Thank you guys for helping me with what to wear! After I got home, I tried to look up the event to see if any photos had been posted and there weren't yet, but I did see that the dress code was "over-kill". I'm not sure what that means, but I don't think I really hit that mark! I did, however, feel really good, and very comfortable in my own skin (and thankful that I opted for the exposed lace bra instead of a cami). I also did a little extra on the smokey eye makeup. Not that I ever really need an excuse to add more smokey on the eyes... Every other woman that I saw, except two who looked remarkably underdressed, were much closer to the over-kill mark, in super tight, short, low cut things with sky high heels. Don't get me wrong, they looked beautiful! No judgement here - just awe. One woman walked in and held herself like a queen. It was like she floated around the room greeting others with kisses, and then someone perched her on the end of our sofa to have he best view in the place. She wore this silky looking thing that looked a little like a short robe in a beautiful blush color, over a black bra or body suit. Her hair was in a short pixie cut, and she held herself perfectly erect and crossed her legs just so, in her gold high heeled sandals. I am telling you, I think that she really was a queen, or at the very least a princess. That's the only explanation I can come up with.

Overall, I did find the men's outfits much more interesting and creative from a style standpoint. There was a cool guy in a baseball hat, with a sport coat, matching shorts and dressy sneakers. Another one had a professorial look, complete with a tweed jacket and old-school pipe. There were smart hats and suits in an assortment of colors. All of the men's shoes were cool, and there was more variety than the women's.

I had lots of time to observe all of the above because the show started an hour late. The venue was a small, urban art gallery - kind of grungy, but in a cool, artsy way. When I purchased the tickets today online, I decided to pay a little extra for VIP seating because I was worried about parking and afraid we might not have seats if we got there at the last minute. We wound up on this white sofa at the direct end of the "runway", which was perfect! In an art imitating life sort of way, the men's looks on the runway were so much more interesting than the women's. the women's clothes were pretty, but mostly just sexy, with accessories that took emphasis away from the clothing. On the other hand, I really loved some of the men's looks - avant-garde, draping, structure, zippers, neat details and intriguing fabrics...

Ethan was nervous going into the show. He was worried that he would be the only kid there (he was) and he was wearing all white, despite my encouragement to go darker. His new black harem pants are just too big for him, and he is currently having a shirt crisis, so his white outfit felt safe, yet stylish. And he did kind of blend in to the white sofa we were sitting on! While we were sitting there waiting for the show to begin, he was playing on his phone, but would look around when I pointed things out. The place began to fill with people and it became obvious that we were very much in the minority, racially (as in, it took a while to spot the three other white people in the room). I knew Ethan was sensitive to standing out, so I leaned over and asked him if he felt like we were in the minority. He asked me what that meant, so I said "that we are different from the majority of the people in the room". He looked around the room, looked back at me and said "I think we fit right in!" Can we dare to hope that the next generation might finally be color blind?!!

So after the show, I found the guy who invited us. He had been recruited into modeling by his brother at the last minute. He told me that his brother saw me sitting there during the show and thought I should be a model for his next show. I laughed and said "oh I am way too shy for that... and too old!" When we met the designer, he hugged me, then turned to Ethan and said "if I make some clothes that fit you, will you model in my next show in November?" It was all I could do to not burst out laughing! Me thinks my friend was tipsy and got his wires crossed. Or he was talking about Ethan in the first place and I mis-understood (which is SO embarrassing). I mean, we all know pear-shaped 45 year old models are not exactly the norm.

Ethan had a wonderful time! He was approached by everyone and complimented on his tattoos. A photographer got him to follow her on Instagram and then posted his photo as part of her story. She also had me send her the link to the temporary tattoos. I liked having Ethan around - he was the best conversation starter! So he did stand out after all, but it was in the best possible way.

Sorry to write a book, but this was such a different experience for me... so full of amazing impressions, experiences and delightful people! And of course, fashion.

Sorry... I didn't get any photos at the show - just one of Ethan on the couch and one of the gallery, but the lighting was dim...