[Poll] Help Me Pack

[thefourthvine]

Okay, so. Today I tried on all my dresses and discovered, to my extreme lack of joy, that exactly two of them still fit over my post-breastfeeding boobs. Like, I thought the boobs were supposed to go back to normal, and in fact I thought they had, but after I saw myself in my pre-pregnancy all things to all parties dress (which I love and cannot stand the thought of getting rid of), with boob up as far as my ears, I was forced to conclude that that had maaaaaybe not happened.

So. Last year at VVC, I told myself that the next time I went, I would damned well bring a dress and wear it to Club Vivid. Obviously, my boobs are calling my bluff, since my choices now consist of:

1. A nursing dress that, ironically, wouldn't fit over my boobs when I was nursing. It fits now. Pros: It is soft and comfy! It's kind of vaguely pretty! Cons: It's a nursing dress, and I'm not nursing anymore. Also, its style aesthetic can best be described as "schoolmarm who wants ready access to her boobs."
   
   
2. A black lace dress that no one in this house remembers buying. Pros: It fits. And it's black. Cons: I'm not sure it ever was in style. It can best be described as "gothic schoolmarm."
   
   
3. Pajamas. Pros: Comfortable. Cons: Not sure I want to be the girl who wore pajamas to the ball.
   
   
4. My retired swimsuit. This is a suit I bought when I apparently believed I'd be attending a lot of underwater evening parties; it's black with a little drape and a short skirt and basically looks nothing like a swimsuit. Cons: Really not sure I want to be the girl who wore a swimsuit to the ball. Pros: Might be the most appropriate piece of attire I own that still fits over my boobs. Plus, if the hotel floods, I will be completely prepared and in a position to mock the attractive, well-dressed people flailing in their non-water-resistant clothing.

Since I am currently in an aggressive state of dither over all things relating to the trip (my brain currently sounds like this: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEE, with occasionally side trips into what I was even thinking deciding to go somewhere), I can't decide. HELP.

Poll #11366 Dress Me

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 252

View Respondents

What should I wear to the ball?

View Answers

The nursing schoolmarm dress. Ready access to your boobs can only be an advantage at a fannish con.
10 (4.0%)

The gothic schoolmarm dress. Black lace is the background for glowsticks this summer.
149 (59.1%)

The pajamas. Might as well not give any fucks at all, right?
25 (9.9%)

The swimsuit. The way the climate is currently behaving, being constantly prepared for sudden flooding is an A+ choice.
68 (27.0%)

Comments

[killing_rose]

The appropriate answer is "if you don't want gothic schoolmarm, then you're probably going to have to go shopping."

[indeliblesasha]

This was going to be my answer. :D

[malnpudl]

Is shopping out of the question? My first thought is to find yourself something new and pretty that fits you and that you feel good wearing.

OTOH, I recognize that the notion of clothes shopping can be appalling in its own right. And then, there's the whole timing thing.

One really ought to be able to go anywhere in pajamas. I would approve of this society.

[aethel]

Shanghai!

[giandujakiss]

How about, whichever outfit makes you feel happiest?

[ellen_fremedon]

Buy a new dress. If you will not have time to get to a store before leaving, buy a new dress in Chicago. Or, buy one online and have it shipped to the hotel! I actually did that with pantyhose for my cousin's wedding, when I realized that I was going to have to catch the airport bus before the stores opened and wasn't going to have time to buy any.

[sdwolfpup]

Wear whatever is COOLEST.

[heresluck]

Wear whatever has the most breathable fabric and will itch least. (For me, at least, that would put lace RIGHT OUT.)

FWIW, I know of at least two other people who will be wearing pajamas.

[elynross]

I was gonna say, PJs are a most acceptable form of CV attire! And many of us have moved to the "comfy" end of the CV spectrum. *g*

[reginagiraffe]

"schoolmarm who wants ready access to her boobs."

I can guarantee there's going to be at least one person there who will think this is not a downside.

But... if you hate the gothic black, then you need to go shopping.

[blueraccoon]

*points up* I can't speak to the person thinking this isn't a downside, but...if you hate the black, then shopping is in your future.

[neotoma]

Gothic schoolmarm -- dress it up with some steampunk accessories if you think it needs it.

[phoebe_zeitgeist]

Gothic schoolmarm is always appropriate for clubbing, I should think. But you can probably have more fun with the swimsuit. Find some amusing length of cloth, drape it around waist or hips in some amusing manner, and it's not impossible that you'll have something very swanky indeed -- and something that can be cast aside on the dance floor, with glittering lights following you, for that extra touch of I-am-the-star drama.

[malka]

This! A useful shopping keyword for the extra piece may be "sarong".

Or, if you want something that will take less management, a brightly-colored skirt. Flowy skirts are fun to dance in and bright colors go well with black.

Alternately, acquire a friend who can do all the hard parts for you, including saying "Yes, thefourthvine, today is the day we shop for your dress." (cme has been very helpful to me in this vein.)

[soc_puppet]

Yes to sarongs - but only wear one, because two sarongs won't make it right.

(I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not.)

[holli]

If you think you can get it shipped in time, I greatly enjoy shopping for vintage dresses on Etsy. Give me your measurements and preferences, and I can totally find you something cute.

[shayheyred]

Gothic Schoolmarm sounds like a workable option. Red lips, smokey eyes, one long sparkly necklace. Attitude.
Works for me!

[nestra]

I picked an option, but I mostly agree with "whatever makes you feel best." And that you would not be the only person in pajamas.

[nextian]

Swimsuit and tights are on-trend! Well.. for the nineties. But also sort of for now. Work it.

[klia]

Can you alter the lace dress to make it less schoolmarmy? Or, can you wear the swimsuit under another skirt (I don't suppose you have a sparkly one hiding in your closet?)?

FWIW, lace can get really sticky, itchy, and annoying when you sweat, especially long sleeves.

[giglet]

I went with the swimsuit because, although you say it as though it was unlikely, I was in that hotel that flooded*. And I was wearing pajamas. And I would have given a lot to have my swimsuit on. (I would also have given a lot to not have had to carry my soggy two-year-old out of the hotel amid sloshing water and fire sirens.)


(During the 1997 Disclave science fiction convention, someone snapped the fire sprinkler from the ceiling during a bout of kinky early-morning sex, flooding that room, the adjacent rooms, the lobby and a ballroom on the floors below. The hotel was evacuated. Within a half hour, a vendor was taking pre-orders for a t-shirt reading, "Disclave 97. I slept in the wet spot.")

[blushingflower]

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we do not use sprinklers as bondage points.

[pyrrhocorax]

OH MY GOD

I want to go to a convention even more now than ever before.

[mific]

Swimsuit with some sort of cool skirt on the bottom half. Disadvantage: going to the toilet becomes impossible.

[winter_elf]

well, if the gothic lace is not longsleeved and scratchy - you can dress it up with accessories - a scarf, belt, ect.

If it is longsleeved and scratchy and new is out of the question - the swimsuit with a sarong or skirt?

[snacky]

Listen, while I think everyone who says "whatever makes you feel best" and "is shopping an option" have good points, I really, really, REALLY want you to wear the swimsuit.

I won't be there. I just want to know someone who wore a formal swimsuit to a dance party.

[alexseanchai]

+1

[avendya]

+1

[ladyvyola]

Remember our motto: Fandom means never having to ask, "But where could I wear that?" I, for one, love the fact that each option can be summed up as "appeals to niche market".

Ah, fandom! We're all about niches and filling them. (ba dum pa! That's what she said! Your mother is a niche market! Thank you, I'll be here all week!)

[paceus]

Yes this!

:D

[foursweatervests]

Or - or - and I know buying new things is something you do not do, so maybe this is the way to go - you could ask someone to lend you a dress? Or, worst comes to worst, actually have someone (who would have to love you very, very much) drag you shopping?

If neither of these work, I say the swimsuit is definitely the way to go. If nothing else, you'll catch all the eyes.

[qian]

I went for the gothic schoolmarm because black lace is always fancy, but I've been searching for cocktail pyjamas for years and secretly yearn for them to be reinstated as party wear. (Fashion actually had a fancy pyjama fad a couple of seasons ago, but it didn't seem to catch on.)

[indeliblesasha]

And on a related note: It can take easily as much as two years and potentially more for your boobs to return to "inert" and return to some semblance of size you had prior to pregnancy. I'm more than a year out and only just NOW am I starting to feel like they aren't totally ready to be on call again, any minute! Really! We're ready! You sure? We're happy to help!

Most D cups fit now. I don't have to look at the DD's by default! And I got out of the F/G cups within 6 months. So. Uh...there's hope?

[fred_mouse]

*envy*

Before Children, I was a C/D cup. Now, over five years after youngest weaned, I'm still an E cup, so two and a half sizes larger. (I have no knowledge of where I went up to - I had such a hassle finding nursing bras, because there just weren't large cup sizes for small ribcage sizes). At least the market has caught up though - in my 20s I could rarely find a 10D, and these days I actually have choices in what I buy!

[indeliblesasha]

That sucks, and you have my sympathy! I have heard that if you gain weight during the "deflation" period they're not going to get very much smaller. And I definitely *did* so I'm hoping that my new thing where I run a lot and am losing weight might mean I get my C cups back that I had in my 20s.

Because I am so sick of boob related discomfort, I can tell you.

[pyrrhocorax]

I voted for the black lace on the grounds that gothic black lace is always stylish, but the pajamas might work out best. Claim it's harajuku street style!

[littleheaven]

Totally pajamas. You could make it a thing. Take a giant teddy bear with you, and some hilarious comedy slippers. And a pillow to whack people with. One filled with glitter so it sprays out sparkles instead of feathers.

Now I want to go and wear that myself.

[out_there]

I say black lacy dress with bright shoes and bright accessories. It'll look awesome!

[archersangel]

i hear it's all about the accessories.

[geekturnedvamp]

I was torn between voting for pajamas (because pajamas are cool, and you won't be the only one wearing them) and the swimsuit (just BECAUSE), but if you don't want to deal with any of these options you could just wear a pair of jeans and a black tank top and have someone do dramatic makeup, glitter, etc. for you and then cover yourself with glowstick jewelry.

[kathmandu]

My vote for next time is black lace dress, plus spray-on glitter from an art-supply store or fabric store. With any luck, you will arrive at an effect more evocative of prom night at the dark fairy court.