A Weekend in Black

Black is my fallback color.  If I'm feeling heavier, or not so cute or I can't find anything else to wear, I can always fall back on black.  I don't think a girl can own too much black or too many LBD's.

I found this pretty Evan Picone dress at...surprise surprise....the Goodwill on Friday morning and it was washed and ready to wear on Friday night to the Gotta Dance dance party. It's not so great for dancing...it kept riding up as I was dancing the 'contact' dances, but I love it none the less. 

 The  detail on the dress is very pretty; it's hard to see in the pictures, but there is subtle gathering at the waist and on the sleeves.  I have really good luck finding black dresses at GW and I'm so excited to add this to the collection.

The little polka dot bag on the floor is so cute; I found it at a tiny resale shop around the corner from my home for $2.00.  Its canvas and in perfect condition.  I use it as a dance bag to carry my shoes and other dance party/lesson accessories in.

Lia sophia necklace and pin.

Since we have a black dress theme going, my dance friend Karen agreed to pose for a 'little black dress' photo!  

Brooke (the same retro pin-up Brooke pictured in a previous post) and her student Rich kindly striking a dramatic pose per my request.

Last night's dance party was as enjoyable as they always are and I always appreciate the opportunity to burn calories in a way that I love.

Today, I kept the black theme going for my trip with Peyton to the Popcorn festival in Valparaiso, IN.  This town is the home of Orville Redenbacker popcorn and a huge festival ensues every year to celebrate this claim to fame.  It was cool and breezy this morning, so I dressed accordingly.

Peyton likes to capture me when I'm lease expecting it

The black twill pants have a subtle grey pinstripe.  They are also very comfortable and wearable due to the small amount of stretch in the fabric.  The best thing about these pants is that they don't bind or bag.

My Lia Sophia door prize

Giant orange gauzy scarf, J'C. Penney.

My beloved Clark heeled oxfords.  What's not to love...so far they have lasted my three  fall/winter seasons.

Cuff detail on my shirt.  Express shirt front he Goodwill on half price day; $2.50!

I fell in love with this belt; it came from a tiny little specialty store called 'Band Gear'.  As  you can imagine, the store caters to rockers and musicians, of which I am neither.  I loved to hang with the bands in my 20's but since I was never one of the 'special chosen girls' I was never a groupie.  I'm good with that, but I still kind of like the 'boys in the band'.

My leather jacket and scarf.  The jacket is a tad big, but its cute and perfectly distressed, so I ok with the size.

Peyton and I didn't really enjoy the Popcorn fest as much as we expected to; it was really super crowded.  We did duck into the town's museum which Peyton really enjoyed.  The museum is int he town's former jail and Peyton with his photographer's eye, wanted me to pose in front of the cell.  This is supposed to be my 'oh no please don't put me in that cell' look.

One of my favorite places to eat, Don Quijote, an authentic Spanish restaurant, is located in the town of Valparaiso, so I had to snap the pic.  Every year in October, the owners host a very moving Flamenco dance show that I never miss.  This year, we are taking Peyton.  They have also hosted a Flamenco guitar trio and we have taken Peyton to see the show.  I really love the intense staccato rhythms of flamenco guitar and Peyton enjoyed the sharp, speedy quality of the music.

If I leave the house tomorrow, I will once again be wearing black....

You can never go wrong with it!!!!