Bring back the ball skirt
Chic, but comfortable formal wear cannot be beat.
My grandmother was an endlessly chic woman. A few years ago when she passed, my sisters, cousins, and I spent some time divvying up spoils from her three closets. Her closet in Connecticut was mainly filled with her casual weekend clothes (think lots of 80s/90s Polo Ralph Lauren and t-shirts from local establishments). While her closet in Palm Beach held brightly colored polos, Armani dinner jackets, and chunky costume jewelry. But the real winner was her closet in New York City. Here we found her collection of sleek formal wear. And within this collection, her store of ball skirts.
What is a ball skirt you ask? It is basically a ball gown cut in half. You get the flouncy, full skirt without the hassle of the constricting ball gown top (who wants to wear strapless anyways?). You may have seen this expertly executed by Carolina Herrera. She is the queen of the ball skirt, almost always wearing a crisp white button down with a voluminous colorful satin skirt. Or maybe the other queen, Diane Keaton, donning a similar look.
This fall, I wore my grandmother's black satin ball skirt to a friend's wedding. On top, I had on a black v-neck cotton long-sleeve from The Line By K and a pearl necklace strung on a black satin ribbon. I felt great in it. As someone who always dresses for comfort, this particular formal wear style is quite literally made for me. Since the skirt dresses up the outfit, you can get away with wearing a more casual shirt on top: try a white button down, a black long sleeve, maybe even a white ribbed tank top.
So take this as my formal cry to bring back the ball skirt! The best options will be pre-loved, like this Oscar de la Renta ball skirt that CZ Guest wore with a black long-sleeve to a dinner hosted by Pierre Cardin in 1990:
The same Oscar de la Renta skirt found on the RealReal (also, in a larger size sans pockets)
While you can find newer ball skirt styles, like this custom Parnell Mooney that Olivia Dean wore on stage (did I mention I spent hours scouring the internet to find where I could buy one for myself?).
The good ones tend to range from $1,500 to $4,000, so I would recommend sticking with The RealReal, Ebay, or Vestiaire for your ball skirt finds. I plucked a few options to share with you:
Courrèges Vintage Shocking Pink
Oscar de la Renta Electric Blue
Oscar de la Renta Chocolate Brown
Bill Blass Vintage Emerald Green
Vera Wang 90’s Berry Red Taffeta
Bill Blass Vintage Salmon Pink
Also, do you care where I am eating?
I grabbed a 5:45PM reservation at Caffe Zaffri on a random Wednesday night the other week. I ended up going alone, which I tend to like to do. You get the opportunity to take in the vibe of the room while eavesdropping on your neighbors conversations. For instance, I was sat next to a group of stylish 30-somethings who happened to be on the design team for the space. They mentioned they were supposed to open back in September but were severely delayed. Gasp!
I will say, the interiors are quite delish. They have their very own Tiffany & Co stained glass ceiling and matched the styling with burnt sienna velvets, deep wood accents, and floral wallpaper. I was less impressed by the food. While it was tasty, the price point was too high for my liking. I would go back, but need to give my wallet a little bit of a rest before doing so.
Also, do you care where I am drinking?
A few friends and I visited the Natural History Museum on the Upper West Side last Saturday. Side note: if you want to feel truly nostalgic (or like you are living in 90’s New York) go to the Natural History Museum. Aside from the new wing, the space feels like its barely been touched in years.
After our visit, my friend and I crossed through the park with the romantic idea of going to Bemelmans at The Carlyle for a martini. To our dismay, we weren’t the only ones. Even though it was 4PM on the dot, there was a line out the door of hopefuls waiting for a table. Whenever this happens, I walk down to Jaques Bar at the Lowell Hotel. It is comfortable, fancy-feeling and more importantly, you can almost always get a seat. Also, the crowd here is more local. Think older, uber-rich Upper East Siders. You are going to get a well-executed drink and imagine yourself as the proud owner of a Park Avenue home address.
