OOTD: A fairy among mermaids

Last night, I went to The Cahd-fish Ball: A Mermaid Gala and Undersea Performance Spectacular. Since I only decided to go the day before, I didn’t have much time to put together a mermaid, pirate, or sailor costume, so I just went with what was easiest for me: dressing like some combination of a woodland fairy and a cupcake.

I meant to wear my fairy wings, but I had only an hour to get ready between work and the show, and I couldn’t manage to find them.

Dress: ASOS Curve, fascinator: ASOS, shoes: Clark’s, necklace: Forever 21, earrings: ??, purse: from the Hello Kitty kiosk in the Prudential Mall ages ago, rose bangle: H&M, rose beaded bracelet: homemade, pink rhinestone ball bracelet: from a clothing swap, bangles: Deb, pink rose ring: The Tiny Teapot, silver rose ring: ancient

I am so, so, so in love with this dress. It’s a size smaller than I usually wear, because my regular size (22) was sold out, but luckily it lives up to ASOS’ reputation for running large.

Unlike most lace dresses that I’ve worn, the lace is soft and not at all itchy. Whatever this material is, it should be used to make every dress ever.

It’s funny how much more I feel like myself when I’m wearing a giant flower on my head.

The wristband they gave me at the door was pink too!

The show was a lot of fun. It was a smaller crowd than I expected, but an enthusiastic one. There were so many awesome costumes, from my friend Jojo who dressed up as a pink pirate to a woman dressed as a jellyfish to a whole bunch of gorgeous, iridescent, be-sequinned mermaids.

And the performances were fabulous. I love that in Boston’s burlesque scene, there are dancers of all shapes and sizes and no one bats an eyelash. So I got to watch multiple women who look like me shaking their booties while dressed as various sea creatures. I especially liked Femme Brulee‘s acts: in one, she disentangled herself from a giant octopus, and in other, she was an exceedingly sparkly lobster. I love how her performances are so kitschy and humorous, but simultaneously sexy.

There was so much creativity on display throughout the show, from a terrifically creepy lava-mermaid to a skit featuring a narwhal and unicorn in love (a theme which is near and dear to my heart). And as someone who grew up on Mel Brooks movies, I was so happy when the emcee, Niki Luparelli, broke out into “I’m Tired” from Blazing Saddles. “Let’s face it, everything below the mermaid tail is kaput!”

I didn’t get any pictures of the other attendees’ costumes because the lighting was so dark, and I was too busy enjoying the show to take pictures of it, but I’m sure there will pictures online soon. I’ll link to them whenever I find them. (Updated 8/6/14 to add: here is a great photo album from the show!) I did get two selfies in the bathroom, which is painted a goth-tastic shade of purple: