Every year, as fall approaches, I realize I haven’t worn all my summer dresses. I raced to squeeze in a few of them recently.
For a nonprofit organization’s cocktail party and dinner, I wore a JC de Castelbajac dress that I bought in Paris in 2013.
What Wendy Wore
Dress (with pockets!): JC de Castelbajac (2013)
Shoes: Prada (2010)
Purse: Louis Vuitton Alma in Epi (2001)
I’m sad that the Castelbajac store in Paris closed. The one in London closed a while ago. I browse Castelbajac designs online, but, for me, it’s not the same as trying on everything in the store. I would never have bought this dress online. I almost passed it up in the store but as I was paying for another purchase, I said, “I have to try that one on.” And I loved it. Here’s a now-and-then photo of it. I’m wearing the same shoes both times!
Click for the 2013 post.
For a family dinner, I wore my lip-print Prada dress from 2012.
What Wendy Wore
Dress: Prada (2012)
Shoes: Prada (possibly 2004)
Purse: Louis Vuitton Alma in Epi (2001)
My designing friend Stacy Lomman has been helping me organize my closet. The new shoe rack she chose for me put those satin shoes in easy reach so I wore them for the first time in ages. I am guessing that I got them in 2004, because I have a vague memory of wearing them with my sex-ay Pilgrim dress to the Committee to Protect Journalists dinner that year. Thanks to Stacy, my “repeat offender” collage isn’t a total repeat — different black shoes!
Click for original post.
My other designing friend, Zang Toi, had his Spring 2017 runway show last week. I was naughty and didn’t wear one of my Zang dresses because I was so determined to wear my Castelbajac Lego outfit somewhere.
What Wendy Wore
Dress: JC de Castelbajac (2009, Paris)
Shoes: JC de Castelbajac (2009, London)
Purse: Louis Vuitton Alma in Epi (2001)
The dress hasn’t faded since 2009. That’s just the lighting.
Click for my 2009 post about the shoes, which were my first Castelbajac purchase.
Zang’s show was beautiful, as usual.
Finally, I wanted to wear a dress to the closing performance of Fun Home on Broadway on September 10, but the high temperature was 90° that day. Instead, I wore a top that I hadn’t worn this summer, with the black Castelbajac shorts that I wear all the time.
What Wendy Wore
Top: Kelly Wearstler (2012)
Shorts: JC de Castelbajac (2013)
Shoes: Prada (pre-2007)
Purse: Louis Vuitton Alma in Epi (2001)
I’m sad that Fun Home closed, but it was thrilling and emotional to be there on the last night. The musical — based on a memoir by cartoonist Alison Bechdel — was a big winner at the 2015 Tonys, so I expected it to run for years and years. When I read that it was closing, I hustled to get tickets and deliberately chose that final show.
When we arrived, I realized that MrB and I were among the very few audience members who hadn’t already seen the play multiple times. (The superfans were all wearing their merch from past performances.) I also realized that I had never discussed the topic of the play with MrB. It was such a hit that I assumed he’d read the reviews, so I had simply told him we had the tickets and what date they were for. It finally dawned on me that he wasn’t familiar with the plot when we had this conversation on the way into the theater:
MrB: Wow! This audience is nearly 100% women.
WendyB: …..
WendyB: …..
WendyB: You do know that this is a lesbian’s coming-out story, right?
Sheesh! Why do we get the New York Times AND the New Yorker AND the Atlantic in print if you’re not going to read the theater reviews? Anyway, MrB loved the play, but if I had known he had no clue, I would have made sure he brought more Kleenex. MrB always cries at the sad parts!
Fun Home is going on a national tour starting next month and if you have the opportunity, I highly recommend that you see it. (It’s very, very funny as well as sad, but do bring the tissues.) If you can’t catch a performance — or even if you can — you should read Bechdel’s “tragicomic” in its original book form.
Click to purchase on Amazon.
Oh, did I mention Alison Bechdel herself was there for the last Broadway performance? Seriously, if you can’t go to a play’s opening night, the final night is equally exciting.
I enjoyed Fun Home when I randomly selected it out of my library many years ago. I had no idea what it was about either! I do love a collective fashion post of yours, as well. Oh Mr B!! Crying at the sad parts. I’m a crier, too. I go from zero to ugly cry at the drop of an emotional hat 😉
MrB has cried at commercials! :-O