Island party + cash bar = What do I wear?!?

Oh no! You have some sort of out-of-state event to attend and you don't know what to wear! Lets imagine its a 2 day long event... lets imagine its a reunion... lets imagine that you want to get ALL of your shopping done for this fictitious reunion done at ONE shopping center... lets imagine you live in West Babylon and so you'd like to do all of your shopping at the South Bay shopping center in Babylon. Remember, this is all hypothetical. Well, fear not - I have some picks for you (the archetypal "you" as I've mentioned this is not directed at a specific person at all, Christine)

Now, the first evening of the "reunion" in my fake story involves some sort of kick off party, with light Hors d'ouerves, a cash bar and casual attire. Now, while I'm appalled at the very notion of a cash bar, this is what I would wear to such an event.

I have two choices. Now, its a reunion, so I want to feel thin. I always feel thinnest in pants (as they cover my ham hocks) that are a DARK color. Jeans are especially lovely b/c they're a heavy fabric that suck me in. I'd pair some trouser jeans with a flowy top. Both here are from Loft (all of the items here can be found at the stores at South Bay shopping center!)







As a second option, I sometimes like to throw on the combination of a loose skirt, a tank, and a little sweater. Now, I actually own all of the items below, from Loft. The skirt is NOT nearly as short as it appears here. Regarding that tank top - it may look like a plain old white tank, but it has nice, thick straps that allow you to wear a good bra beneath it. I wouldn't necessarily put these colors together, but the white skirt looked mediocre in the picture so I chose the brown. (note - I own the white version of it and it is NOT mediocre!)

With both outfits, I'd choose a super casual flat shoe, like my favorite Havaianaiaiaas flip flops.

Now, perhaps the second night of the reunion extravaganza is something like... oh, I don't know... A Celebration!! Reception!! Cash bar. Class Photo!! Dinner!! Dancing!! Island Party Attire!! You may ask yourself, what in the hell is Island party attire? Well, I have no clue, but if I were invited to an island party I'd wear some sort of tropical looking dress. Here are a few Island party-ish dresses that I'd choose:

Loft:

NY&Co (note - it comes in several other very tropical color combinations)

Dress Barn:

Dress Barn:

Now, if it gets chilly, or if you just prefer to have your upper arms covered, carry a sweater or bolero with you that night.

Dress Barn:

Loft (ps - I own that zebra top and I LOVE it. I think its on clearance now! Go buy!)

I don't know if you're like me or not, but lately my knees just cannot handle high heels. These are flat but very dressy and adorable. From Loft.

These are very cute denim wedges, from Payless.

And a simple brown high heeled sandal, also from Payless.

Don't make me angry and carry your regular purse with any of these outfits - on both Island Party day or light Hor d'ourves cash bar day! These cute little clutches are from NY&Co.

Hope this helps :) Have a great time and enjoy some rice pudding while you're there!