Girly is not really a word used to describe me.
My daily uniform is jeans, a t-shirt and flip flops. I don’t own a curling iron and my make-up bag contains only chap stick. Skirts and heals are only worn when an invitation requires them.
It’s a challenge for me to prepare for formal events. It’s difficult to envision myself in a fancy dress with 5 inch heals and my hair and make-up done. So when I get an invitation to be a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding, or when I’m invited to be my husband’s date to the Grammy’s, I get a feeling of excitement, followed immediately by a feeling of anxiety. Later, usually while shopping, the dread and the frustration kick in.
That photo at the top was taken in the back of a limo on our way to the red carpet at the Grammy’s in Feb. 2010. (If you’re new to the blog, you should know that my husband, Nick Landis, serves on the Board of Governors for the Recording Academy.) It took months of preparation and two professionals to get to that point. We’re headed to the Grammy’s again this year, and of course, it’s taking me a lot of time to prepare.
Also, one of my best friends, Daisy Hui, is getting married this spring. She chose a lovely bridesmaid’s dress, which needed to be fitted, ordered and accessorized. More shopping.
At this point, you’re probably asking yourself, “This is a photo blog, where are the photos?” Well, during my awkward adventures in to the land of glitter and make-up, I thought I’d take a few cell phone photos to document my journey.
First things first, I needed a Grammy dress. You should know that I’m very particular. By particular I mean a pain to shop with because I don’t know exactly what I want until I see it. I would describe myself as classic, sort of like Audry Hepburn. Most of my friends and anyone who’s shopped with me would describe me as boring and not willing to try on anything outrageous. Anyway, here’s what I came up with for this year…
While we’re on dresses, I snapped these two shots while trying on the bridesmaid’s dress.
Next I needed shoes. I’m still battling with this one, but here are the pictures…
Now for the hardest part – the make-up. I know nothing about make-up except what I learned from growing up as a ballet dancer. Stage make-up isn’t socially acceptable while off stage. Learned that one the hard way.
All of this girly-ness makes me tired. I don’t know how people do it. If you have any tips to make things easier, please let me know.
In the mean time, I’ll be trudging through patent leather and blush to figure out what the heck I’m doing, and I’ll try to snap a few photos along the way.
2 Comments