2011 inaugural ball

(Sugarbush Resort)

On Friday night, I attended the Governor's Inaugural Ball. It. was. awesome. My parents were staying the night at Sugarbush Resort (where the Ball was held), so K and I stopped in to visit, have some champagne, and help my mother decide which of her many pairs of new shoes to wear. I will apologize in advance for taking absolutely no pictures during the event--I decided it probably wasn't that kind of party and I didn't have anywhere to store my camera when it wasn't against my eyeball. I also apologize for the terrible quality of the outfit photos I did manage to capture that evening--ambient light in a rustic ski lodge does not make for ideal photo-taking conditions.

on me: [dress] modcloth; [tights] gift, diy; [shoes] charlotte russe; [headband] forever 21; [rings] modcloth/gift

on mom: [dress] macy's; [shoes] the shoe dept

We headed down to the party around 7:30, grabbed a couple glasses of bubbly (gals) and beer (guys) from the bar, and went in search of snacks. Mom and dad were busy catching up with political pals, so K and I ventured into another room of the lodge, where we found a spread of Vermont cheeses, amaaazing grilled cheese sandwiches with mustard, little flaky tarts with ham (I abstained), and more champagne. To make up for my complete camera abandonment, here is a little video that Sugarbush put together after the event:

Around 9 PM, Governor Shumlin made a speech in the ballroom to kick off the entertainment. I couldn't hear very well because we were so far away, but as people began to file out after the speech, K and I managed to push our way through the crowd and get into prime dancing position right in front of the stage. The band was amazing (Dave Grippo Funk Band), and we danced all night long (well, at least until my shoes started to strangle my feet around 11:30...).

It was a really great event, and I kind of feel like an Inaugural Ball in any other state would be a stuffy, snooty affair--this was anything but. There was really great energy in the air and the turnout was a surprising mix of young people and older statesmen, all boogie-ing like maniacs on the dance floor. As far as my outfit was concerned, I have to say that the tights did not turn out exactly as I imagined them. Originally I wanted the tights to be opaque (probably in red or grey), but couldn't figure out how to attach the strip of feathers without causing serious runs. Instead, I stitched the feathers onto a pair of patterned tights and planned to layer them over the opaque red, but that just looked strange. Oh well! They were still a big hit--a couple of women in the bathroom even bowed to me when I told them I had sewed the feathers on myself.

Also, the skirts on all of my Modcloth dresses are so much fun! They're incredibly flowy and flirty and swingy--perfect for dancing the night away! This one was appropriately named the "I Just Wanna Dance" dress, and it was perfectly suited to a night of stiletto-stomping funk :)