I've got the dress and the shoes but need your help with everything else.

[bozza]

DH has sprung a black tie dinner on me a week on Friday which is bad timing re, everything else going on and sorting out a babysitter and getting to Manchester and glammed up between 3.30 (school) and 7.30 pm.

Anyway I have got a dress from TKMaxx and some shoes that I bought at Christmas. The dress is black, with spaghetti straps, mid-calf with beading around the top and mid way down the skirt. The beading is sort of black with a metallic tint. The shoes are silver satin peeptoes, with a black and crystal brooch on the front.

So I reckon I need:
a bag
possibly some costume jewellry (have a necklace that might do)
underwear - control knickers and strapless bra
to do something with my milkbottle legs (would you recommend toe-less tights or fake tan?)
a wrap (DH says shrugs don't suit me due to broad shoulders making me look square)
to decide what to do with my hair (it is past shoulder length so should it be up or down?)
to decide what colour nail varnish on fingers and toes

They had a silver purse with sequins on in Next (was really more of a clutch bag with one of those wrist straps) for £13 which I quite liked. I also wondered about this Debenhams ones

If I have a black dress and silver shoes, should I also get silver bag and wrap or is that taking the silver accessory thing too far?

Please help me sort this lot out, in among sorting out my DD's birthday and her party which is the same weekend, my wedding anniversary etc etc.

Please help.

I'd go for black accessories - when it comes to silver with black Less is usually More.
I like the Next bag with the spangles but a plain satin one would do just as well.
See if you can get away without a wrap, but if you get one get black.

As the dress is beaded and has a brooch on the front I'd be tempted to wear long silvery earrings and no necklace.

With the time constraint I'd say hair up as you can do it yourself - if it's down it'll probably need a professional blowdry (unless you are v good) to look appropriately elegant.

Get your legs spraytanned at the weekend - toeless tights are a bad bad thing.

Clear or nude pearly varnish on nails and toes, nothing else neccessary - colour looks tryhard and/or chips before you get there.

I am small of nork and reasonably pert of arse so usually go bare under slinky dresses, but if you are not get to M&S and/or Debenhams and get big magic pants and a really good bra.

Thanks MrsB you are always so helpful. The brooch is on the shoes not on the dress, sorry if that was not clear. Although the dress is beaded it is not all that flamboyant.

I do not have pierced ears so can't really do earrings. I have a fairly simple crystal necklace I was thinking of. I thought that the tights would probably be a nono. If I get a spray tan done this weekend will it last until the following Friday? Or should I try to get an appt on the Thursday evening (Tues is DD's birthday, Weds is my wedding anniversary).

I am smallish of nork but saggy and OK of arse but not great on the belly.

ah right
necklace sounds fine - try it and visit Claires' for a top-up of bling if need be

a spray tan should certainly last a week - top up with Johnsons' Holiday Skin or similar

re bra try a multiway strapless underwired one thus (useful for going under lots of things)

Agree with MrsB's advice, also try Accessorize for necklaces and evening bags.
Have use the M&S bra linked to and is good.
Might also suggest using a v dark pink/red nail polish on your toes to add a bit of colour.
If no time for spray tan you could always do fake tan yourself...
Would a metallic shrug/wrap work with the dress? Monsoon often has this type of thing to go with evening dresses and you can look/order on line too.

Thanks. Would you believe it, I have only just come back to this thread and have bought that very bra in M&S in my lunch hour. I took the dress and tried it on with the bra underneath and it definitely gives me some lift, which also means that the rest of me looks thinner in comparison IYSWIM. I also tried control knickers etc but they just seemed to give me lines where they ended. The dress is not particularly tight so I think you might be right, MrsB, and I might be brave and go commando because that was the best look. DH would certainly be impressed.

I might ring up about getting a spray tan done then, and I also have some Johnson's in already. Can they vary how dark they go on a spray tan? I am very fair and don't want to end up orange?