WTFF: Cabaret Cool

Last night I did something I haven't done in a while - I sang in front of an audience.  Over 100 paying guests actually.  Thankfully they weren't really there to see me so I didn't have to worry about the pressure of disappointing.  Also thankfully, my number came up close to the end when most patrons had downed at least one alcoholic beverage.  It's like the Karaoke Equation in reverse - the more drinks you consume, the more awesome you become at singing but this is the more drinks they consume the better I become at singing.  Win win for everybody.
Good times were had by all and hats off to Greg and Heidi for pulling the whole Little Winter Cabaret together.  Fingers crossed there will be more nights of great music, great No. 7 Balmac food, and great company.

Singing faces - never make for a flattering photo

So what did I wear for my foray into my past music life?  A frock of course!  Never look a gift horse in the mouth and pass up the chance to tizzy yourself up I say.  I have a moth-eaten wardrobe of "performance attire" that I never really get to delve into.  However I didn't feel this was the night to slap on a full-length ball gown so the moths were left to their meal.  Instead I picked a dress I bought a few years back at Hype (Dunedin fashion store) to cover me for a wedding or two.  It's clearly a dress I bought pre-babies.  No woman in her right mind who's had a baby would choose a dress like this unless they were an A-list celebrity with a bevy of personal trainers and nutritionists tucked in their size 0 back pockets.  But I was determined to wear this dress again as I really like it and if I have more sprogs, it probably really will have to go in the "I once wore this" pile.  You basically can't wear underwear with this dress (too much information?  Possibly but I've written it now and I can't be bothered back-spacing it all) as it's so close fitting so I had a few... 'functionality' issues with wearing this dress.  NB.  If you thought the no underwear thing was TMI then you probably don't want to read the rest of this paragraph.  Firstly, if you read my last post you know I'm breastfeeding.  No bra or more to the point, no breast pads, is a dangerous proposition.  So I jammed a couple of breast pads into the crop top that goes with the dress.  I was incredibly paranoid I would have two circular lumps over my boobs that would be clearly visible on the stage, but I figured that would have paled in comparison to having a milk-stained frontage.  Secondly, I have really, hairy legs at the moment.  Really.  Tights were a compulsory accessory so I just had to hope that no big tights seam weaved it's way up my belly.  See, no post-baby woman in their right mind would choose a dress like this.
I'm really selling this to you aren't I?  It's a fine line when you really want to wear something, but it just doesn't fit you like it used to.  How many times do you see people wearing something that probably looked fine on them at one point in time but they just haven't bothered to look in the mirror for the last 3 years?  I considered this a lot before I decided to don this dress, especially when I was going to be in front of an audience and decided I still had a little bit of wear left in it.

You can see what I mean about the underwear - had it on for this shot.  And note corner Gremlin...

What do I love about this dress apart from the fact that it's underwear-incompatible?  The colour.  It's what drew me to it in the first place.  The dress is like a classic Little Black Dress except it's teal.  I think the label called it "Kingfisher Blue" although it's not quite what I think that colour is but either way, it's beautiful.  I love the back of this dress. the shape, the twist in the jersey at the top, the reveal without too much reveal... it's awesome.  The length and neckline - the dress shows a bit of skin at the back and it's figure-hugging so it does the right thing and doesn't show decolletage or too much leg.  And finally the material.  What make the dress so unforgiving is also what makes it beautiful - the knit is soft and light but not too light that it doesn't have shape.

The one concession I made to any self-consciousness I had in wearing this dress was in the tie I wore around the middle.  I thought that by adding that small accessory, I broke up the line of my figure and highlighted my waist so that I had a more hour glass shape.  I bought the scarf at Guess when I was in the States years ago.  I'm not very good at using scarves and belts so I haven't worn it that much but I love the pattern and the colours which toned in perfectly with the dress.  It also allowed me to wear my navy blue opaque tights and keep in matchy matchy mode.  I tried to have the knot of the tie sitting low around the back so it didn't spoil the line of the back of the dress.

Earrings (that you can't really pick out in the photos) are old and falling apart but the wee white stones hopefully picked up a bit of light on stage.  And when holding a mic, having a large ring is obviously an eye-catching accessory so I wore the same ring from this outfit.

The shoes are French Connection and are my go to basic heel.  The deep brown colour makes a nice change from black and I love the stripe detail on the heel and toe.  Heels are an obvious essential for this dress as my arse needs all the help it can get.  Heels = top arse help, in case you didn't know.

My Cabaret Cool served me well for my wee trip back into music.  I feel I may have to look for another  cabaret outfit just in case I decide to work the vocal chords again...

Wee Edie had a bit of a rough week with broken glasses and croup etc so I didn't put a frock on her and take her photo.  That would probably have been more than she could handle, poor wee mite.  Edie frocky goodness this week, I promise.

PS.  A big thanks to Greg, Heidi, the band and other musicians, and all the helpers who made Little Winter Cabaret such a good night out.  I hope the good word spreads and you get lots of support for future adventures.  And an extra thanks to Heidi for taking the 'action' shots.

Me and my dress think you should Hit the Road, Greg.