A quest for a dress

Next weekend Ingrid and I, along with friends, are going to a fundraising event to raise money for the refurbishment of the local scout hut – the Beaver Ball as I keep calling it. (My son is in the Beaver section of the scout movement by way of explanation.)

I’m very excited about this as I’ve not been to many black tie events, actually I’m not even sure I’ve been to any. Consequently I have nothing to wear. Ok, that’s not strictly true, you can’t have a wardrobe as bulging as mine without having a posh frock or two. However anything I have that is suitable seems to have shrunk in the wash; that can be the only plausible explanation!

Not to worry, it’s the perfect excuse to go charity shop shopping and I’m always seeing posh frocks that I love but have no occasion to wear them. It’s the right time of year for party dresses, the charity shops are full of them, and I tried on loads. However, I came home empty handed. There were dresses that would have certainly done but I didn’t want one that just did.

Ingrid very kindly lent me two dresses to try, one from Coast, the other Per Una, both charity shop bargains and both stunning. I would have been very happy to wear either and even rethink my “anything from Per Una makes you look a bit mental” policy. Unfortunately, they are both strapless, and I just don’t have the chest to hold them up, even straps wouldn’t help, I just can’t fill them. Very disappointing. Now, if it had been my bum that was too small I wouldn’t have minded in the least.

I’ve asked friends what they are wearing and they’ve all got charity shop dresses or borrowed one. I’d love to think that it was the influence of this blog, but I’m sure it’s not. They, like me, want to wear something “new” but don’t see the point in spending lots of money on something that they’re only likely to wear once. I’m hoping they will let me take photos, so watch this space!

But my quest for a dress continues. I’ve still got a few options and if all else fails I’ll wear my wedding dress. I’ve always wanted an excuse to wear it again and where better than a Beaver Ball!