Fashionably late to the YLF Ball! 1

I've been thinking a while about this question & was at a loss, since I've never had to attend a formal western event before. And then it hit me - why not wear something that honours my heritage a little but just with a few tweaks? So this is what I envisioned:

For those of you who don't know my style, I really love colour! So I'd have to wear something saturated (but not too bright or neon), even though it's a formal event. Ideally I'd wear this red dress [photo #1] but with a few modifications (like maybe in a royal purple instead [photo #7] & with some more detailing on the cuffs & hem (see photo #4 to see what I mean).

I'd choose accessories that aren't the same colour as the dress, but that contrast tastefully (I love turquoise, for example [photo #2] , but I'd still include some gold to tie it into the detailing on the dress [photo #3]). I wouldn't usually wear ankle tie pumps but my fairy godmother can find a way to make it look leg elongating on me (plus the floor length dress should cover it anyway, lol).

Anyway, the final touches would be a long coat with a mandarin collar to keep me warm before I arrive [photo #5], & a fairy godmother who knows how to tease my natural curls into a soft, flowy, romantic look (I'm still getting used to having it so short, so I don't know how to style it formally yet lol)! Finish off with a cat eye & red lip (or maybe smokey eyes [photo #8], since my fairy godmother will know how to make it look good even if I don't), and I'm good to go!

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6 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

Your ideas sound great, and I 'm sure you will look lovely. As far as I know, the ball isn't over yet, so you're welcome.

You made me a little curious about your heritage (paragraph 1), but you don't need to say more about it unless you want to. Anyway, it's so good to see bright and bold colours!

rachylou

Oh the blues! I love the blues!!!

Zaeobi

(website)

@The Cat I'm Pakistani, so we usually wear shalwar kameez with a long Tunic and trousers (shown here). But since the current fashion is to wear a very long tunic, I just thought I'd wear a floor length one so that it would resemble a western gown, lol

The long length coupled with a high neck may also give it a slight Arab appearance (like an abaya), but I recently cut my hair to above my neck, so I'm hoping it would look flattering that way!
(Pictures here, if you're interested:
https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....ength-hair )

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Angie

Fashion Stylist

Gorgeous. LOVE the turquoise shoes with the red dress.

Joy

I love all the things and outfits you have shown. They make a lovely formal outfit.

SarahD8

Really lovely! Perfect balance between a nod to where you come from, and going your own way.

Zaeobi, thank you for answering. Nice to know that there is at least one Pakistani here. I hope too see many more nationalities represented. It is very interesting to see how people from various cultures dress. I like your solution of wearing a floor length tunic as a ball gown, and enjoy looking at the bright and bold colours.

Thanks for the feedback - don't think I could ever give up colours, even in a formal context lol!

Beth Ann

What beautiful gowns! I think all the best balls are made richer but an international flavor! And color is one of the best ways to add a celebratory spirit to an outfit!

Stagiaire Fash

So the first dress, but in the colors of the fourth pic with the topper from the last one? That would be sumptuous. I like the detail of teal shoes too.
What about having your fairy godmother beautician sweep your hair into an updo, like a pile of messy-dressy curls? Maybe like one of these http://www.latest-hairstyles.c.....dos.html#8 http://www.latest-hairstyles.c.....os.html#11

Thank you, @Beth Ann!

@FashIntern maybe I wasn't clear enough, sorry lol! I'm attaching photos below to clarify:

I would prefer the style of dress #1 here, but with:
~ more cuff & hem detailing [photo #2]
~ a royal purple colour [photo #3]
~ a mandarin collar topper [photo #4]

Hope that clears things up!

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Emily K

The dresses you've chosen appear to do a good job of finding the middle ground between conventional ball attire and ethnic flair. My in-laws are Pakistani, so I have this same (well, sorta mirror) issue with trying to find dressy clothing that represents my ideals of Western flattery while, at the same time, appearing appropriate to the relatives. As long as my MIL was alive, I was the big loser in that she'd expect me to wear outfits that she'd bought years ago in Pakistan--sometimes lovely, but never representative of my taste. If I have to dress-up again for a family event or whatever, I think I'll wear a tunic and pants of my choice to emulate the shalwar kameez vibe. Or maybe a dress similar to what you've shown, here.

Lol @Emily K actually these are all shalwar kameez, but the tunic is so long that it touches the ground (so it looks like a dress/ gown). I'm just lucky that really long kameez are trendy at this time - in the past, I would often be wearing shalwar kameezes that were out of trend because I'd only go back every few years to buy them, haha.

Bijou

So beautiful. I do love the yellow abaya too! You will look stunning in these colours and fairy godmothers grant all wishes for the YLF Ball.

@EmilyK also sorry if the way I wrote my earlier comment sounded like I was laughing at you - that wasn't my intention! The 'lol' was because of how the shalwar kameez looks like a faux gown, but then that comment altogether was directed at you, hence the @. Anyway, just thought I'd clear that up.

Hey, no problem! I didn't take offense at all. The proportions of Shalwar Kameez seem to be in a funny place right now--soooo long! I'm always hopelessly out of fashion when I dress in Pakistani clothes because a) my inlaws want to see something different (and fancy) each time b) I'm always trying to buy on a budget and and I am terrible at haggling with the sales people so I pay, like, 10X too much and I don't have an India Town super close so I have to get something on the one visit I make or c) I'm wearing a 75-year-old's hand-me-downs. O_O It's pretty tragic.

Haha don't worry, I understand the struggle all too well - to be honest it creates so much waste to have to wear a new shalwar kameez every time, because even though they are technically a three piece outfit, it's not like western outfits where you can just mix & match a pair of jeans with different tops & call it a day. Imagine trying to do a 30x30 challenge with shalwar kameez - I once tried to pack one dupatta (scarf) & the same shalwar (trousers) for two outfits & my mother wasn't having any of it, lol!

The most frustrating part is when you wear an outfit to a family gathering or wedding & then have to keep track of who you've worn it in front of before, & whether they (or their family) will be present at the next event if you want to rewear it then. Luckily nobody knows me in Hong Kong though, so I've just decided to mix and match my kameezes with my normal wardrobe, so no one will be any the wiser (I use my scarves & leggings - I suppose the one advantage of the new long length kameez is that I don't need to wear bulky shalwar underneath them anymore, haha)

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