Birthday Weekend Celebration

by | May 27, 2011 | Fashion trends, Formal Dressing | 4 comments

I’ve been on a blogging hiatus. I wish I could chalk it up to being away on a two week European vacation. In reality, I was gone four days.

I was fortunate to spend those days with eleven High School classmates. The occasion? We were are all celebrating a significant birthday year.

A couple of years ago I mentioned going to a class reunion at my workplace. They mistakenly thought it was my 20 year reunion. Last year some new friends thought I was approaching my 40th birthday. These were nice compliments. At the time it made my day. I love being able to “fool” people about my age.

However, I’m coming clean. The significant year is 50.  My birthday is actually not until August; I’m still 49 and holding!

Our destination was Whistler B.C. It was a good choice since most of my classmates still live in our hometown (Lynden) just miles from the Canadian border. Since I live in the Southwest corner of Washington, I drove up the night before we were to leave and spent the night at my friend Kathi’s home.

That day happened to be her actual birthday. Instead of handing me the remote control to the TV for the evening, Kathi and her husband Jeff whisked me away to a special dinner party in her honor. It was a semi-formal affair. I always love an excuse to dress up! The setting for the evening was this beautiful home with covered/heated patio. (an absolute must in the Northwest) The table decor, the food, the hosts… everything about this evening was top notch!

This IS a fashion blog, so on to the fashion. A good blogger would be well prepared. I didn’t think about blogging about this event until AFTER the fact. A big thanks to other guests who helped me fill in the gaps.

Black was the color of the evening as expected. It truly depicts a semi-formal event. Here is Kathi, the birthday girl, and Stacy, one of the hostesses. Both looked stunning in black.

Kathi’s sister, Tami decided to go with a great neutral color. I LOVE this dress. Her shoes were “cut” off but you’ll see those later–a find from Target last season.

I also broke the black mold and went with a dark red dress I’ve had for years. I tried to make it look different with the pearls/brooch.

NOTE: I get asked frequently about the variety of ways I wear pearls. I promise a video is coming. In this photo it looks like I have a lightweight “coat” of some sort with sleeves. It is actually just a larger scarf used as a wrap! Many women feel uncomfortable about their arms in a sleeveless dress. This is a nice solution. It also can drape across the middle hiding more flaws. Ok, I know–another video!

My shoes were from Van Eli ordered last minute. Thank goodness for 24 service because when I went to put on the shoes I orginally wore with this dress, I could not get my foot in them. These are size 6.5 WW. Horrors! I love a high heel, but I have to say my feet did not hurt all night.

Jordan and Jana. She had the same idea with a wrap and it looked beautiful with her dress! Nice to see the guys get dressed up too.

Randy and Janice, our wonderful hosts for the evening in their beautiful GREEN yard. There are some advantages to all the rain! Janice spent most of the night serving all of us so she went a little less formal. I thought she made the perfect choice with the fabric, style and I LOVED the blue.

Dan and Marla finally had a minute to pose for a photo after spending most of the night in the kitchen preparing the delicious food. Marla’s dress is one of my favorite shades of green and it complemented her hair and eyes beautifully.

Kathi has on a super cute gray cardigan with black lace which was necessary as the evening cooled off. She admitted that her husband thought it looked a little like a “grandma sweater” and not to wear it. I quickly vetoed that idea and told her to take it along! Her husband is not alone in this mindset. I run into that often–even from my own husband. I realize I’m a biased cardigan fanatic, but this was the right choice Kathi. It’s all in how you wear it!

As the evening went on, it was time to put up the feet and take a rest from hours in “killer” heels which we all know look fabulous (but don’t always feel that way.)

A good time was had by all. I’m so glad I was able to part of this special evening.

Coming up Tomorrow: Part 2 from the Whistler Weekend with Eddie Bauer Store Review