what i'll be wearing...maybe
Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 9:26AM 
"Choose me! Choose me!" say the clothes in my New York closet. On Wednesday evening Mediabistro, a website for journalists and media professionals, is throwing a cocktail party in New York to celebrate Mating Rituals of the North American WASP. I've spent the past day or two debating what to wear, mentally outfitting myself like a real live paper doll in various looks from my closet.
This is nothing new. Whenever I'm lucky enough to be asked to do a reading or speech, I spend more time considering my ensemble than I do rehearsing said reading or speech. (The performance part is by now second nature, and fashion is much more fun to think about.) Mating Rituals is getting more attention than my last novel did, resulting in more public-appearance invitations.
I'm thrilled, for sure. But I can't buy a new outfit for every occasion, alas, and there are only so many things I own. White dress? Nah, wore that already. Silk pants? Wore those too. Ditto the skinny pantsuit, the asymmetrical Tippi Hedren sheath, and the slinky maxi dress from 1975, silk jersey with an insane psychedlic pattern...waaaaait a minute.
Yes, this. This is what I want to wear. Okay, so I wore it to a reading already. A reading in New York attended by some of the people who will also be coming to the party. (In fact, check out the original debate over my wearing this dress to the reading at friend/fellow author Brenda Janowitz's blog.)
But here is the dress—comfortable and actually pretty casual:
It is so Poolside Cocktails in Palm Beach, is it not?
(Yes, by the way, this is what a typical New York City kitchen looks like. It is the size of a normal American closet. Luckily I don't cook much.)
Here is the neckline in detail:
And I might wear it with these flat sandals, which are more subtle in real life than they appear here:
So now I'm opening up the discussion. Does it matter that I've worn this dress before? Will anyone remember? Will anyone care? What are your thoughts on universal healthcare? How about the Sotomayor confirmation hearings? How will this situation in Iran ever be resolved?
Over to you...
Reader Comments (2)
People who care (what you wear) don't matter, and people who matter don't care. Yikes! I'm quoting my mother! Wear what makes you feel and look good.
Your New York kitchen looks A LOT cleaner than most.
Nobody will remember, they'll be wondering if you remember what they are wearing. I wore a fifteen year old Ghost top to a party yesterday and my own husband thought it was a recent purchase.