In case you hadn’t heard (I’ve been telling EVERYONE!) I’ve taken up dancing the Argentine Tango and have just returned from (snowy) Bournemouth where I spent one of the most fun weekends EVER, working on my ochos! I LOVE to dance and was so excited to be given a ‘dance weekend’ as a Christmas gift.
To be honest I was more than a little terrified before the weekend. I’m a bit rubbish at dancing – having completed all of six hours previously doing Argentine Tango and have never been on a ‘dance weekend’ before in my life. I really had only a vague idea of the ‘form’ and what I was going to wear for dance lessons and for the two dances, one Friday & one Saturday night.
Silly me worrying really, when I have a shop FULL of beautiful clothes to choose from! BUT – Having done a wee bit of dancing and recalling my ‘disco days’ I had realised that if I wanted to enjoy myself fully and also dance well I’d need to FEEL right – you know – ready to join in the atmosphere…
Before we went I spent about a week thinking and going through and trying on outfits! It made me realise that we have some really great pieces this season! So, here’s a little update, on the pieces chosen for my special weekend away & why…
As we were travelling by car and stopping to meet friends en-route in Bath, I wanted to feel comfortable and look nice so decided to put on some cords, which I paired with one of our new Desigual Purpura jumpers. It’s so pretty and I thought if it’s chilly I can always wear the top with my stretchy practice dance pants for Sunday morning’s lesson…which I did as it snowed…AGAIN! So, my lovely green & purple and sparkly jumper came in twice!
It fairly much epitomises what I love so much about Desigual. It’s a simple fine knit sweater but the devil is in the detail – metallic thread and extraordinary print.
L-R: Lebanon, Purpura & Anthea tops, all from Desigual.
As Friday was a ‘smart-casual’ social dinner & dance evening, I opted for some wide-legged black trousers with a silk cummerbund waistband (kindly donated by Jodie!) and teamed those with a black Desigual shirt.
It may sound somewhat sombre but the shirt has to be one of my all time favourite pieces from Desigual. The ‘Anthea’ is gorgeous, semi sheer burnout velvet with embroidery at cuffs and tie neck, which can be pussy bowed or loosely tied – which I opted for. Again, no bling required and the shirt did all the work – it was elegant enough for dinner and cool enough for Tangoing. We’ve only got a couple left so you lovely eclecticats like it too!
By Saturday morning I had a pretty good idea that I hadn’t over thought it and over dressed at all. Both ladies and gents all made an effort and obviously enjoyed dressing the part as much as me.
I was relieved to have taken a rather summery top for lessons on Saturday. We worked hard and the heating was cranked up to Buenos Aires temperature as the snow fell outside. I’d chosen the Desigual Lebanon top for a couple of reasons; it’s super lightweight and non crease, so perfect for weekending. It’s also brilliant for layering as you can see on the website link, so if it had been chilly I had a polo to pop under (which I did for the journey home).
It’s loose and comfy and so great for moving in and obviously, it’s totally beautiful! It’s super feminine and the colours are great for a hot Summer. (whenever that arrives!)
My piece de resistance for Saturday night was a no brainer really. I remember when we went to order this Season’s goodies this dress jumped off the rails at us both and said ‘BUY ME’! It is LOUD, somewhat bonkers and not for anyone shy and retiring who wishes to blend into a crowd. It is also STUNNING. The Macarena Dress! (Technically the wrong dance but right continent, so close enough for me). However alternative this dress may actually look as it’s extremely bright in terms of pattern and colour, it’s actually quite modest and flattering.
Arms are covered. It’s knee length and the empire/high line waist band and layering at front does hide tums! I felt absolutely amazing in it and it totally worked for our Milonga style tango dance on Saturday night. Oh, and I have worn it since and felt equally great too – so it’s not just going to sit in the wardrobe this one. Another massive plus – it doesn’t need ironing!
Although I chose my pieces for a specific weekend away, where they all worked wonderfully for me, the whole exercise of planning and thinking about my outfits was really enjoyable and so much fun too. I realise that I’m a bit rubbish at this most of the time and tend to throw together bits and pretty much hope! But by really thinking about what the tops can be worn with, I made two tops do for a whole weekend and felt they worked hard for me. As per -the English weather threw all kinds at us and by layering a short-sleeved top and careful pairing of my sweater I saved lugging a load of stuff around that got brought home unworn. My dress is very special, so perfect for any parties this year and I’ll also wear it if I’m lucky enough to go for a ‘posh’ meal as it hides my tum! Oh and obviously for dancing in again.
Vicki.x
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