“Women who stay true to themselves are always more interesting and beautiful to me: women like Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe and Anna Magnani – women who have style, chic, allure and elegance. They didn’t submit to any standard of beauty – they defined it.” ~ Isabella Rossellini
What is in a label?
When I first bought this dress I thought of it as my mermaid gown, the flowing material, the aqua color, even the jeweled neck line was something that belonged amongst the waves. Flash forward a few years with the GoT craze in full force, (of which I happily sit on that throne) I have gotten quite a few Khaleesi comments. First it was my hair which I could understand. Khaleesi IS hair goals for any platinum blonde (sorry Marilyn). In fact I dream of having her length…with OUT extensions.
Then I donned this dress for a wedding and well the comments just kept coming. I never really connected the two always thinking it channeled more of the Queen of the Sea vibes rather then Mother of Dragons. Alas as I looked at the dress I couldn’t deny that it does have a certain Khaleesi-esque flare to it.
Whether I am Mermaid or Dragon Queen (and a thousand other labels) this dress has been my staple to black-tie weddings the last few years.
BCBG
It seemed once I reached my quarter life crisis that “Wedding Season” was as real as Fall or Summer. Every other weekend I had nuptials to attend and while you can get away with the LBD, no one wants to be labelled as Morticia, especially if you are attending an exes’ wedding.
Thus I went to the one place where I always get my black tie dresses: BCBG. While BCBG can be expensive, I find they not only have amazing sales, but their Black Friday deals are nothing short of stealing. Seriously, the mark downs for these designer dresses make you feel like you have just been Ashton Kutcher Punked.
The Dress
Perusing their website I had come across this Grecian Goddess of an aqua dress. I loved the beading at the halter styled neckline, and the way it draped without being too overwhelming. I knew I would need to get it hemmed, but that in cutting off a foot or so of fabric would not take away from the over all shape of the dress, like it sometimes does. #shortgirlproblems.
And yet I hesitated.
What?!?!
Alas it was true peeps, I hesitated. I have been trying to diversify my wardrobe and since it is one of my favorite colors, I own a variety of blue and green shaded dresses. I was hesitant to add another one to my collection.
Then I looked at the price.
I know technically it is rude to discuss pricing, but guys this was originally a seven hundred dollar dress! (Yes you read that correctly!) which was on sale for a whopping hundred and fifty dollars. And that was before I added the coupon I had.
I am not proud of it, but still I waited.
A whole forty-eight hours before I decided to go for it.
If it is meant to be, it is meant to be and this dress was meant for this mermaid at heart.
Styling It
The rest is history as they say. It has become a staple in my wedding wardrobe the last few years.
Because of the detailing it is incredibly easy to style. I usually pair nude stilettos, though on several occasions knowing I am attending an outdoor venue I have switched to lace wedges. Because of the length, I could wear Vans and no one would notice. (NOT that I have ever tried that!)
Sticking with the nude theme, I also prefer going for a nude or cream wrap.
Because of the jeweled neckline, a necklace would be overkill, so I usually wear statement earrings to add some glitz, decorating my arms or hands in some bling.
Overall Look
This is one of my favorite if not THE favorite looks to wear to a wedding. Despite how glamorous, it is one of the easiest and most effortless, yet still elegant outfits that I have styled. Because of that, it makes traveling incredibly easy. Who wants to be messing with a gazillion accessories and pieces when attending a wedding?
The moment I don the dress I really do feel like a mermaid or maybe it is Khaleesi.
What do you think of the look? Do you think it is more Mermaid Queen or Mother of Dragons? Do you have a go to wedding attendee dress?
