Style Dilemma: 20th High School Reunion, Take 2

I'm woefully behind on posts. So. What to write? Well, a quick update on our lives...oh wait...that's all I post any more. Sorry.

But really, there is a major dilemma.

H's 20th high school reunion. 5 years ago, we shopped for his 15th. See? That dress is still one of my favorites, though I don't know at this point whether it still fits. I suspect not.

Last year, I was on a major push to get ready for my own 20th. It's a night fraught with, well, memories. Of all sorts. I still love the dress I wore to that. That dress still fits, but barely. It now has a higher-end look, what with me being all skinny and stuff.

So H's 20th is September 29th. In less than 2 weeks.

And I have nothing to wear.

Ok, that's not entirely true. We went through my entire closet the other night, literally trying on everything I own. Among a couple of other possibilities that didn't quite make the cut, I have a marvelous dress I bought in New York, but it's not quite right for the occasion. That's my backup.

I have to, upon orders, buy something new that's cocktail-appropriate, not hoochy (though I did offer to be a hoochy mama wife for his reunion. what do I care?), and not sequined. He doesn't like sequins, apparently. Who knew?

So it's becoming clear to me that what I should have done tonight is a rapid fire online shopping "trip." Guess that's up for tomorrow night, now. But before I go to bed? A quick version.

L-R: Alice + Olivia, Jessica Simpson, Adrianna Papell

Style Dilemma: Blushing Toes

A few weeks ago, Kate tweeted for help finding "The Perfect Nude Pump." I happily said I'd help. A shoe hunt? Absolutely.

The kicker is, the "perfect" shoe is elusive, and not just because we have a Picture in Our Heads. There's fit, material, comfort, heel height, details...the list goes on. Never mind that, like Kate said, blush or nude is intimidating in the decision making realm. Too light? Too dark? Too pink? Too tan? Does skin color matter? And if skin color matters, what about those of us who get darker as we move into the warmer months (this is me not saying a single anti-tanning/browning-please-embrace-your-fair-skin word. not one)?

It's tempting, like I've done in the past, to "zappos" it, and buy 3-4 pair of shoes to try, returning what doesn't fit. Return policies nowadays are incredibly forgiving. It's a viable option, and a retailer like zappos or even amazon has a broad enough range of styles, brands, and price points to give us the options we need.

But it's overwhelming to shop online for shoes sometimes. So. Many. Pretty. Ones.

So, with a little prompting from the Woman With the Style Dilemma Herself (she tweeted me the Corso Como pair over the weekend), I got my rear end online and found a few - some traditional, some not - options. As for color, I personally don't think that there are any rules around pale skin/dark shoe or vice versa. That being said, I do think that your skin tone and shoe need to compliment each other. Unfortunately, there's no replacing going shoe shopping.

In the set below, there are some personal favorites (eagerly awaiting my own lillybee Kates, thankyouverymuch), and some unexpected brands (Jessica Simpson's heels, I've found, are predictably comfortable). Now, if you're looking for a straight pump, stick with the closed toe variety. I happen to adore the ever-sexy D'orsay silouhette, and the past few seasons of granny booties have grown on me. Snakeskin + granny bootie? Ok, so it's not exaaaaactly a nude pump. I just couldn't help myself. It's pretty.

As for what to wear with these pretty petal-like slippers? In my book, a nude pump goes with practically everything, from a dark suit you want to elevate to jeans and a fitted white T. Pale pink (because, let's face it, ladies, that's what it really is) blends in to your foot and ankle and elongates those fabulous gams of yours.

Kate, my dear? Get thee to the shoe store. And gleefully prance around, trying on every. single. pair. But you have to promise to report back in and tell us how you solved your Style Dilemma.

Nude Pumps by dcceline featuring high heel shoes

Style Dilemma: 20th Reunion Advance Work - Putting it all out there. Really

Alright, folks. You asked. Well, kinda.

Last night, a few of us had a little twitter fashion show with the options. All of them. I tried on both the 3 pretty dresses from my zappos shopping spree, but also, at H's request, pulled out some old (and newer) favorites that might work. I have the twitterverse's opinions.

Not that this is entirely a democratic process, because in the end, I'll select what I feel suits me best and the dress in which I feel the best, but in the name of good cross-media coverage, I've posted multiple views of the options in my closet on the DC Celine facebook page. Go. Look. Share your opinion.

For those of you who really need all the details to consider, this is, obviously, my 20th high school reunion. All 183 of us grew up in a small, at-the-time mostly rural Pennsylvania community that even now toys with the idea of being suburban. We have malls and such, and sometimes act as a bedroom community to Philly, but really, we still have a Community Fair. There are cows. And silage.


So some of us from the class of 1991 will gather at a reasonably nice hotel ballroom this Saturday night. While the original inn is "all historic and stuff" like a lot of our area, the owners have added on. Unless our esteemed class president (thanks, Tom!) has something up his sleeve, this is your fairly standard hotel cocktail reception.

Due diligence warning, now: H took the pics on his camera phone, which isn't as good as mine. Mine is on the fritz. I don't have hair, makeup, accessories, the correct undergarments, or a clean bedroom. You've been warned.

But the one non-negotiable piece of my ensemble, absolutely unanimously, and even if it weren't, I'd override everyone: The Shoes.