Tuesday, February 23 2010 ⇄
Costume de Rigeur aka White Tie Alton Brown is, spiritually at least, my father. I hate a unitasker in my wardrobe. The other thing I dislike is having my ass in a sling: last minute shopping for something you must have almost always leaves me salty, and with an item I’m not crazy about. So, it was with some hesitation that I donned costume de rigueur, also known as white tie, to attend a Mardi Gras ball. White tie, for the unaware, it’s a black tailcoat and pants, white vest, white tie, pique’ shirt, button covers or studs, and black patent shoes. More capable writers have tackled the subject of the thrifting philosophy: (An Affordable Wardrobe or PTO) keep your eyes peeled for what you want/need, regardless of the season. Thrift turnover is high, but quality can be much better than what you’d buy new in a pinch. My hackles were raised when I had to go to a rental shop to get some of my accoutrement; as anyone who’s stepped foot in a formal wear rental shop knows, those suits come made of polyester so dense that they can withstand a decade’s worth of prom night grinding.  I was lucky enough to borrow the coat, vest, tie, and adjust-a-belt pants from one of K’s family members, but the other items were things I needed to pick up the day of the ball. And here we arrive at peeve numero dos: ass in a sling. I chose to buy a shirt and used shoes because renting just seems like throwing money away. Well, turns out I had to throw money away on some items that I’ll never wear again anyway. Costume de rigeuer specifies a pique’ finish on a wing collared shirt. The only shirt options I could find on short notice and in my price range were 100% poly. Sure, if I’d had my druthers I’d be at Brooks Brothers picking one up, but I’m not sure if I’ll go to another ball, and full retail seems like a lot to sink into a unitasker. If only I had kept my eyes peeled at the thrift throughout the year! The same drama unfolded with the shoes. I’ve been eyeballing those sweet velvet loafers from Stubbs and Wootton and curiously femme evening shoes at Brooks Brothers, but never thought of buying a pair new. I probably wasn’t the kindest shopper at the rental counter, but I wanted to see a few different shoe options to obtain the least scuffed pair. The pair I ended up with violate rule numero uno; they’re so flimsy and odd as to only be suitable for the dark, drunken confines of a large party. After buying the shitty pair of shoes in unidentifiable material from the rental shop, I started scouring the thrifts. The thrifting gods smiled down upon me, and I found a pair of Cole Haan formal pumps, used, for the same price that I paid for the mystery shoes. Unfortunately, after wearing them around the house, they seem a half-size too small. I’m unloading them on ebay in the hopes of trading up to a pair that’s a tad larger. So, I’ve been kvetching a lot, but I don’t want any of this to reflect on the actual experience inside the ball. Also, I’m sure many of you out there would long to see an occasion in our loosey-goosey society where people absolutely must adhere to a strict dress code or be denied entry. Despite the hassle, I can respect the overall effect of uniformity and tradition. And in the future, I’m definitely going to keep my eyes peeled when thrifting and my eBay alerts set to look for any clothing items that may fit white tie and I suggest you do the same.

Costume de Rigeur aka White Tie

Alton Brown is, spiritually at least, my father. I hate a unitasker in my wardrobe. The other thing I dislike is having my ass in a sling: last minute shopping for something you must have almost always leaves me salty, and with an item I’m not crazy about. So, it was with some hesitation that I donned costume de rigueur, also known as white tie, to attend a Mardi Gras ball. White tie, for the unaware, it’s a black tailcoat and pants, white vest, white tie, pique’ shirt, button covers or studs, and black patent shoes.

More capable writers have tackled the subject of the thrifting philosophy: (An Affordable Wardrobe or PTO) keep your eyes peeled for what you want/need, regardless of the season. Thrift turnover is high, but quality can be much better than what you’d buy new in a pinch. My hackles were raised when I had to go to a rental shop to get some of my accoutrement; as anyone who’s stepped foot in a formal wear rental shop knows, those suits come made of polyester so dense that they can withstand a decade’s worth of prom night grinding.  I was lucky enough to borrow the coat, vest, tie, and adjust-a-belt pants from one of K’s family members, but the other items were things I needed to pick up the day of the ball. And here we arrive at peeve numero dos: ass in a sling.

I chose to buy a shirt and used shoes because renting just seems like throwing money away. Well, turns out I had to throw money away on some items that I’ll never wear again anyway. Costume de rigeuer specifies a pique’ finish on a wing collared shirt. The only shirt options I could find on short notice and in my price range were 100% poly. Sure, if I’d had my druthers I’d be at Brooks Brothers picking one up, but I’m not sure if I’ll go to another ball, and full retail seems like a lot to sink into a unitasker. If only I had kept my eyes peeled at the thrift throughout the year!

The same drama unfolded with the shoes. I’ve been eyeballing those sweet velvet loafers from Stubbs and Wootton and curiously femme evening shoes at Brooks Brothers, but never thought of buying a pair new. I probably wasn’t the kindest shopper at the rental counter, but I wanted to see a few different shoe options to obtain the least scuffed pair. The pair I ended up with violate rule numero uno; they’re so flimsy and odd as to only be suitable for the dark, drunken confines of a large party. After buying the shitty pair of shoes in unidentifiable material from the rental shop, I started scouring the thrifts. The thrifting gods smiled down upon me, and I found a pair of Cole Haan formal pumps, used, for the same price that I paid for the mystery shoes. Unfortunately, after wearing them around the house, they seem a half-size too small. I’m unloading them on ebay in the hopes of trading up to a pair that’s a tad larger.

So, I’ve been kvetching a lot, but I don’t want any of this to reflect on the actual experience inside the ball. Also, I’m sure many of you out there would long to see an occasion in our loosey-goosey society where people absolutely must adhere to a strict dress code or be denied entry. Despite the hassle, I can respect the overall effect of uniformity and tradition. And in the future, I’m definitely going to keep my eyes peeled when thrifting and my eBay alerts set to look for any clothing items that may fit white tie and I suggest you do the same.

Filed ↓ style dressing up events mardi gras
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Monday, February 8 2010 ⇄

photo source: nytimes.com

Wow, what a great victory for the Saints today. I’m really excited that the Saints won. I can only imagine that this’ll add to and push the Mardi Gras festivities over the edge—I can’t wait.

It’s late and I’m packing up for the long trip to New Orleans tomorrow. The posts over the next week might be sporadic because of the travel but I’ll try to stay on top of the scene and keep posting. You might even see a few photos of me in tails.

Filed ↓ mardi gras travel
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