Gala Gal

I went to a fundraising party for Sick Kids Hospital on Thursday night. It’s an annual event called Scrubs in the City and each year has a different city theme. This year’s town was Rome. I shopped my closet and picked the same ensemble I bought for the Cartier mansion a few years back (an And Other Stories dress worn with a sheer, ruffled top from Zara). To fit the Rome theme, I rebranded  the look as a glam Italian widow.

I was there to cover the event, so I needed to fit in without standing out. I also didn’t want to spend money on new clothes so to up my Gala game, I selected some upscale jewels to wear, including a sparkling costume faux diamond ring, a real, Art Deco diamond and jade cocktail ring and an Edwardian chain look bangle bracelet.

You also need subtle signifiers of fanciness when  attending an upscale event. Having the proper purse also goes a long way when it comes to sliding into the world of rich people. So I brought my alligator disco purse. For anybody in the room who was into brand spotting, I wore a vintage Jaeger LeCoultre cocktail watch. And because I associate Roman jewelry with textured, ornate gold pieces, I went with a 19th century band and 1920s engagement ring. you can’t see them in these pictures but I also wore some big gold drop earrings and layered a bunch of gold chain necklaces.

For me, the hardest part of accessorizing for formal occasions is finding the right footwear. As our friend Maureen once said, you can go to the Oscars in your Panama’s if you have the right shoes. The paradox seems to be that the more a shoe elevates your look, the more painful it is. Because there is so much standing around hobnobbing, you want something comfy,  but then you run the risk of looking frumpy and having security guards asking if you are at the right party.

In the end I went with a pair of pink suede mules with acrylic heels that I bought at an end-of-season sale at Zara about a year ago. They match my glasses, which helps pull the overall look together. And they are very comfortable to stand around in, but for some reason are tricky to actually walk in. Not painful, but clompy and awkward which results in a weird, mincing gait. You can get away with it in a crowded room, but not so much on public transit.