Midsummer White Scene

This Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a really special event, a fundraiser for an amazing Austin organization called Lifeworks. (Please take a moment and follow that link to read more about this amazing service organization and the work they do for young people. They are truly inspiring.)

The event was a White Party -- meaning everyone attending was supposed to wear white, like a Great Gatsby fantasy come to life. It was a really beautiful party, with gorgeous decor and yummy food. In all honesty, there were wildly varying degrees of success as far as fashion choices were concerned. I saw some people who looked really great, and I saw some who were... well... challenged.

There are a few important rules to follow when you're wearing white, and the most important ones have to do with fit and underpinnings. Depending on the fabric, white can be especially unforgiving if the garment doesn't fit properly. Put bluntly, if you're going to squeeze yourself into a too-tight dress, you may -- MAY -- be able to almost pull it off in a dark color like black or navy, provided the lighting at your event is pretty dim and and you don't have to move around too much. But my dears, skin-tight white jersey is no woman's friend. I don't care if you're a Victoria's Secret model, some things are just better left unsaid, if you know what I mean.

Also especially important are your support mechanisms. You need to find some that disappear under your clothes, which means doing the legwork involved in searching out just the right nude. As I've noted here before, humans come in many, many different shades of nude, and so does lingerie. Next time you go shopping for a nude bra, wear a thin white blouse to try on over it to avoid any later heartbreak under the harsh office lights. And one more undergarment note: as many a thoughtless starlet has discovered, backlighting is a tricky, tricky thing. If you are wearing a white dress at night, think about that. One of the features of Saturday's party's fantastic decor was a dance floor with some rather bright pinspots aimed at it. I now know a little more about some of my fellow guests than I really needed to, if you know what I mean. I refer you, once again, to your friend the half-slip.

However! Overall it was a tremendous success -- really, what's more refreshing in the July Texas heat than a good white dress? Oh, it cools a person off just thinking about it.

And one person who definitely got it right Saturday was jewelry designer Kendra Scott, who was one of the event's sponsors. Ms. Scott, who went out of her way to introduce herself to me and my friend, was lovely, and wearing a white goddess-inspired dress with a full, floaty skirt and gold beading & embroidery at the waist that was very, very beautiful. She looked great. She was also wearing these:

If memory serves, they were a different color combination, but they were gaw-juss. See, these are the sort of thing that make me, every now and again, re-think my no-piercing position. Because I could really rock those earrings. I'm completely smitten with them.

I saw something else of Kendra's that I really loved, and it was this:

An assortment of her jewelry was a lot in the white-themed silent auction, and in it was this cuff. Very much right up Style Spy's alley, non? Except for the color. When I saw it I said out loud, oh, if only that were in yellow gold. Sure enough, though, in the fashion show that went on later (featuring a selection of white garments from local boutique Estilo), one of the models was sporting the cuff in yellow gold. Yummy. I do love the white stone, but I may like it best of all just like this:

(click on photos for links to these fab items)

Oh, how fantastic is that? We all know how Style Spy feels about a good cuff.

Yours truly was also on the block, in a manner of speaking -- four hours of my Wardrobe Therapy services were up for silent auction. As was this adorable little accessory:


This sweet little Labrador retriever puppy no doubt brought in a pretty penny for Lifeworks, and provided some great entertainment as well. The fabulous Plumcake took this photo of the two of us making friends.

So how was everyone else's weekend? Any fabulous fashion finds? Don't keep them a secret!



Photos: KendraScott.com