Dressing up and Learning to Jive: An Outfit Post

I decided to listen to a reader request I got in the comments of one of my recent posts and show you all what I wore to Rock 'n' Roll Dance Club on Friday night. I have gone to quite a few of these so far this year and probably wore nicer outfits to some of the earlier ones, but honestly didn't think to get photos of them. I might "recycle" these outfits (Kate Middleton style)  in the future anyway, so if I decide to do a weekly or fortnightly outfit post you will probably get to see these outfits at some point.

I was supposed to get a haircut yesterday so I made my hair look shorter and neater by using a curling iron to curl the fringe under and curl the side sections away from my face. I then pin-curled them so that I could set the curl and sprayed with some hair-spray. I don't usually style my hair using heat tools, but I decided to try it since watching This Video. I used a VS Sassoon Mini-curling iron which was given to me as a Xmas gift back when I had bobbed hair. I  usually just use water, mousse and pin-curl the sections wet to style them.

My outfit isn't really what you would typically expect of a rock 'n' roll lesson. Dressing up in 1950's gear is encouraged, but it isn't a requirement. I wouldn't call this outfit rockabilly and to be honest I couldn't even pin-point an era this would fit into. I mainly just wanted to wear orange and black because my nails are orange and black at the moment. I fished through my wardrobe for vintage- appropriate clothing items that fit the colour scheme and this is what I managed to find. I added the black ribbon to create more of a 1950's silhouette. 

I went looking on Pinterest before I wrote this post to possibly see where in time an outfit like this could have existed. There were  a few small similarities between my outfit and some of the early-mid 1950s Balenciaga designs. Peplum designs, pleated tulle and ruffled chiffon are all features of the Balenciaga designs, however having three straps over each shoulder probably isn't. Also, Burnt orange is more of a late 1950s colour. 

I only own a few orange clothing items and I don't wear them very often. After looking at the photo's from Friday night I think I might like to get some more. I really like the way orange (especially darker orange) looks on me. As you can see, I kept it pretty simple with only a few accessories. If you are going to be dancing you don't want your accessories to get in the way!

I wore:

-Pointy-Toe Shoes from Big W

-Tulle Skirt from Fashion Fair

-Orange Top from Cotton On

-Black Singlet from Target

-Black Ribbon from a Target blouse

*please note* most of these items are from purchases that happened at least 6 Months ago, and are probably no longer available.

^I got this brooch of Ebay. I have a bunch of these deer brooches in different colours. Sometimes I like to wear a brooch to keep clothing items in place, such as singlety-tops that have a tendency to slide down at the front on me. I wore some Avon pearl studs that were a cream/peach colour. I didn't wear any other jewelry because I didn't want it sticking to my skin, making noise or moving while I danced. 

^ This bag is another ebay purchase. It has a suede front and gold detail, which goes really well with my faux suede shoes. I take this bag every week because it is a good size. I would like to take clutch purses instead, but this bag comfortably fits a cardigan, my wallet, my medication, phone and lipstick inside. 

^This is the nail art design I was sporting on Friday night. 

~What I Used~

base coat: nicole by opi base coat plus

base colour- top speed nail enamel by Revlon in 'charmed' 

stamping polish: liquid leather by china glaze 

glitter polish: polka player by MUD

stamping plate MoYou tourist collection 21 and Moyou kitty collection 11

top coat: cutex quick try top coat with Revlon quick dry top coat over the top

^Here is a photo of my nails that was taken with flash on. I love the gold shimmers in this polish!

^Here is a Close-up of my make-up. The lighting was not the best. 

I Wore:

- Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in 'Light Vanilla'

- Avon Extra Long Lasting Concealer in Fair

- NYX Under Eye Concealer in Light

-SAVVY Translucent Loose Mineral Powder

- Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder in Ivory

- Sleek Blush Trio in 'Lace' (The orange one)

- Sleek Contour Kit in Light

-Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Taupe' (brows)

- Avon Brow Kit in 'Dark Brown'

-Sleek Waterproof Mascara in 'Clear' (brows)

- Limecrime Eyeshadow Helper (waterproof)

- Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Barely Branded' (base for lid)

-Chi Chi Bases Palette (lid and inner corner)

-Milani Bella Eyeshadow in 'Bella White' (browbone), 'Bella Caffe' (Transition), 'Bella Mandarin' (Outer corner)

-Chi Chi Baked Eyeshadow in a taupe colour (crease)

-Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner in Black

-NYX Doll Eye Mascara in Waterproof Version (Top lashes)

-Maybelline Great Lash in Waterproof Version (Bottom lashes)

-Besame Lipstick in 'Carmine'

Way too many products for what seems like a simple look. I have had some break-outs recently and under my eyes was really dark, so it was a bit of a struggle to cover that all up. I am also due to get my eyebrows done, so I did the best I could to define them. My favourite thing about this look is the lip-colour. I adore the Besame lipsticks and I hope to review them soon (maybe one day when there aren't a bunch of clouds in the sky) and show you what they're all about. 

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Rock 'n' Roll Dance Club is a social night, but at the moment it's more like a class because we're all learning. It's a really relaxed use of the word class though, because you only have to learn if you really want to. Some people just come along to watch. Mostly older people go (I'm guessing in the age group of 50 + years) and some of the girls who did the pin-up competition with me sometimes go. There aren't really any people in my age group who are interested in going or that have enough confidence to try it out. Though I'm not really interested in going out to nightclubs, so I guess I can't  blame them. I'm hoping more people will become interested and won't be afraid to try this fun dance style. 

As for the style, it's kind of all over the place. According to one of the people teaching the styles we are learning all fit under the Rock 'n' roll umbrella. The Styles I'm learning include Jive, Rockabilly, Lindy Hop, Cha Cha and four-step (I don't know if that one has another name). There is also a possibility that I might get to learn Swing, Jitterbug and Boogie Woogie. The music we dance to is usually 1950s or 60s stuff  by the likes of Jerry Lee Louis, Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, The Beatles, etc. And, at some point in the night Tina Turner's voice radiates from the speaker while we all dance to 'The Nutbush'.

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^Here is a picture of famous 1950's model Dovima wearing a Balenciaga dress. I often think of this dress when I wear tulle or when I am painting on my black eyeliner. Dovima looks so glamorous and elegant in photos and I love the way she had her make-up painted on. 

Please let me know if you'd like to see more posts like this in the future. What is a colour that you would like to wear more often?

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie