To explain the context of these fashion forward formal looks, read on – otherwise, scroll your sweet self down to the photos!
My sister and I have always loved to play dress-up. Often, we’d plan on getting “dolled up,” as Julianne would call it, spending hours getting ready for a trip to the movies or the mall. Hair, nails, outfit, all checked and done and ready to dazzle – usually culminating with the bleak realization that we’d spent all our energy on the prep and that our highly Produced looks wouldn’t see past the living room sofa.
Here’s where the silver lining of a pandemic comes in: we couldn’t go past the living room sofa even if we wanted to. There’s no movie theater or mall open where we could “hang out” with ease, even if we wanted to. More fitting to our current tastes, there isn’t an opera house or ballet open, no trendy little lunch place to order overpriced French fries, no family parties to overdress for.
Knowing this full well, and acknowledging the dueling needs of safety and the need to see my sister during a stressful time for all of us, I headed to Detroit last week. Julianne has a little house in the ‘burbs, a dog and two cats who *tolerate* Sici, and a wide screen TV that streams the Metropolitan Opera app.
And so, we opera
If you’ve been on the blog at all since the pandemic hit, that last bit probably made your ears prick up (or made you hit control-Q). My sister’s and my love for opera is only outmatched by our lack of opera knowledge – but that’s never held us back.
We knew that come November we’d need some sister time – either way the election swung, we’d need to celebrate with or drown in the frothy epicureanism of champagne, red wine, full-coverage foundation, impractical gowns, and toaster oven pizza.
All of that is to prep you for what’s to come: Four outfit-of-the-night posts where the glamor of our looks is tastefully balanced by poor lighting, unflattering angles, and missed opportunities for photoshopping; in other words, all the trappings of two sisters goofing off in the comfort of home.
That and the fact that my lighting equipment couldn’t fit in my suitcase (which clocked in at 75 pounds as it was).
Our original plan was to watch Wagner’s The Ring Cycle in its entirety, each of the four operas in his master (albeit problematic in places) work over four nights. Upon realizing the reality that the shortest of these operas is three and a half hours, and that Julianne was to be working during the day, we ended up watching half an opera per night for four nights. Either way, we had four fabulous nights to dress for!
On Julianne: Romper, Alexis (buy here or in limited sizes here, or rent here)
On Stig: Dress, Neon Blonde (buy here, rent here)
How to: Fashion Forward Formal
Night One was our “trendy night” – no ball gowns or sleek sheaths (I dare you to take those last two words out of context), just something fashion forward and formal.
It can be difficult to balance trendiness and formality, unless you’re operating with a couture-sized budget (in which case, bravo).
My recommendation is to start with rich fabrics! I went with this aqua velvet, and Julianne went with black jacquard. For fall and winter, these are the type of fabrics that ratchet up the formality of any piece.
Structure is the second factor – the more thoughtfully-built and architectural the design, the more formal the piece. This isn’t to say that a well-made poncho is without merit, but rather that the “build” of a piece can dictate its formality. Julianne’s romper is a great example of this – it takes the playful blueprint of a romper and translates it to a formal look with a measured dose of tuxedo tailoring. On me, the intentionality of the deep-V, blouson sleeves, and nipped waist, while all on-trend, contribute to its fashion forward formal vibe.
It’s worth saying too, that like art, a look’s formality is a “you’ll know it when you see it” type of phenomenon. Touches like hair, shoes, jewelry, make-up, etc are definite contributors as well.
Stay tuned for more glam-at-home looks! I have a feeling a lot of us will be in that spirit as the Holidays approach, and with no end in sight of the pandemic. Let’s make the best of it, shall we?
love,
Stig.
