FashBlog.com

At certain times of the year, many of us women start seriously considering sprucing up ourselves and our wardrobes. For some, Christmas and/or New Years are the high point of their fashion year; for others it’s Easter or springtime, and still others “bloom” in the short season of summer. (For what it’s worth, I fall into the last category.) Probably, the end of the year is the most the social time of the year, with holiday parties, family get-togethers, children’s events and entertainment opportunities. On the other hand, the spring and summer boast weddings, graduations, teas, picnics and outdoor exhibits. Sometimes, it seems that more people will be seeing us than we would probably like, and some of them haven’t seen us since the same time the following year. It’s at those moments we tend to feel like the pressure is on, and most of us start planning well in advance.

We look at ourselves in the mirror and make a list of things to do, most of which we probably don’t have enough time to accomplish. But, failing changing our body shape or growing our hair or improving our skin, we can at least buy stuff to improve what’s there, and thus begins the mad rush I refer to as “special occasion glam”.

The stores are more than willing to help us.

This past holiday season, I decided that I should get a little more dressy than usual for and of course I had nothing in my existing collection of fancy clothes that quite fit the bill. So I hit the malls, and found that there seemed to be a broad leap from casual to super-dressy, with little in between. However, I finally managed to find a couple of items that I liked. For Thanksgiving, it was a matching skirt and top, done in the style of an Indian design, with a long, gauzy skirt and long tunic with ¾ sleeves, all adorned with embroidery and beading. (Granted, my daughter claimed it “ugly”, but I’ve been able to wear it several other places easily, including a business meeting, show, and even to the dentist’s. The dentist complimented it, by the way.) As a special something for my husband’s company holiday event, I found a champagne-hued, tea-length dress in what could be a 1920 deco style. It’s since been worn to a wedding and a bar mitzvah.

I feel good about both purchases because I’ve gotten wear out of these outfits in more venues than I ever expected-and I will probably continue to do so. This kind of thinking coincides with the multitude of events, causing women to ask themselves, “Will anyone remember my wearing this before?” Some people actually keep notes, but I haven’t gone that far yet-primarily because I don’t go that many social events. I remember seeing in a gossip magazine take issue with Lady Diana wearing the same outfits to different functions, and thought that was rather low of the press. I’m sure her assistants made sure the clothes weren’t seen by the same guests, but I think it’s good that she, even as royalty, was setting a good example to get the most out of her fashion choices.

It does feel wonderful to look snazzy, but I don’t know if it makes parties any more fun than when one is wearing re-runs. But wearing anything more glamorous than the norm makes us feel differently than we do in daily life. Isn’t the whole point of good marketing? (“Buy these sequins and glitter and you’ll be a princess for the night. It doesn’t matter if the party is in the same old place and you’re sitting with the same old people-look like this and everything’s more exciting.”) I guess that’s the reason we have dress-up occasions in the first place, to make special occasions even more so. Fancy clothes may not be comfortable, but let’s face it-they can help make us look like we’ve been working diligently on ourselves for the last year.

So, here’s to the special occasion glam, the once-a-year sexy high heels and the flashy jewelry. Pulling it all together may be a bit of a pain, but it’s all worth it when you realize it’s helped to make you feel more festive!