International Infection Prevention Week

October 13-20th is International Infection Prevention Week. That is my profession. I had an idea - my admin assistant made a bunch of handprint cut outs, and the staff all around the hospital wrote on them. They wrote what infection prevention means to them. Then I made a trifold board of the handprints.

I called it "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Hands". It turned out great !!

So what have I been wearing, besides black tie gowns? Well, on October 9,

I wore one of my favorite dresses, by Tom Ford. It is an embroidered brocade with mesh insets.

I happened to already own the perfect irridescent blue drop necklace for this dress.

On October 10th, I wore black silk cigarette slacks with a plaid tunic that I bought at Current Boutique while I was in DC.

It has pearl trim at the seam of the trumpet sleeves.

 And my tassel necklace came from Macy's in DC.

On October 11th, I wore a Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti dress.

 And a long tassel necklace that is Paparazzi Accessories - a neighbor's daughter was selling them.

On Monday, October 14th, I wore an outfit that I got at Stein Mart a couple of years ago.

My legs are not sunburned - those are pink hose. My booties are Steve Madden from Nordstrom.

On October 15th, a really cute dress by Jessica Simpson. It is sheer black chiffon on top, and black/forest green crystal pleating on the skirt part.

I wore an emerald / diamond necklace and faux pearls from Joan Rivers. Booties are Sam and Libby.

On October 16th, I wore a vintage wiggle dress from Marvin Richards. It is very finely tailored, and completely lined.

My shoes are Cristian Siriano.

I accessorized with a Versace belt, a heavy gold chain, and a coin from the Vatican. The necklaces were my mom's.

On Thursday, October 17th, I wore a very old, no-name wrap dress that I have always loved.

 It is navy with white polka dots, and has ruffles at the sleeves and wrap. The booties are Adrienne Vittadini, and are probably my favorite pair of shoes right now.

The necklaces are once again courtesy of my mom.

Today, more polka dots - this time H&M.

Bell sleeves and a smocked waist. I don't get the weird boob situation in this picture, but oh well.

The dress is olive green with black and ivory polka dots. I wore brown tights and olive/black booties from Chase and Chloe. I will get better pictures the next time I wear them. My necklace is costume, and I got it in Kansas City.

I also got both of my cosmetic bags this week. First, Ipsy:

The bag was a Betty Boop face. I really never liked Betty Boop - too stupid. Here's what it had inside:
1) A nice eyeshadow brush by Beau Gachis
2) An eyeliner pencil by Betty Boop X Ipsy in Drawn to You
3) Aphrodite Olive Oil Deep Cleaning Face Mask
4) Private Doctor Define Minus Serum - to minimize lines and create definition
5) It Cosmetics CC+ Color Correcting Full Coverage Cream in SPF 50+

And a few days later, my Birchbox came.

Inside:
1) Whish Bath and Body Gel in Pomegranate
2) Dr Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass Calming Gel Cream
3) Kiehl's Youth Dose Eye Treatment
4) Wander Nude Illusion Liquid Foundation
5) Model Co Matte lip in Summer Fun
6) R+Co High Dive Moisture and Shine Cream for hair

Well, tomorrow, we are celebrating Doc's birthday a little early, due to family obligations on his actual birthday weekend. We are going up to Manhattan Beach for lunch and then watching movies while trying the Absinthe we bought in Quebec City. Stay tuned!!!

Rent The Runway

Our hospital has a Fall Gala, which is a fundraising event. This year, it was held at the Newport Bay Resort, and I was invited as a guest of the Medical Staff. I haven't been to a black tie event in several years, and I wanted to wear something really great. So I used Rent the Runway.

I returned from Washington DC on Tuesday, October 8th, and the Rent the Runway bag was on my porch. I wasn't going to open it until Friday, since the Gala was Saturday, but I decided to make sure the dresses that I ordered were the right ones in the right size. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

The first dress was a gold sequined number by Theia. Looks okay on the hanger. But..... it was dirty!!

And torn in several places !!!

That left the other one, a pink dress by Halston.

Although it wasn't torn, it was also dirty.

I called and explained the situation and sent pictures. They offered to refund my money and overnight two more dresses to me. But just for laughs, I tried the two rejects on.

The gold one was nice, but very long. The train was filthy.

The pink one was nice, but too naked for a work party.

The replacements came the very next day. There was a gorgeous red dress from LePetite Robe by Chiara Boni.

It was one-shouldered, with a cutout back and a big bow. It was made of scuba material.

It had no zipper - you just wriggle into it. It retails for $3200.

Here it is, in the preliminary try-on, with no undergarments or fluffing.

Pretty nice.

Then, I got another gold sequined dress by Badgely Mischka. The fabric was much heavier than the Theia, and the back was not as deep.

Also pretty nice!!!

Depending on my dress choice, here were my handbag choices - Yves St Laurent for the red, and vintage beading for the gold.

So which one did I choose?

The red Chiara Boni !!! Here I am, with the right underwear and Spanx.

And I stuffed my back fat into the dress. The scuba material held it in place very nicely.

Here I am, with the rest of the Quality Team:

And with my friend Suellen:

And with my friend Sonia:

I got to take home one of the hydrangea centerpieces:

And the bags went back to Rent The Runway the next day.

So all in all, Rent The Runway made good on its promise, and I was very happy. I would definitely recommend them for your black tie needs.

See you all soon!!