The Style Edit: A glittering Evening Events capsule
Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. We celebrated my aunt’s 80th birthday on Saturday, which was a nice chance to catch up with family members we don’t see often. Now I know why Costco cakes are constantly going viral; that birthday cake really did live up to the hype.
A warm welcome to my new subscribers! I’m so glad you’re here. Thanks for joining me.
If you’re newer to the site, check out my previous posts on how I finally streamlined my wardrobe by reorganizing my closet to create micro capsule collections. Today’s topic is the Evening Events capsule, a small-but-mighty collection. This is the type of event I attend least frequently, but of course requires the most expensive pieces of any capsule. It also has the least amount of crossover to other capsules. A hand-beaded satin skirt is not going to the office or to a children’s birthday party. (Although, my particular child might well insist on a hand-beaded-skirt party at some point.)
Here are the pieces that made it into the capsule:
J. Peterman hand-beaded cocktail-length skirt
J. Peterman hand-beaded maxi skirt
J. Peterman black silk maxi skirt
Vintage one-shoulder sheath ballgown
Banana Republic satin camisole
J. Peterman V-neck cashmere sweater
Tahari black square-neck top
Vintage black velvet handbag
Black Ferragamo pumps (2 pairs)
Vintage silver open-toe pumps
Nina navy satin heels
I was surprised by the good quality of the Banana Republic cami and plan to add one or two more to this capsule. They work very well with formal skirts and wraps. I bought all of those Peterman skirts right after undergrad in my early career years with incredible foresight and organization for a twenty-two-year-old. I love having the ability to mix and match eveningwear instead of being tied to a handful of dresses. Most of these pieces are black, deep pink or cream, which makes it easy to play around with various combinations.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing similar to the beaded skirts on the Peterman site right now, but targeted ads would really love for me to have this Ann Mashburn skirt join the capsule. I want the same thing, targeted ads; I really do.
My Peterman little black dress from the post-undergrad era has finally given up on me, so I’m on the hunt for a LBD to add to this capsule. I’m hoping the black version of this Molly Moorkamp dress comes back in stock someday. If you have a LBD you love, please let me know.
Something I’ve found extremely useful for evening events is renting pieces via Rent the Runway. It’s a cost-effective way to try out new styles without committing to spending hundreds of dollars. All of those extra shoes in the capsule are to wear with RTR rentals. If you go this route, be sure your extra shoes are neutral and will work with a range of dress styles.
Events can pop up without having time to rent something or a rental might otherwise not be practical. I find the logistics of traveling with rented pieces to be a tremendous hassle. That’s where having a small collection of versatile evening staples comes in very handy.