Rosecliff: The Dress

As promised, I'm back this week with details on my dress for the black-tie ball I'm attending in May. I told you I was looking for a sophisticated, classic, and occasion-appropriate gown on a budget, and that I had a hard time fulfilling all three requirements.

I thought I'd begin this post the same way I began my search: with inspiration photos. Though I'm not planning to get married anytime soon, I do write about weddings on an {almost} daily basis, so I'm not ashamed to stay that I have quite the stock of favorite dresses squirreled away. The similarities between evening gowns and wedding dresses are obvious, so it only made sense to check my stash for recurring themes before I set out for the stores. Here are a few of my favorites:


I love the beautiful simplicity of this Lela Rose dress. The pleating is gorgeous and understated, while the deep v back adds just the right amount of drama. {via Style Me Pretty}


As you may know, I am a sucker for the sweetheart neckline. I think a mermaid or trumpet shape can look perfect when paired with the right body type. {photos by Lisa Lefkowitz}


What's not to love? Gauzy, ephemeral tulle on the bottom paired with a crisp structured top - exquisite in my book, though perhaps not the look I'm going for in an evening gown. {via Southern Weddings; photos by Jessica Claire}


Simple and classic is definitely what I am drawn to most often, and this dress, paired with a single strand of pearls, fits the bill. {via Style Me Pretty; photo by Casey Cunningham}


Are you beginning to see a pattern emerge? {via Snippet & Ink}


Another sweetheart neckline paired with soft draping - picture this dress in black and you pretty much had what I set out to find. {via Southern Weddings}

So now you know what I was looking for - but did I find it? I looked online at Nordstroms, Nicole Miller, Cache, Bluefly, and E-Dress Me, but was having a hard time pulling the trigger without seeing the dresses in person. It was mostly a moot point, however, because nothing really caught my eye.

Last weekend I ventured into Boston with a few friends hoping to score a deal at Filene's Basement, the famous location of the Running of the Brides. Unfortunately, I forgot that their larger, Downtown Crossing location is currently closed for renovations, and the Back Bay location we went to had a VERY scanty selection - we didn't see anything we were even interested in trying on.

From there, we crossed the Common to wander down Newbury Street. We knew going in that most of the dresses would be far beyond our budgets, but {in light of the current economic situation} were hoping there might be some sales to be had. Unfortunately, we were disappointed, though I was eyed this beautiful Nicole Miller dress that Miss Cowboy Boot recently tried on:



Discouraged, we headed to Macy's for our final stop of the day. At this point I was pretty desperate, and grabbed every dress in my size that looked halfway decent off the racks. The first dress I tried on? SO not my style... but you know where this is going.

Yep, that's the one I bought. And no, I don't have a photo for you. {Sorry!} I'll try to help you put it together in your head, though. Here we go: take the deep V back of the first dress. Add the trumpet silhouette of the second dress. Add the neckline of the fourth dress. Add some ruching down the front. Put it all together, then put it in a deep royal blue sateen - and that's my dress! You'll have to wait until May to see the real thing.

Alright, we've covered the location and the dress. What do you want to hear about next - hair or jewelry? Or are you finding this series totally boring? Let me know in the comments!

Previously:
Rosecliff: The Location