Be Bold! Be Colorful!

GLAM SLAM

Maybe I was subconsciously influenced by Lupita Nyong’o and her stellar pick of rainbow brights during award show season. Because instead of the typical, safe black I normally wear, I went with not one, but TWO bright, bold dresses in the same week… one for the Oscars and one for a formal fundraising event for my daughter’s school.

The school gala was a “Clue” theme and I had no idea what to wear! I am one of the few people who have never played the classic game, so I truly had no clue about “Clue.” When I looked online, I saw a lot of kitchy Halloween type costumes so I started to get nervous about what I would wear.

Then, the school sent a Pinterest page for inspiration — thank goodness for that! There were lots of stylized, high fashion photos and the look they were going for was really more about color than costume. Color I can do. Only problem? My closet is full of basic black.

To the rescue? Our amazing wardrobe department, who arranged for me to borrow a dress from a PR house filled with row and rows of gowns. One of the first dresses I saw was a green dress with embellished top, low cut back and silk skirt, which was very flattering. The dress had a retro feel to it, which I loved. The color was perfect for the “Clue” theme. I tried on a few other dresses too, but my first instinct was right and I went with the emerald.

They were also nice enough to loan me a gown to wear to the Oscars. I was just going to wear a gown from my closet (in black, of course!). But they had a long version of the green dress… embellished top, silk skirt and yes, low cut back… in cobalt blue. The color was beautiful… and pushed me out of my all-black-all-the-time comfort zone- a good thing! (Both gowns are by Adrianna Papell, BTW).

Maybe it’s unusual to wear two such similar gowns, especially in one week. But I got lots of compliments and I say, ‘Hey, if you know you like something, go with it!’ The bottom line is, it’s all about feeling good about what you are wearing.

— Ryan Patterson