Saturday Night Out with the Fireball-charm Necklace

Last Saturday night was "big night out" with husband and friends. We had planned to go to this fancy NY restaurant for weeks and I was really excited (also because that restaurant was my choice for Valentine's night, but we ended up cancelling and going to friends instead). Just so you understand what a big deal it was for me, let me say that the last time that we had dinner out without the baby was ... I don't even remember, but definitively before the holidays.

I don't know why but when it comes to dress up to go to fancy places I always end up wearing a very safe evening outfit (black pants and white shirt) or throwing on the first pair of jeans on hand with a tee (OK, embellished tee). And it's not like I have nothing to wear, my closet is full of clothes (not a lot of evening tops, it's true, but I can do better with what I have).
The problem is that I think only vaguely about what I'm going to wear days before, without trying anything on, and when it's time to actually get dressed I found out that the blouse that I had planned to wear has a stain from the last time (now I remember!), or that I don't have a nude bra to wear under that sheer top or that those fantastic pants that I've bought a while ago still need a hem done.
This time I wanted to make sure that I was going to have an outfit ready and avoid last-minute panic attacks in front of my open closet (and the babysitter). So I spent my daughter's nap time Friday afternoon choosing what I was going to wear.

The thing that I knew for sure was that I wanted to wear my new fireball-charm necklace. I bought it online a few weeks ago (it's now in stores too) and I simply LOVE it (it has a special "disco" vibe) but I can't wear it when my daughter is around because I'm sure that she's going to pull on the chain, that doesn't look very sturdy (if I have to find a default in the necklace is that the chain is so thin).
The goal that I had in mind when I bought the fireball-charm necklace (not that I need a goal to buy anything, but in this case I had one) was to lighten up the many simple ivory blouses and "luxe knit tops" that are hanging in my closet. But I also had in mind an ivory dress that I bought last summer and I had yet to wear.

The dress is a Theory silky stretch dress and as you can see in the first picture it is VERY short and the fabric makes my hips appear wider than what they are (it's the fabric):



Anon, if you're reading this, I still need a thicker bra ;-)



But it's a really stunning dress and I thought that wearing it with a long cardigan while it's still winter could be easier than the bare summer version:



I was a little bit worried about proportions. The cardigan and the dress are almost the same lenght but as far as the dress hem doesn't disappear under the cardi I think it's OK:



I could definitively wear this and I almost did, but the potential problem with this outfit was my husband. My husband likes me in pants more than in skirts/dresses (especially short ones) and there is nothing worst than your husband looking at you with ... pity (not to mention TELLING you that you don't look good) to ruin the excitement of an evening out.
The other problem was my girlfriend: she has nice clothes but her style is more tunic/blouse over jeans and I didn't want to appear over-dressed compared to her.

So I tried a more relaxed outfit. And yes, this outfit involves jeans but worn with pumps (which I never do for comfort reasons).
The top is from Theory again (bought along the dress) and I love this color. The fireball necklace gave it the exact amount of sparkling:






With the same cardigan I was ready to go:



I decided for this outfit. I was ready before the babysitter arrived, my husband approved, and we had a perfect evening out (my girlfriend showed up in jeans).

Do you prepare your outfit before going out?