Oooooh - I assume you're in sunny greece now laska - Happy Holidays! 
soups - Yay - glad you're feeling better today, and that you (nearly) got everything you needed for DD. I agree with the others - the dresses are lovely on you, especially the blue boden one and the Phase 8. yy, the colouring is great on you. I would probably pick out one of the colours of the spots for a bag? Or just a blush one - but that could look a bit wedding-y? I agree with justi that the "rules" for black tie are pretty much just about anything smart these days, and I think the dress will fit in nicely... I've been to a few black ties for work (awards dinners etc..yawn), and long dresses are definitely the exception. Most ladies have knee length dresses, not just black - though there do tend to be a lot of those - though probably depends on the time of year and the nature of the event (work-y). Plain, or with a small pattern like those spots, or textured with lace etc are more common than patterned/ flowered though. For one I had a dress sort of like this style, but plain cornflower blue rather than purple and spotty and I didn't feel out of place - and that's a similar idea to yours.
nink - hello! Impressed at your ebaying. That is very organised of you - and definitely makes buying things less painful, even though you have been very restrained. The blazer is lovely, and looks like it will work with loads of outfits.
never - I have the lightweight v vest in green and olive, and got S for both, which is my usual size in hush tees. I didn't want it to gape under the arms, which can happen with larger tops - and that size is fine for me. I'm not very norky though.