Autumn Sparkles

Photography by Roz Alcazar

If there is something I learned about myself over the past year and a half, is that I like my outfits to stand out. Colors, sequins, embroidery, silk, you name it. As long as it’s special, I am there. Which takes me to today’s outfit story.

It was very late night in Paris. The clock was almost hitting 3AM. We’ve had quite a few drinks and I was just so happy to feel alive again. My first trip after COVID. As I stared at the crowds sitting outside the bistro where I am at, I can’t believe everything that we’ve been through over the past 24 months.

The Parisiennes are back to business. Big groups of friends are gathering again, and they are all talking and laughing loudly to each other, smoking cigarettes and drinking wine to no end.

As I am taking in my surroundings whilst sipping my glass of red wine, a couple walks in, and all of. a sudden, I am enchanted by the presence of this woman. She is hard to miss with that dress on. A little black dress, all paillete (sequins), a V cut both front and back, long puffy sleeves.

Wow, I am speechless. It is so shiny, the reflection (and my sight) follows her all the way to her table.

I need to know where this dress is from, I tell my friends. They have also noticed her and her dress and after one more sip of encouragement I stand up and walk to this gorgeous woman’s table.

She is surprised by my presence, she can’t locate where I am coming from. But when I tell her how she captivated me with her entrance to the cafe, she shyly smiles and thanks me for the compliment. ´It’s from &Other Stories, but I bought it over Christmas´, she tells me. I thank her for the input and walk back to my table.

The search has now began. Every fashionista will agree that a dress from a high street fashion store like stories will not have this sort of dress in stock for long, so I will need to get crafty to find it, and I love it. There is nothing more enticing than a good search for the perfect dress. The more difficult, the better.

Unsurprisingly, the dress is nowhere to be seen on the company’s site. But to my surprise, as I continue my hunt for this LBD, I find it on my size on eBay.

It was clearly meant to be. Perfect, pre-owned and a third of the price. What’s not to love about second-hand shopping?

TCB xx