Company Holiday Party

Last weekend was my company holiday party, so I figured I'd better come up with something that would really top my usual flamboyant daily wear. It turned out to be a great excuse to wear my gorgeous Dark Garden corset, which I've owned for about 2 years but sadly have not worn until now. It worked so beautifully over this tulle skirted dress that the two look like they're one piece. The dress is one I bought at a small boutique in Copenhagen a few years ago; I've actually worn it to the company holiday party before, so this was the perfect way to wear it again but make it look different (not that anyone other than me would remember what dress I wore 2 years ago!).

The hat, of course, is one of my own designs. This is a new take on my Bettie mini topper style; it's about half an inch taller and about an inch larger in circumference than the other ones I've made. I was wanting a slightly larger hat that I could style sort of in the vein of Joanie Stubbs' top hat on Deadwood. This is a dressier version than hers, but I like the new style and will be playing around with it more and potentially offering it in the shop. In order to create this hat, I needed a custom-made wooden extension for my existing hat block, which Mark kindly created for me. It entailed lots of sawing and sanding, which naturally meant a lot of sawdust, not to mention the noise. Who knew that millinery was such a messy business?

For this event I curled my hair using foam curlers that I put in when my hair was damp, thus avoiding a repeat of the forehead-burning I sustained when I curled my hair for the Seattle blog meet-up. I found that the curls lasted a lot longer this way and came out softer and smoother.

I only bought one new item to compete this outfit, and that was this pair of long black leather gloves. I've seen a lot of these long gloves this season, and had been wanting a pair. I found these for 50% off at Macys.com and decided they'd be the perfect way to keep my hands and arms warm while still looking dressed up. I ended up wearing them for much of the night, and they worked really well for keeping my fingers warm while holding onto an ice cold drink.

No special occasion post would be complete without a picture of Mark and I. This shot was sort of rushed, since we were trying to get out the door by that time. Mark wore a beautiful thrifted tuxedo jacket with his dark wash Heathen jeans. I thought this was a great modern take on a classic look. His vest is a thrifted one that he embellished himself to steampunk it up a little, and the bowler hat is one I made.

My outfit:

Dress: ?? from a boutique in Copenhagen

Corset: Dark Garden

Hat: Audra Jean

Necklace: Manu Lizzaralde

Tights: Biella

Shoes: Steve Madden

Gloves: Alfani