Outfit of the Day: Bridal Shower

Okay, so I have a problem with bridal showers this summer.

I've got a few to go to, and... well, today's was for my best friend from high school who I have spoken to about once a year since we graduated, and I've got another in a few weeks for my cousin's fiancee who I do not know well but would like very much to know better as she seems like a perfectly sweet person. If it were a closer friend or a cousin or something I'd worry less about the social niceties of the situation, but given the relationships to the young ladies for whom the showers are being held I have a trickier spot when it comes to proper etiquette.

And I struggle greatly with what to wear.

My usual clothing is... a bit loud. Witchy black looks, Victorian clothing, petticoats, corsets, top hats, strange barrettes, the works. And it's not really appropriate to wear that sort of theatrical look to a small gathering like this (unless all or at least some others involved will be wearing similarly loud clothing or the group are all familiar with my eccentricity of dress), especially when it's not my day. But I'm not about to wear slacks and a blouse because that simply doesn't feel comfortable to me. I've got a fine line to walk between what feels appropriate for me and what's appropriate for the occasion.

So what do I wear?

Well, today's the first bridal shower of the summer, and this is what I landed on:

Forgive the slightly off face I'm wearing. It took a lot of autotimer shots to get this one right and I was ready to go back inside.

Outfit Rundown

Jewelry: Handmade
Barrette: Belle
Skirt: vintage handmade
Tights, top: Kohl's
Shoes: London Underground

The blouse is much more sheer than this photo shows. Here are some closeups of the jewelry I wore (the necklace and bracelet are handmade): 

 

Usually, with this skirt, I like to wear some of my more strange nature-inspired barrettes, but today I opted for a simple metallic one for the sake of keeping things subtle. Wearing a baby deer on my head, unfortunately, is not subtle.

And, last but certainly not least, the shoes:

I'm not sure quite which genre of clothing it falls under. It's a little bit Dolly Kei, but not so much that I'd be comfortable labeling it as such. It's definitely vintage-y. It might even fall into granny chic. But, you know what, I like it.

I was hoping to find a comfortable medium between my usual style and what's "normal" or appropriate to this sort of situation, and I think I found it. I spent a fair bit of the party receiving compliments on my clothing, my shoes (aren't they fabulous?) and my jewelry. I felt a bit guilty about upstaging the bride clothing-wise, but this is toned down for me and the outfit resulted in the bride telling me that we needed to go shopping together so she could get some pointers, so I don't feel too bad.

Honestly, I'll probably be dressed a bit louder for the next shower. That one's mostly family, and they're used to my... strange... aesthetic. I won't be fully petticoated, of course, but it'll be a bit more along the lines of my usual strangeness.