A good dress can take you from 'sublime' to 'ridiculous' - no problem.

If you were one of the people who asked [a] if I'd decided to wear the outfit I picked out in my previous post and [b] if so, what did it look like on, then here's your answer. The only thing I added to the look was the leopard-spot cardigan. [Imagine the joy that particular item of clothing brings to a cold-blooded animal-print loving girl!] :

I had James take this photo of me before leaving for the party and it will eventually be part of the 'October' section in my 'My Year in Outfits' 2009 fashion journal. [Yes, I am still keeping that up despite not entirely finishing a double page spread for months! I have all photos from the past few months tucked inside the album just waiting for a time when I have nothing more pressing on the go. Any idea when that'll be?]

Now then, I could leave it there, with a carefully selected shot of me looking all serious and composed, in the flattering light of our bedroom and with a tiny helping hand from the colour balance feature in my photo-editing software.

I could leave it there. But I won't. Rather, I thought I'd share some photos taken at the party.

Blurry photos. Photos of me, after a few rum & Cokes on an mostly empty stomach [my Mam had a strange strategy regarding the optimum time for serving the hot food!]. Photos of me which I wasn't aware were being taken. [As to why James was taking photos at the time ....I've no idea, you'd have to ask him!]. Photos of me that make me look approximately 30 years younger than I am!

As I tend to do at parties, I was keeping out of the way. I think I'd been given the task of finding 'Ruby' by the Kaiser Chiefs on Youtube so we could have it playing in the background during the toast. [It was their ruby wedding anniversay ...get it??] and it just happens that the computer is behind the living room door.

Not realising I was there my Mam opened the door a little further than was strictly comfortable for me and a conversation between myself and my parents ensued which went something like this:

Dad [mildly alarmed that his youngest was about to be squished]:Your daughter's behind the door!!!

Mam [peering around the door anticipating that I was hiding there with some grand surprise party gift for her]: Oooooh why?? What are you doing????

Me [hoping that the fact she hadn't flattened me would be a grand party gift in itself]: Getting squashed behind a door.

Now, party frocks and silver shoes are all well and good .... but little bizarre moments like these are just as special and sparkly ... and worth photographing!

J :)