mommy's style

mommy's style
mommy's style

kumquat's style

kumquat's style
kumquat's style

shop our closet

shop our closet
shop our closet

to sparkle, or not to sparkle?

I find that I'm in need of some advice, dear readers.

dress, sunglasses: Charlotte Russe; sparkly pumps: Forever 21

A friend of mine is getting married next month (February 11), and I found the perfect dress last time I went shopping (seen above and below). It's a strapless beauty, the body is red with black lace overlay and it hits a few inches above the knee. I plan to wear a black blazer over it (mostly likely my shiny black satin one with elbow length sleeves) and solid black tights to avoid being too risque (this is Utah, after all).

The issue I'm having is this: are the sparkly gold/silver/pewter/pink pumps a little too much? It's an evening wedding, at an event center known as Aspen Landing, and there is no dress code specified on the invitation (there usually isn't on Utah invites). I've found that weddings in Utah are often treated as a casual affair when held in a church gym, but to be quite honest with you, I haven't attended many weddings that weren't held at a church (other than my own). I know that the one overriding rule of weddings is to never outshine the bride, and I'm not sure if sparkly shoes push things a bit too far. Besides, if everyone else shows up in standard church attire (skirts and blouses), I'd stick out like a sore thumb. A very pretty, sparkly sore thumb though.

If I go with the glittery pumps, I think I'll need a sparkly clutch to pull it all together. I found one on Aldo.com and one from Express that are both perfect and aren't too much damage (both are about $35), but if I decide to go with a pair of black shoes, I already have several clutches that would work perfectly. The shoes I wear are also going to determine the color of my jewelry - if I go for the glittery shoes, I plan to wear gold jewelry; but if I pick another pair I'm thinking some huge hematite earrings might be in order.


Here are the choices already in my closet:

red booties: charlotte russe; black moto booties: maurice's; black studded wedges: kardashion kollection; sparkly pump: forever 21

I'm leaning towards these as my second choice, after the sparkly pumps.

So there is my dilemma, laid out in photos for you: to sparkle or not. 

Here is what we know:
1. I'll be wearing the dress pictured above.
2. With a black satin blazer over it.
3. And solid black tights.
4. For make up, I'll be doing a fairly dramatic smokey eye, using Too Faced's In Your Dreams palette (using Full Moon, Dream On and Seduced), a neutral lip and dark red or black nail polish (probably I'm With Brad by OPI).


In short, the issues are:
1. Are the sparkly heels too much? I don't want to be overdressed.
2. If I wear the gold shoes, I have to buy a matching clutch (not necessarily a bad thing, mind you...).
3. Gold shoes and clutch mean understated gold jewelry. I definitely prefer hematite or silver, but I can do gold too. I normally like to wear huge earrings though, and I think that might be a bit much with the sparkles everywhere else.
4. My hair: should I wear it slicked back in a pony tail, with the body teased (very polished looking); or should I use my waving iron to wave it, muss it up just a bit, and wear it down (think bedheady and sexy)?

Maybe I overcomplicate things. Actually, I know I overcomplicate things. I think, in order to figure this out, I'm going to have to spend some time actually trying out the various combinations. I was supposed to do that this weekend, but I ended up spending the majority of the weekend asleep or watching White Collar... Oops.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Advice? Please share in the comments - I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Back to Top