Little Black Dress

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Over the weekend, DH and I went to a wedding held at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown DC. The venue was absolutely gorgeous, with a traditional neoclassical exterior and contemporary interior complete with high ceilings and glass everywhere. I wish I had taken more photos, but was too preoccupied with making sure we didn't get lost (one of the few times a smartphone sure would've been handy!) The building is open to the public though, so we'll have the chance to visit again. Just a heads up that IDs are checked and people/cars are screened by metal detectors upon entrance.

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[photo above]: On the Pavilion room balcony overlooking the Woodrow Wilson plaza
Asian style U.S. Pacific coast dungeness crab cake with teriayki marinated beef tenderloin
[photo above]: Crab cake with beef tenderloin entree
[photo below]: Cheesecake for dessert
ambrosia cheesecake

I wore a black one-shoulder ruffle dress from the 2010 Lanvin x H&M collab. To date, this collection still tops my list of favorite designer collabs ever (and the only one that I actually waited in line for, but sadly wasn't early enough). I bought the dress pre-owned off eBay for a quarter of the retail price. I'm three years late, but as I like to say, better late than never!

I heart the dramatic, ruffled neckline combined with the flirty skirt. I felt the dress itself is a statement piece, so I kept jewelry to a minimum. However, I couldn't resist finishing off the look with pink heels. A happy occasion calls for fun shoes.
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lips: Too Faced Totally Nude (sold here)
dress: Lanvin x H&M via eBay (similar; similar)
bracelet: gift from MIL (similar)

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19 comments

  1. The silhouette of this dress is absolutely stunning on you! Am really enjoying these sunglasses-less photos : )

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  2. I love this dress on you, Cee! Simple yet so elegant and sophisticated. Just like Jean, I enjoy these photos. You look beautiful.

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  3. You look GORGEOUS! Agree with Jean and Sydney, love these pics of you :)

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  4. Love the dress! Now I'm crawling on ebay....

    The Jason Wu x Target black dress has been my wedding stable, but I want your dress now :)

    I'm new to the blogging world. I'm from DC metro area as well, work in DC and blog from Tysons :)Nice to meet you!

    www.thefamilyoflove.com

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    1. Hi Elaine! Thanks for reaching out; it's always fun to meet other DC-ers :)

      Re my dress: I'm usually 32-34 at H&M and needed a 34 in this dress. The rib cage area fits snug.

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  5. You look great! That dress is fabulous and I love the hot pink shoes. Your makeup turned out really nice, too, which can't be easy in the DC summer humidity!

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    1. The photos were taken early in the day, so pre-humidity makeup! You didn't want to see how I looked by the end of the night, lol.

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  6. that dress is stunning on you!

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  7. You look gorgeous! Very fun dress. Really want a bite of that dessert.

    Like Jean and Sydney said...love seeing photos sans sunglasses!

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    1. Surprisingly a lot of the guys didn't enjoy the cheesecake. They all said it was too sweet. I would've happily eaten theirs if I wasn't so full.

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  8. So cute! Your smile is simply the best "accessory":)

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  9. You look beautiful in that dress - what a gorge piece!

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  10. Stunning!!! Love your makeup, dress, shoes....perfect for the fancy place!

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  11. Very classy outfit, Cee! Love the pop of color on your shoes. The RRB building has nice interior except that there's always the hassle with security checks going in & out.

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    Replies
    1. We didn't encounter any problems leaving, but yes, totally agree with the security checks upon entrance. I really should've been used to/expected it given how tight security is in many government buildings, but it somehow still caught me by surprise, haha.

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  12. The pink shoes were definitely a great addition to the outfit! I love the shape of the dress, but I feel like the solid colour needs to be broken up with a fun belt of some sort! Great styling, regardless.

    http://www.xjole.com

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    1. The thought did cross my mind, but I didn't feel like I had the right type of belt. Will be saving that idea for the next time!

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