- A ball means dressing up
- Why women in menopause should check the fit of their gown
- What I wore over the formal dress
- Gorgeous robes of the entertainment crew
- Examples of Fairbanks formal style
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.
A ball means dressing up
My husband surprised me with an invitation to the 40 Below Ball. He was lucky to get some tickets last minute. Thus, I didn’t have time to browse the thrift stores or online for a gown. Well, there is always shopping the closet. Even though doing some insomniac online shopping for the perfect look is some pre-fun of the upcoming event.
Always be aware of the type of ball. What to wear to a military ball differs from what to wear to a white tie, black tie, formal or semi-formal ball.
This ball was organized by the Fairbanks Ballroom Dancing Club and had turned from a Black Tie dress code event in the zero years to a Fairbanks Formal dress code. Thus, any of my date-night dance dresses would have met the dress code just fine.
But I wanted to take this great opportunity of being able to dress up like Cinderella. To get an idea what I am talking about see the best gowns at the 40 below ball from a couple of years ago.
Why women in menopause should check the fit of their gown
Ball attire is among those clothing items that have a long tenure in our closets. One wears them only now and then. While in our 20s and 30s this fact wasn’t a problem, when we had kept our weight constant, it would fit as great as the last time.
However, in menopause, keeping the same weight is no guarantee that a robe that was a perfect fit last year, still will fit this year. Somehow the meat/fat justs shifts around and yep fails to resist gravity. 🙁 It turns south. To be in control of your life, not menopause, you would need a lot of shapewear to turn it north – read up. While I love shapewear, it’s no great for dancing the night away.
Thus, I tried my old gowns on in the morning before the event to know which one fits best. Well, also to have time for an alteration of a high-low hem if needed, i.e. when none of them was still looking great right away.
This menopausal body changes are also the reason why you always should try everything on before taking pieces from last year back from storage into your closet during your seasonal closet overhaul.
What I wore over the formal dress
In Fairbanks, heating is very expensive because it’s so cold outside. Thus, rooms that are not used and garages often only get heated to 40F (5oC) to save money and protect the environment. Therefore, I packed a cape to stay warm between dances, just in case the Gold Room is chilly.
Being sweaty after a night of dancing requires a warm coat. Of course, I first went to the restroom to towel myself dry. Freezing sweat is a recipe at least for a cold, but can even lead to hypothermia. Recall the car is damned cold standing outside at 10F (-12.3oC) for a couple of hours.
For an Alaskan that’s considered warm in January. Thus, I wore my oyster color long leather coat with faux fur trim. You can see it hanging on the coat rack in the background in the photo below. If it had been colder like 0F (-18oC) a faux fur coat would be a no-brainer. At 40 below, a thick down coat. A shearling would spread hair all over your attire.
Gorgeous robes of the entertainment crew
What the other ladies wore
These were my favorite attires of the other ladies.
Examples of Fairbanks formal style
Here some more casual examples of typical Fairbanks Formal Style.
You can learn more about Fairbanks Formal dress code in the linked post.
Samples from the buffet
P.S. Like these evening outfits? Then why not pinning them to your Pinterest board?
Top of the World Style linkup
Glad to see you at the 191th Top of the World Style linkup party. Welcome!
You clicked Ashley Cramp’s post the most,i.e. she became the Top of the World OOTD Readers’ Fav. Ashley Cramp is the blogger at Lazy Daisy Jones. What a timeless great winter beach outfit!
Anna’s look of her long sleeve plaid dress was my favorite. I just love plaid dresses! Make they even pink and I am on cloud nine! Anna is the blogger at Mutton Years and Style.
Laura Bambrick, the blogger at I Do DeClaire became the Top of the World Style Winner. She featured three different Valentine’s Day outfits with sequins.
Congrats Ladies! Grab your award buttons.
Link up your instagram or blog outfit posts by clicking the blue button below. Yes, I somehow managed to get back in the old system. I would highly appreciate your linking back to this post.
Do you need help linking up? Just follow this easy-to-use tutorial to link up.
Throw your own party
or co-host the top of the World Style linkup party. Just send me an email.
Photos of me: G. Kramm
Diagrams: N. Mölders
© 2013-2020 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved
Just stunning Nicole! I am always amazed how you manage to create such fabulous looks in the cold! So elegant! Thanks for linking up with Stylish Monday!
xx
Suzanne
Du siehst klasse in dem schwarz-weissen Cocktailkleid aus. Von den langen Kleidern finde ich das mit dem Sequinrock am schönsten.
Liebe Nicole, Dein Kleid, das Du bei dem Ball getragen hast, ist ein Traum! Der feminine Schnitt, die Farbe des schwingenden Rockes und die schwarze Spitzencorsage sind wunderschön. Du siehst bezaubernd aus!
Ich musste schmunzeln, da ich gerade erst letzte Woche mit einer Freundin Ballkleider kaufen war. Daher passt der Linkup diesmal für mich perfekt, da ich gerade erst einen Post aus den Umkleidekabinen gemacht habe 🙂 Übernächste Woche werde ich mein neues Ballkleid dann noch einmal etwas schöner präsentieren.
Liebe Grüße,
Nadine
That’s a beautiful dress. I love the details on it.
I really love this dress, the fit lace bodies sits over full skirt, it is truly a ball gown
Nicole, you have such a delightful little figure that everything looks fab on you but I do love this dress in particular!! It looks like it was such a fun night! Thank you for sharing and I would love to k ow what you do for your fitness routine … have a great weekend, Donna 🧚🏻♀️❤️🙏
Thank you so much for the feature! I love that gorgeous dress on you! Sounds like a fun night!
Looks like a fun, fancy party! I love your dress with the lace overlay—so elegant!
Cheryl Shops
WOW what a GORGEOUS dress! It looks stunning on you. It sounds like a fabulous evening <3
Suzy xx
Thanks for sharing your amazing evening with us… and, it has left me feeling very cold! haha! All of those dresses are just stunning. I wish I had a ball to attend soon, I just love getting dolled up.
Carrie
Hi, Nicole
What better way to wear beautiful gowns frequently than by dancing? Beautiful and fun!
Angie
This are wonderful looks, Nicole. You can really work those gowns!
You made the perfect choice…your dress is beautiful!
Debbie
It’s a beautiful dress and you look stunning in it!
Such a pretty dress. Looks like the ball was a lot of fun.
I can’t imagine the logistics. I find it so interesting how you deal with the cold. How about how you deal with the short days. Thanks for picking me as a fav. I’ve grabbed the button. Thank you