Believe it or not, I know people who dress well

In 2011, we were posted to Shenyang, China, and Kevin was invited to an event at a 5-star hotel in town. It was on the night of our anniversary, and with our second baby almost three months old, we needed a night out!

I've never been someone who looks forward to an event like this and thinks, "Wow, what a fun occasion to get all dolled up!" In fact, I have never used the phrase, "get all dolled up," in real life. Instead, this is an event that causes panic and a feeling of being under-prepared, under-dressed, and outclassed. I rummaged and rummaged through my closet and found myself asking, "Well, what T-shirt would look nice with this?" And the brick wall I kept hitting kept telling me, "None of them!"

We lived upstairs from a huge shopping mall, which included H&M and Zara, as well as hundreds of Chinese stores for Chinese-sized women. I ran downstairs (well, I walked to the elevator) and found a black, lacy dress suitable for the occasion. It took me another long while to find some shoes. When you wear a size 8.5 in the USA, China thinks you're a Sasquatch.

I eventually found some size 8's that I could squeeze into, so I minced off to the ball like Cinderella's (dolled up) stepsister.

Lace dress and black leggings.
Just pretend I'm still wearing my shoes.

It was a step in the right direction, but after I saw the pictures we took, I realized that the outfit had looked a lot more glamorous in my head. Something was missing, or maybe a lot of somethings, and I had no idea what do about it-- even living upstairs from H&M! It seems like some people can just walk into a store and find some fantastic combinations and make some great outfits. But I had no idea where to start. Was there a class, or some kind of nerd-extracting therapy I could take?

So in a desperate plea for help, I emailed a couple friends who are fantastically talented at dressing well and getting dolled up-- and somehow still friends with me. I asked them what I should buy, how I should shop, and what they would do in my situation.

And being not only beautiful and glamorous, but also incredibly kind, they both gave me some really good advice.

"Look, tell her destiny has brought you together.
Tell her that she's the most beautiful girl you have ever seen.
Girls like that stuff. What, what are you doing, George?"
"I'm writing this down. This is good stuff."

I took some notes and made a shopping list and a plan, then headed down to H&M. This is one of the outfits I bought and wore on Christmas:

Sparkly sweater, pencil skirt, a purple halter top, matching earrings

It's not going to win any fashion awards, but I was really happy to have chosen something out of my usual comfort zone.

And I am very happy to STILL have these chique friends. In some upcoming posts, and hopefully on a regular basis in the future, I'll be interviewing some of my chique friends and sharing their wisdom on this blog. I have learned so much from them, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who could benefit from their perspectives!

For my first installment, coming later this week, I'll be interviewing my friend, Sarah. She is one of the original girls I emailed for help back in 2011, and I'm excited to have her as my very first guest-poster on my blog!

Stay tuned!