Sparkle Dress Action Shot and Holiday Party Debrief

So tonight was my firm's Festive Non-Denominational Holiday Party at the Trump tower here in town.  I can't speak for most of the venue, but the staff were friendly on our floor, the food was adequate, and the washrooms were nicer than my first two apartments.  Bigger, too, now that I think about it.

Tonight was the debut of the cocktail length sparkle dress and the return engagement of the sparkle shoes of pain and the sparkle purse of glamour.  Any night that is three levels deep in sparkles is made for fabulousness, if you ask me.

I have learned since the IPIC annual general meeting in September at which I wore a beautiful long formal dress and the sparkle shoes of pain - - I had better pack some flats, or suffer the consequences of trying to gnaw my feet off at the ankles all night.  So I went out and picked up some cute ballet flats, and brought them with me to the party to change into before the dinner. 

The plan worked perfectly - - just when my 4" heels were starting to feel like a Really Bad Idea, I swapped them for the flats, and my feet were immediately more comfortable.  Good thinking ahead (*pats self on back*).  Glamour is all very well and good, but dragging myself home by my elbows because I have crippled my feet with incredibly sparkly and virtually unwearable shoes seems like a bad idea.  Disaster averted!

Anyhoo, the new sparkle dress was extremely well received.  Combine the sparkle dress with the updo that I had done in the morning (for added fabulosity), and I was a force of nature.  I had no less than a dozen people at the party say "Oh my god, I didn't recognize you at all!  You look amazing!"  Score!

I noticed a few things this evening.

For one thing, I felt fabulous, and that made me much more outgoing and social and confident than usual.  Rather than hanging back and watching the crowd, I worked the room much more than I normally do.  It helps that every time I saw someone they were telling me how fabulous I looked, but I was also carrying myself taller and more confidently in a way that was noticeable, even to people with whom I work regularly.

I also noticed that I was smiling much more than usual.  I just looked happier and friendlier, and that made me much more approachable to other people than perhaps is generally the case.  People like spending time with happy people, and tonight, that included me.  Was it the dress?  The updo?  I think it was just the complete package - - I was wearing a dress I felt comfortable and confident in, and I owned more of the room as a result. 

Now it is time for me to go home and go to bed, and hope that I don't impale myself on one of the 800 bobby pins in my hair during the night.