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Diane Von Furstenberg Zarita Dress and Chanel Necklace |
Thursday evening, the gentleman and I made our way to Lincoln Center to see the Paris Opera Ballet’s 217th performance of Giselle. There’s nothing like Lincoln Center lit up at night. If you follow me on twitter, then you know how much I’ve been looking forward to the company’s first visit to New York in sixteen years. As Brigitte Lefèvre, the director of the Paris Opera Ballet succinctly put it “It’s a renewal of a relationship with the public and also an approach to a new public which has never seen us.” You could sense the entire theater’s anticipation as we settled into our seats.
The Paris Opera Ballet is always superb- the elegance, precision, attention to line and legibility. It gets me every time. The spirit of the company takes precedence over personality and individuality. To put it simply the performance was a celebration of the purity of form and specificity. We both left the theater breathless…
This dress seemed perfect for date night at the ballet. I purchased the Diane Von Furstenberg’s Zarita Dress almost two years ago for an event. Yes, her dresses last. On the hanger, the dress looked deceiving, which always piques my interest. Since it was a new arrival at the time, all of the sales assistants were eager to see how it fit. Little did we know that this dress would go on to become one of Diane Von Furstenberg’s most popular dresses.
I fell for the lace, bateau neckline, scalloped trim and the deep V in the back. I love the subtlety of a deep V in the back. The exposed two-way zipper adds a touch of needed insouciance. There’s a jersey lining that makes the dress nice and comfortable.
As you can imagine, my hesitation was the fitted silhouette. I have long limbs (I know, not a bad problem to have), so fitted and short- is too much for me. I think the key here is balancing the silhouette with the demure sleeve and a closed-toed pump.
A touch of aubergine gloss, a statement necklace and out the door we went.
You have such inherent grace that even a fitted, short dress looks incredibly elegant. That it's designed by Diane Von Furstenburg also helps - the use of lace, the long sleeves, the boatneck, all contribute to making this an elegant choice. You look just lovely and I am glad you had such a good time!
ReplyDeleteShe is one of my favourite designers - one of my top winter choices is a wool dress by her which still looks new, after nearly 5 years of constant wear. Such good value for money.
Ammu- Aww.... Thank you. That's sweet. Fitted and elegant don't usually go hand in hand but Diane Von Furstenberg makes it work. I totally agree abou the lace, long sleeves and boatneck.
DeleteI love her wool dresses. You're so right about her dress' being a good value for the money. I own four DVF "work dresses" that I've had for years and wear all the time and I always get asked if they are new. I always have to alter her dresses but I get a ton of wear out of them.
Have you gone for any prints? All of mine are solids.
I rarely buy prints, but DVF does them so well that one of my two printed dresses is by her (the other is from Hoss Intropia, a hugely underrated Spanish label). This is the dress I picked up two years ago - http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/61647
DeleteTo be honest, I don't wear it terribly often, since the silk is a bit much for daytime, but I expect to get more wear out of it in the years to come. I think it's interesting enough to never go out of style.
Ammu- I'm the same way with prints. I consider my stripes a print. I do love your dress. The colors and silk is so pretty for a summer evening. I should do a post on this, but I like the idea of bringing things in and out of rotation. I don't consider it a waste if you don't wear something often, but it's a piece with longevity.
DeleteWill look into Hoss Intropia.
That is a great idea for a post :) I try to limit the number of items I don't wear often, mainly because I don't enjoy keeping a large closet. But a closet without those special, "once in a while" items would be a little sad I think!
DeleteAlso, because of my propensity to move countries, I find that items which don't get much wear in one context get a lot of wear in a different setting. Case in point, a beautiful 14-year-old (!) long, embroidered cotton dress made by the talented Indian design team of Abraham and Thakore. I rarely had occasion to wear it in London, since the odd warm day meant a casual afternoon and evening spent in the park followed by a pub. But in India, where summer lasts forever and one needs elegant warm-weather options, the dress has seen a lot of sunshine :)
Ammu- It's so interesting how much lifestyle and location influences dress. Your experiences in India and London are perfect examples of that. Here my evening socialization largely revolves around benefits, charity events, so people will say "you're so dressed up all the time" but that's just the culture/environment here.
DeleteYour embroidered dress sounds so beautiful. I really enjoy looking at the skill that goes into embrodery.
Very true about keeping your closet small if you move often or have limited closet space. I think I like the feeling of knowing that I wear everything that I have in my closet. I really enjoy wearing my items. It's nice to have items that you love and are excited to wear even if you don't wear them often.
Love the sheer simplicity and elegance of this. You look so natural and comfortable all at the same time. An incredible feat in managing all that with complete grace. I miss seeing the ballet!
ReplyDeleteJoy- Thank you. I like the simplicity and elegance too. I always feel like it's a bit of a blank canvas for one great piece of jewelry too.
DeleteYou're so right about looking natural and comfortable- I think that's a big part of grace.
I hope you get to see a ballet soon.
Lovely dress and necklace!
ReplyDeleteDid you enjoy Giselle? Who were the ballerinas performing the night you went?
I absolutely loved the ballet! Aurelie Dupont was perfect in the part.
ritournelleblog.com- Thank you!
DeleteI loved the ballet. Giselle is one of my favorites and the Paris Opera is always so good. I had such a wonderful time.
Aurelie Dupont is brillant. We saw Clairemarie Osta who was so charming as Giselle. Amelie Lamoreux as Bathilde, Nolwenn Daniel (Myrtha) and Aurelia Bellet and Laura Hecquet (two wilis).
I'm glad you had a good evening. How was the other ballet?
This is such an elegant look! I really love the necklace.
ReplyDeleteGiselle is one of my favourite ballets. How was it?
aspiringforever.blogspot.com
Tian- Thank you! The necklace is one of my favorite pieces- I love any excuse to wear it:)
DeleteThe ballet was so good. Such an enjoyable night.
The dress looks amazing on you! Love the CC detail on the back of the necklace. It's so important knowing how to look good in every occasion, most people can master certain looks but you looks always spot on.
ReplyDeletelunaday- Thank you, that's so sweet. Knowing what to wear and what you feel comfortable such a work in process. I'm still learning;)
DeleteI love the CC detail too. I'm such a sucker for Chanel.
The zarita dress looks amazing on you - and paired with the necklace it is perfect for attending the ballet!
ReplyDeletelittlemissandrea- Thank you! You're far too kind. The necklace feels just right for the ballet.
DeleteMy eyes were immediately drawn to the little gems on the CC necklace. What a lovely outfit for a wonderful evening. Glad you enjoyed yourself:)
ReplyDeleteps. I am curious what clutch/bag you carried?
Eileen- Thank you! I love pop of color that the little gems add.
DeleteA black envelope clutch that you can wear crossbody if you want but I like the gold chain tucked in for night.
Lovely! Thanks Lindsay:)
DeleteLindsay,
ReplyDeleteYou look exquisite in the DVF lace dress and beautiful bib necklace. I love how each item in your wardrobe is so carefully selected, and epitomizes the the essence of 'you'. Anything you put on exudes such elegance! {I'm trying to find my own 'style', and look to you and Marlene of CCC for inspiration!
Such a perfect choice for the ballet! Giselle is one of my favorites also! xo
Samantha- Aww... Thank you! That's so kind of you.
DeleteOh I love your style! It's fun to shake thing up. You're so right about Marlene- she's such an inspiration to me too:)
So many Giselle fans- I love it.
Oh my gosh, necklace and dress are both so stunning, together they are a dream.
ReplyDeleteAndrea- Thank you! I love how the dress is such a great canvas for a great piece of jewelry.
DeleteI love that unexpected dip at the nape of the dress, elegant and alluring. I feel like your outfit captures the magic of the ballet I'm not seeing :)
ReplyDeletelin- Thank you! It is unexpected, which is something I love. I know what you mean- there's something poetic about this outfit, particularly the back that does remind me of the magic of the ballet.
DeleteOh good comment about allure... I've had a post in mind on that very topic.
Perfect dress and necklace.
ReplyDeleteI love ballet and Giselle is a favourite. I've never seen the Paris Opera Ballet,though. I'm glad to know you liked it.
soniadeli- Thank you!
DeleteGiselle is such a good ballet. It's always magical to watch. If you ever have a chance to see the Paris Opera Ballet- see them.
Impeccably polished and elegant. I'm loving DvF dresses more and more. I've never been to a ballet performance other than one with plenty of 6 year olds skipping around looking cute in their tu-tus. However, it's something I'd love to take my daughter to one day when she's a little older.
ReplyDeleteChocolate, Cookies & Candies- Thanks Marlene! DvF does such a great job.
DeleteThat's right- Little L does do ballet. They're so cute at that age. A trip to the ballet will be such a great mother/daughter activity when she's older:)
You look stunning!!! I've seen a few bloggers wear this dress and It's just not made for those with long torsos or short legs. Dvf makes lovely dresses but you always have to wear what flatters your figure. In this case your legs (your legs) and figure make this dress look amazing. The back is so elegant too!
ReplyDeletePina- Thank you. You're too sweet. You raise such a great point- it's so important to choose items that compliment you. Over time, I've figured out what silhouettes work best and I gravitate to those.
Deletethis is GORGEOUS you look absolutely stunning.. something about lace is just so feminine and elegant and DIEEEEEEEEEEEE for your chanel necklace!!!
ReplyDeleteLisa- Thank you! You're so sweet. There is something about lace that seems so feminine and elegant and makes it possible to pull off something short but still look somewhat dignified I think.
DeleteYes, we share the love of all things Chanel!
Hope you had a wonderful birthday.
This is a rather difficult dress to pull off but I must say you have done very well. Black and lace is just so elegant.
ReplyDeleteJo- Thank you! Sometimes I gravitate towards things that are difficult to pull off- I like the challenge;)
DeleteI agree completely about black and lace- so elegant.
Francesca- Thank you! I love Chanel's statement necklaces. I'm so glad that you enjoy my blog- that's always such a wonderful thing to hear.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to pop over to your blog.
This entire outfit is the epitome of elegance. So stylishly, beautifully perfect for a night at the ballet at the Lincoln Center. I think I need to hunt down something similar... and then take myself and my husband off to the ballet again!
ReplyDeletehope in high heels- Thank you! There's something about Lincoln Center that makes you want to get dressed.
DeleteYou and your husband are so good about exploring everything that the city has to offer- it's amazing.
love the black lace! always classic.
ReplyDeletexoxo navy & orange
navy and orange- Thank you! Black and lace is such a classic.
DeleteAnonymous- Glad you enjoyed reading:)
ReplyDeleteThis dress is beautiful on you! If I were to look at the Chanel necklace alone, I'd have think it is too drama. But when you wear it, it looks perfect! :) Perfect outfit, perfect look.
ReplyDeleteMelody- Thank you! That's so sweet.
DeleteWe share the love for Chanel. I know exactly what you mean about too much drama. It's difficult to get it exactly right, but then sometimes you just know.