Cruise Fancies + Possible Outerwear

So on our cruise, there are two more dressy evenings and two moderately dressy evenings and the rest are casual.  I am not really a pants/jeans person in regular life for various reasons, but since we'll be in Alaska, skirts and dresses are probably going to be specialty wear rather than daily outfits.

However, I've been pondering outfits for the dressy evenings.

I took these photos yesterday when I wasn't feeling very well, and seeing all the pretty dresses
made me feel much better.  Pretty clothes are like medicine!

Here are some of the options.

1.  A silvery patterned sheath dress with black accents (by Alex Marie).

Ooo!  Shiny!

The shoes in all the dress photos are by Born.   They're suede peep-toe ankle strap heels with a little bow in the toe.  I may end up taking along black tiny fishnets or plain opaque tights just to have another layer of warmth, but I really don't like the way tights squeeze at the waistline.  

(With digestive issues, my abdominal area is not one that I like to be squeezed!)

Close-up of the fabric:

will that scratch on my hand EVER heal?!

I saw this dress at Dillard's a couple of years ago and fell in love with the beautiful fabric and how it fit (and the fact that it was on clearance!), so I snapped it up.  Every couple of months I put it on and wander around the house in it, feeling pretty.  I haven't worn it out of the house yet, though, so this is a great opportunity to save something special for a unique and exciting experience (my first cruise!)

2.  A plum sheath dress with exposed hems (though you can't see it very well in the photo)

by Adrianna Papell

Here's the back, where you can see the "inside-out" hems and the exposed zipper a little better:

 You can also see some mystery spots on my mirror.  Obviously it needs a clean!

I love this sort of detailing in a piece of clothing, especially something that would be sort of plain otherwise.

It makes things more interesting!

3.  A yellow lace sheath dress (by Adrianna Papell)

I don't love this with the black shoes - I would prefer gold - but I probably won't take another pair of dressy shoes, so either I'll wear this dress with black shoes even though I don't like them together particularly, 

or I'll wear it with flats, or I won't take it along.

I wore this dress to my cousin's spring wedding two years ago 

and for Easter last year - I felt like an Easter egg!

You can tell that I love fitted sheath dresses with sleeves and defined waistlines!

I haven't ever been a scarf person (they just seem too grown-up to me), but I love how they look on other women, and since I think it will double as a warm blanket in chilly times, I picked one up at Target.  It's gray with a tiny scrolling pattern in white.  It will go with any outfit I have lined up for this cruise and anything in my whole closet, pretty much!

For a fancier event, I like it this way best.

On to potential outerwear . . . 

I plan to take this interesting army-green 3/4 length coat with spangles (TJ Maxx).

It ties inside to define the waist.  Nice pockets, too!

Here's a somewhat blurry picture of the back.

And a close-up of the spangles:

And then there's this French navy coat with big gold snaps (Macy's clearance - it was only about $15!)

This one is a lovely warm jersey material, so it's cozy and comfy.  The neck part can go up and snap around the neck in case of wind.

And this one has zippered pockets AND snap pockets!  Double the storage!

I love the back!

I probably will be layering as many of the following as necessary to be toasty:

* cotton tank top

*short or long-sleeved t-shirt

*long-sleeved shirt/blouse

*sweater

*denim jacket

* longer jacket

Because I live in the Arizona desert, I don't even really have a proper winter coat, and I'm not going to purchase one just for a one-week adventure.

Just for an extra bonus today, here's an outfit of the day shot from yesterday.

Greg and I went out for dinner with my parents to celebrate our upcoming anniversary 

(18 years! on Sunday).  

I snapped up this dress at Ross a few months ago and it's by Emma & Michelle.

It's great because it has so many lovely colors in it: purple, green, blue, black, and white!

Any cardigan goes with it well, and my gemstone drop earrings (peridot, aquamarine, and amethyst) 

work perfectly!

Happy weekend!