of a large number of ungrammatical and poorly spelt adverts for all sorts of things I don't want, and especially don't want on my blog, I'm hoping that this will mean that only lovely people, of the actually a person variety, will comment.

So please do. Comments are great...