Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

What Wendy Wore: Blanche Devereaux Does New York

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For a number of years, I’ve celebrated my December 23 birthday with friends on New Year’s Eve. On my actual birthday, I have dinner with the family. This year, for the family dinner, I wanted to wear the L’Wren Scott sequined pants that I last wore in July 2009, just because they were past due for another outing.

2009. Click for original post.

I paired the pants with a turtleneck with cut-out shoulders. When I looked at this combination in the mirror, I thought it was a bit reminiscent of something the Golden Girls would wear if they were told to dress like New Yorkers. Like, sex-ay Southern belle Blanche Devereaux might choose this outfit if she was forced to wear nothing but black. I wore it anyway.

What Wendy Wore
Top: Random sweater from eBay (old)
Pants: L’Wren Scott (2008)
Shoes: Satin Prada pumps (old)
Ring: My own onyx skull ring
Lip color: The usual

I was weirded out by a woman who blatantly stared at my outfit in the lobby of the restaurant. She even signaled her husband to look at me. Then she resumed looking me up and down with a disapproving expression on her face. Now, if I’m wearing something like this, this or this, I expect and, in fact, invite stares and laughter.

You only wear a dress like this if you want people to stare.

But I admit that I get the creeps when I see people staring at clothing that isn’t insane but just pretty or even “meh” (I definitely felt “meh” about the birthday outfit). WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY LOOKING AT?! Next time, I swear I’m going to walk up to the peeping peeps and say, “Wassup?”

Then they can tell me openly that they think my outfit is more Dorothy Zbornak than Blanche. It’s better to confront bad news like that head on!

UPDATED TO ADD: I should note that there were a lot of black sequins going on that night — it was the holidays and it’s a black-sequin kind of place anyway — so I wasn’t excessively shiny. And I personally gawked at a blonde in head-to-toe black spandex with a string of twinkling Christmas lights around her neck, but that was admiration. I’m in favor of light-up outfits.

UPDATED AGAIN TO ADD: I wore a backless gold sequin dress to the same restaurant on December 23, 2009. Maybe the woman was thinking, “She looked so much better last year”?

UPDATED YET AGAIN TO ADD: Commenters Lisadom and StefM are correct: this outfit is much more Fran Drescher in The Nanny than Golden Girls-gone-urban. That’s why the woman was staring at me! She could tell I had my sitcoms totally confused!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Oh non … 2011 and we have one Golden Girl left. And we lost one every year since 2008… poor Betty White.

    As for that woman, I guess she was just blinded by the light glance off your sparkly pants! No matter; you had zazz that night madame !

  2. Really? Someone was weirded out by that outfit? It’s actually relatively conservative, so I don’t know what’s with her drama. They say NYE is amateur night, I guess she doesn’t get out much.

    • I thought it was very conservative! I mean, really, Golden Girls material. Whenever I catch someone staring at a not-so-interesting outfit, I get very worried that I have toilet paper on me somewhere.

  3. Come now, you look totally great. Hardly conservative 🙂 I bet that bitch was merely dazzled by your magnificence. BTW how spot on is my anti-spam word given that Japanese scientists have now produced artificial palladium. Oh the synchronicity.

  7. It was the shoulder action! She thought you had arm warmers on!!

    I can see your blog – it does take a bit longer to load, maybe for the first time only xx

  8. Wendy, I need those sequin pants right now, I swear they match with everything, that, and your onyx skull ring: DELICIOUS :))

    Enjoy your day dear

    XOXO
    J

  10. There is no shame in channeling Blanche. I’ve attempted it myself…with red sequins. The effect wasn’t quite as chic. HAHA!

  11. I love it! (Ok, so I especially love the “You Can Dress Me Up…” dress.) But your birthday look is very Emma Peele, two thumbs up!

    How dare someone give you the stink eye! It’s not like you showed up in sweatpants.

  12. Yes!! Cut-out shoulders!! Loving that top…very Blanche and also very 90’s Cher!

    And as for that lady…psssss..she’s just jealous because she doesn’t have a cut-out shoulder top!

    Happy Belated!

  13. Maybe she was telling the hubs the sequined pants she bought once but never had the courage to wear DOES look good after all. You looked gorgeous that night. Anyone would turn their heads to look.

    I didn’t get the chance to wish you happy birthday – Happy Belated Birthday! And a happy new year. Too much things going on on my end, I have difficulty remembering my own name =).

    • That reminds me, I’ve heard stories about people going out in clothes they got in consignment stores and bumping into their original owners! That would definitely warrant a stare: “Look! She’s wearing my old clothes!”

  15. Happy belated! And I’m a little surprised you didn’t just walk up to that lady and punch her lights out. Or, at least, tweak her nose …

    • I really do feel like I want to say something shockingly friendly to peepers from now on. Like, “Hi! How are you? Having a good holiday? You look nice!” Just to let them know they’re not being subtle in their attentions!

      Of course, if they’re staring at me because I’m wearing a dress that looks like a giant dollar bill, that’s another story. They’re allowed to stare at that.

  16. I can really relate to my “lilmonster” anti-spam word today. And anyone giving those fabulous sequin pants a stinkeye is crazy, and obviously doesn’t understand cut-out shoulder shirts! Happy belated birthday!

  17. Those pants look fabulous on you, please teach me your ways! I’m not quite at the point in my fashion journey (that sounds sort of lame) where I’m comfortable pulling them off.

    • As I tell people who worry about graduating to big jewelry, bright colors, whatever…just throw it on and go out the door. That’s all you have to do. Get out the door. Enjoy the compliments and … even the side-eyes! Really, the worst people can do is look you up and down (which gives you something to gossip/blog about). They’re too scared to come up and say anything negative. They’re not going to make a citizen’s arrest on behalf of the fashion police. Be the belle of the ball, not a wallflower!

      I’ve met a lot of nice new people wearing “conversation piece” items. Gives people an excuse to come up and chit-chat.

  20. I have found that some people have “no cognitive face composure order.” As in, their face does not actually reflect what they’re saying or thinking. There have been several times I have been performing, and was sure the person was hating it b/c of their facial expression, and they come find me later and swoon about the experience. So, go fig 🙂

  21. Hi there-can’t believe how ignorant some people are, she could only be jealous because you look totally stunning in this ensemble, the pants were a fabulous buy (as were all our purchases that day!) and the top is just gorgeous, I need one like it too! xx

  23. Ha ha!!! What if that same woman really was there last year? Love all of the sequins. Can’t wait for the opportunity to wear my gold sequin number!!!

  25. I liked the outfit – and yeah, it’s not at startling as some of your others, but you look great, and it looks great on you.

    There could only be two reasons why she was staring at you….
    1. She was totally jealous of you.
    2. You had a tail of toilet paper coming out from your pants and she was too much of a bitch to tell you

    • The second option is always my concern. If I see someone staring but don’t know a good reason for it, I can’t help but look around for toilet paper or some other horrible thing.

  26. wendyb,

    i am so sorry i missed your post where you showed all your casual outfits! i liked it a lot! you have great casual style … but your dress up style is my fave. can i borrow those sequin pants for my sorority formal? i will surely attract lots of stares. 😉

    lexie

    • See? I told ya I wasn’t too exciting in my everyday life!

      I love the idea of pants for formal wear, by the way. Especially at an event where you can count on EVERYONE being in dresses. That’s the kind of staring I enjoy.

      In the summer, I went to a party at a place — that shall be nameless — where I knew all the women were going to be in short and tight Herve Leger bandage-type dresses. I deliberately wore a flowing, long-sleeved, Ossie Clark maxi and enjoyed sticking out like a sore thumb!

  30. well happy belated birthday! and i love the pants! the whole outfit is cute! I CANNOT STAND WHEN SOMEBODY STARES AND STARES AND STARES DOES NOT GIVE A COMPLIMENT. we don’t all have to like the same clothes/outfits, and we also don’t have to stare and be obvious and make comments under our breath and be DICKS ABOUT IT! gar!

  36. I have a pair of black sequined pants that I bought at Chico’s (of all places!) this year. I call them my Minnelli pants. Big hit at the Holiday parties. Black fitted blazer and lots of mud flap cleavage!