Bridesmaid Revisited

Last night I went out with a couple of friends for a night on the town. We went to the opera and then to have a few drinks. It was my first night out in far too long. Between training for a marathon and trying to finish my dissertation, I haven't had much of a social life the past couple of months. With the marathon under my belt and the last body chapter of my dissertation drafted, I finally felt like I could go out for more than just dinner. Fortunately for me, this renewed ability to return to society coincided with a production of Pagliacci.

I love going to the opera for so many reasons. Opera music was frequently playing in my house when I was a child. The voices of the performers absolutely amaze and thrill me with their beauty, grace, and power. I also love going to the opera because I get to dress up to the nines and put on my red lipstick (aka my lady face).

When I was deciding what I would wear for the opera, I immediately thought about wearing a little black dress. I was in a fabulous wedding this summer and my friend had allowed all of us to simply wear a black cocktail dress of our choice, so I chose one that I purchased on sale at White House Black Market. I thought the opera was the perfect opportunity to get another use out of this bridesmaid's dress. Last night I wore it with white tights and red and black, open-toed high heels. I had been wanting to wear a black dress with white tights for a while, and this gave me the perfect excuse. Something about the pairing just seems so glamorous to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my black shawl to wear with it. However, luckily, it was a mild night, so a shawl wasn't really necessary. This dress could easily make it to another opera or to the ballet in the winter with a shawl or a little dressy cardigan or shrug. It could also easily make it to another wedding or get yet another life as a party dress.

Often one of the biggest drawbacks of being in a wedding is having to spend money on a dress that you'll never wear again. On a graduate student stipend or even the salary of an academic, this can be brutal to the budget. Have you ever successfully repurposed a bridesmaid dress in your wardrobe? How? What do you like to wear to dress up for a night on the town?