Dress: Forever 21 // Jacket: Forever 21 // Earrings: Jeweliq // Shoes: Target // Bracelets: BaubleBar + Julie Vos // Bag: Rebecca Minkoff
It doesn’t quite feel like Christmas until I’ve gone to The Nutcracker. Ever since my grandmother took me to see The Sacramento Ballet’s production of the Christmas classic almost 20 years ago, I’ve had a minor obsession with it. I named my dog Clarabelle after the main character Clara, and my house is currently filled with the Nutcrackers I’ve collected over the years. I make sure to see it at least once a year, and I made Max promise that if we moved to Iowa, he would take me to see The Nutcracker at the Joffrey in Chicago.
While I missed seeing my beloved San Francisco Ballet’s art deco-inspired and historic production (not to mention Maria Kochetkova‘s Grand Pas de Deux), I am always happy to experience a new interpretation. Besides absolutely adoring the dancing itself, I love the ritual of going to the ballet. I love getting dressed up, eating a delicious dinner followed by a glass of Champaign at intermission, and perusing the gift shop to pick out a new Nutcracker to add to my collection.
Usually, I have my Nutcracker dress picked out weeks in advance, but this year I was at a loss. I waited until the last minute to decide what to wear, and ultimately forgot to pack anything suitable for my trip to Chicago. I had a bit of Christmas shopping to finish up in the city, so while I was out, I stopped by Forever 21 and picked up this cranberry pleated maxi dress along with this faux-fur-and-leather jacket. Since the temperature was in the 20s, I was desperate to find something warm to wear without looking like I was completely bundled up. Luckily, this combo fit the bill perfectly, and I spent a lovely night all dressed up with my beau and my favorite ballet characters.
