My new fav LBD
Here is the rest of the story behind my LBD that I featured in my Yahoo Travel article.
I didn’t intend to wear Columbia Sportswear on formal night of a luxury cruise, sitting at the staff captain’s table, no less. It just sort of happened.
I am no fashionista; I live and travel in casual clothes.
People who know me quite well are often surprised to learn that I even own a sparkly black evening dress that is a complete knockout with a pair of black heels. And that is where the problem began. I forgot to pack the heels.
What I had were flat (as in no heel and no shine) black plastic sandal slip-on thingies from Oka-B. Certainly nicer than flip flops, but definitely not what my slinky black evening dress needed. I tried them on anyway. One look in the full-length mirror told me what even my fashion neophite brain already knew–this combination would never work. My fun black sandals that look great with black capris suddenly looked like something you would slip on if you had to dash outside to retrieve something from your car before you finished dressing for the ball.
A quiet dinner ordered from room service was beginning to sound really nice. If only I hadn’t already RSVP’d to that invitation from the staff captain.
So here is my secret list of cruise dinner clothes: one pair of black slacks, one turquoise silky broomstick skirt, two white or cream sleeveless shell tops, and an assortment of silky Origami tops, scarfs, and a multi-colored dressy jacket that works with all of it when needed. Add the slinky evening dress and I’ve usually got it all covered. Th
I pulled this off onboard the Silver Spirit
ank goodness this time I also added my new Columbia dress. It was just short enough to distract from my footwear faux pas. Worn with black stockings and topped with the dark jacket I think I pulled it off. I don’t think anyone even noticed the tiny Columbia logo on the hem.
Thank goodness this time I also added my new Columbia dress. It was just short enough to distract from my footwear faux pas. Worn with black stockings and topped with the dark jacket I think I pulled it off. I don’t think anyone even noticed the tiny Columbia logo on the hem.
I think it could easily be hand washed and hung to dry quickly in a pinch, but the Silversea ship I was on, Silver Spirit, had self-service guest laundry facilities on each deck. That made the Columbia dress the most valuable piece of my cruise wardrobe. A quick wash and dry allowed me to wear the dress several times, essentially replacing my black slacks as my go-to at dinner.
Columbia has several other little black dresses to choose from, though, including cool-weather options like this one with three-quarter sleeves. I can see that I have more shopping to do before my next trip.
