Hey, Tam, can you get the lowdown on this ball from others who've been there in the past, to get a sense of what's considered appropriate?

Since it's a work function, it seems important to maintain some kind of professional stance -- as opposed to, say, if you were going to a fancy wedding or the Oscars.

Here are my thoughts on the dress itself. There is no doubt it's hot on you, but in this case I'm wondering if it might be a little *too* hot? [Congratulations, Tam --- you're too hot. In the grand scheme of problems, not a bad one to have ;) ] Being short, strapless, and a siren color, it might be over the top for a work event. I would suggest a dress that incorporates one of those elements rather than all three.

As far as dressing it down, I will be interested to hear Angie's view but to my eye this dress seems too far down the formal spectrum to balance out with denim, if that makes sense.

Having said all that, formal wear is way out of my league and will now cede the floor to others with more experience. Shiny - this seems like something you would know about?

I have to agree with April about balancing the work function with the hotness of the dress (what a problem to have!), but I'm no good at selecting appropriate formal wear at all. I don't think I've picked correctly for a party yet, and my MIL has on her walls all the pictures to prove it! LOL.

Wow, you look great. I think the dress is beautiful on its own, and dresses down very well in the other pictures.
On the other hand, as others have pointed out, since this is a work function, this might be a bit too revealing.
Have you tried the dress with black hose and black shoes? It was a really popular look this winter in the US and if your ball is going to be in the winter as well, perhaps it might work. My sense is that with bare skin, you have to show one at a time, either legs, or shoulders, or the back but not all together.

ETA:
This is what I had in mind:
http://images.teamsugar.com/fi.....abrits.jpg

Whoa. You look hot, hot, hot.

What's the fabric of the dress, Tam? I think that will play out in some of these questions.

I like the idea of the tights as posted by Bella. But without that, I think you would need to go a bit longer for a work event.

Wow! I LOVE the outfit with the jeans, jacket and thong sandals! It gets a big fat 10 = KILLER. In fact, you launched me INTO ORBIT. I want that grey jacket!

You look superb in strapless styles, Tam. You have the perfect shoulder line to carry off that look. If the dress were just above the knee, you’d be in business. Even with hose, this dress will be really short when you sit down. But lets see it with opaque tights anyway :0)

I LOVE this dress...but not for the event you describe :( I think you should get it anyway though. It looks great with the jacket and jeans and functions well as a tunic. Sometimes that happens...you're looking for one thing and find something else that isn't quite right, but still works on another level...

Anyway, I think for the function you're describing, I would look for something *just* like this dress but longer. The straplessness is totally fine and you pull it off very well.

Wow you look fantastic in the strapless style. I think that this dress is too short on it's own, but love it with jeans and those silver sandals. You are a knockout!

Smashing!!! Love the last outfit.

I think you look great in this style, Tam, and I hope you can find another killer strapless dress. I'm with Bella, I think it looks great when a dress shows only one bare part, but not everything at once.

Like Angie says, you have the shoulders for strapless, so I would take advantage of that! Can you find a similar one, but floor length? You can totally pull of that style of dress.

Thanks for the honest feedback everyone. I will try pairing it with tights and see if that looks more acceptable. I also found having my hair down felt less revealing too, but perhaps I was imagining it!!! If I could find a slightly longer version in a similar style I would snap it up toot-sweet. Do you think I should hold onto this one in case I don't? The material is a synthetic blend I think. It felt dressy, but dress downable to me too. Hmmm, I need to think about this one!!

Keep, keep, keep! I agree with everyone that it might a bit short for a work function, even with tights. But with the jeans and with or without the jacket, you look smokin'!!

I do not have much to add other than the color is so perfect for you. I like it with jeans and think it may work with opaque tights. Loving the jacket!!!

I LOVE the outfits with jeans and jacket. Amazing! You look so good in just the dress too, but I think you're a little too smokin' in that outfit. You might cause an accident! :)

Could you possibly put together an appropriate outfit for your event using this dress but styling in a way similar to your jeans/jacket photo? What if you wore it with slim pants in a dressy fabric,say grey silk or velvet, heels and add a jacket also in a dressy fabric and pearls?

Yublocka, even with tights, I'm afraid this isn't going to be appropriate for the work function. I think it is simply too short for work. For a fun night out with your girlfriends or SO? Absolutely! But not for work. I think you need something knee length. This dress would be perfect if only it were knee length. Grrr!

But I *love* it with the jeans and the jacket. I would never have thought to pair it that way. You are so clever!

Hmmmm.... I did see something last holiday season about this thing.. it is like a slip or rather, a long tu-tu, that you put underneath a short dress like this, to repurpose it so you can wear your dress to more than one occasion. Of course I will never be able to find that link again. I remember thinking it was a clever idea. Maybe I saw it on Lucky?

Here you go - it's something like this. But $300 is too much! Still, you get the idea...

http://stylematters.us/2009/01.....-your-lbd/