Tennis Rehab

Last Monday I had a funny encounter with Nina Garcia that I couldn't wait to tell you about but then I got home and my mother in law called me (from Paris) with the alarming news of the Boston attacks. All of a sudden fashion and my outfit of the day seemed like a very unimportant thing to worry and talk about compared to the brutality of what had happened and I just didn't feel like blogging for a few days. Not to be preachy but I think the effect of this kind of event is to remind us that while we focus on our mundanities, things of an entire different nature are happening very close to us and we should take a moment to put things into perspective. What's a popback in the light of the Boston bombs?

I am back today not only because, as they say, "life goes on" but also because I have been planning this post and outfit for a long time, so I didn't want to miss the chance to blog about it now that the moment has finally come to wear it (maybe, if the weather cooperates).
You might remember that a while ago I bought the JCrew :tennis" dress on super-duper sale with the intention of wearing it at my daughter's school Spring Benefit. You might also remember that the plan was to take the dress to the tailor and have the skirt taken in as it was a bit too poufy and big for my taste. This is how it looked:



Well, the school benefit is tonight and for some kind of miracle I didn't forget to take the dress to the tailor early enough to have it ready for the event, so I wanted to update you on the outcome and show you the outfit that I am going to wear (if it doesn't start to pour). This is something that my friend DaniBP would call "frock rehab" (hence the title of this post, which is a wink at Dani's blog. Dani, if you are reading I hope you don't mind!) with the difference that I paid for the alteration what she paid to have her dresses entirely relined in silk (more, actually). Oh well, at least I had paid very little for the dress.

So this is the dress after rehab. The poufiness of the skirt is gone and even if I would have wanted it a little bit more fitted at the waist (which is actually almost an imperial waist), I decided that it was too risky with this kind of fabric because it could create unflattering wrinkles. It is good enough!




While I was taking these pics I realized that I didn't have fancy navy shoes to wear with the dress, in fact I don't have navy evening shoes. As you can see I was wearing my navy Nine West, which are a knockoff of the Valentinas, but the heel is a little bit low and the un-shiny leather dresses down the dress a bit. So I decided to look for something dressier.
I went on Zappos (that Godsend of us last minute persons) and after much deliberation I ordered a pair of inexpensive Nina that had a bit of sparkle. They arrived and I was a bit disappointed: not only they are at least half a size too big in my regular size (I can't keep them on my feet) but they looked a bit "mumsy" on. Basically, not my style at all and while I could make them work for this specific occasion I don't want to keep a pair of shoes that I don't like per se (they are also a lighter navy blue than the trim of the dress):




They are kind of fun though and if the heel had been a bit higher and the style a bit sexier I would have kept them:



Even if I wanted it is too late to order another pair (even if Zappos has the fastest shipping on the planet, they can't make miracles) but there is a small boutique around here that sells Vince Camuto and I remembered seeing some kind of navy pumps. I was actually thinking of their patent sandals (a knockoff of the YSL Tribute) but they didn't come in navy. They had a pair of decently priced high heel patent pumps though and I thought I would bring them home and try them with the dress. The style is very similar to the NW/Valentinas but the heel is much higher (not a good thing in general but this is an exception). Granted, they don't make an enormous difference compared to the NW and they don't seem very comfortable but they are more party-appropriate, so I will decide at the last minute if it is worth to wear them:







If the shoes are a bit of a headache, the jacket is a no brainer, I am going to go with my navy "goes with everything" structured silk jacket by the Italian brand Violante, purchased at Searle a few years ago (a staple in my closet and probably one of the best fashion investment that I ever made):





As far as jewelry goes, I ordered the navy studded necklace from the factory website but I am not sure it will arrive in time. If not, I will go with a white pearl strand.

That's it. What do you think of this frock rehab? Do you think it was worth it? Which shoes do you think I should wear?
Please share!