The Dressr

A blog from the creators of The Craptacular, who love clothes, theater, travel, and the city of New York. Not necessarily in that order. Life is not a rehearsal. Dress that way.

[thedressr]

L and I separated to see The Qualms this week. She went Sunday, I went Wednesday.

In summer, I can’t wear necklaces because my skin FREAKS OUT, so rings and earrings become all the more important to me. And last night, they kind of stole the show. Because as it turns out, I am so incapable of watching people be uncomfortable (even actors playing characters on the stage) that I spent most of the show with my hands over my face, watching through my fingers. So these rings, which I picked up on a recent trip to Charlotte, were front-and-center in my whole style sitch last night. Moreso than I expected.

Speaking of actors playing characters on stage-- the performances in The Qualms were excellent. To the extent that I had real, physical reactions to their feelings, which were literally palpable from the stage. Jeremy Shamos was excellent, as ever and always, playing that everyman you grow to hate. But Donna Lynne Champlin, Kate Arrington and Andy Lucien killed it, too. Really. Everyone was great. And necessary when the play is about a swinging sex party that devolves into a shouting match of ideals.

Arrow midi-ring: Bevello. Gold ring: Charming Charlie.

[thedressr]

Everyone should wear seersucker to the theater I'm summer. Also, this play, The Qualms, has some major normcore costuming going on.

[thedressr]

How to take the theater with you when you travel.

[thedressr]

A week at the theater... 

Seen: A New Brain, Of Good Stock

With: mildlybitter and ninedaves

At: City Center, Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center, Wine:30

[thedressr]

Theater Tripping: New Hope, PA breakfast club (Fred’s) and Red Bank, NJ.

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Theater Tripping: Vans, toeing the line between states.

[thedressr]

Theater Tripping: Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA.

[thedressr]

Tonys 2015: The Morning After

Listen, after a night of celebrating like the world is about to end, and drinking all the champagne the world has ever seen, and watching the sun rise before the party has even shut down, the morning after is always a dicey situation.

I walked into my apartment around 8a and made a beeline for my bedroom as my roommates were getting dressed and heading out for work (yikes!). Around 11 I woke up face-down on my bed in underwear, a trail of clothes behind me leading back to the door.

After getting my dresses into the packages Rent the Runway provided and getting them to UPS before noon (thank god there’s a UPS around the corner!) I stayed awake just long enough to chug 32oz of Gatorade and then go back to sleep.

I woke again just before 5p and dipped into my recovery supplies: caffeine, hydration, and carbs, with an extra strength Tylenol chaser, natch. Once the headache was gone I felt largely human again (if a little sore from the previous day’s workout and all that standing in heels) and managed to get my roses, probably stolen from an arrangement at the Carlyle (who knows, they were handed to me by some very lovely gentlemen), into some water before crashing back into bed.

Because bed really is the only place to recover.

Well, that is, until you need to hit the bar again because the USWNT is playing their first World Cup match, which just cannot be missed.

xM

[thedressr]

Tonys 2015: The Parties in a Handful of Shitty Pics

Top to bottom:

Drinks at the Fun Home party. Check out that gorgeous champagne coupe they have at Tanner Smith’s!

Andrew Andrew showing off their unique glassware at The Carlyle. Because when the party runs out of actual glasses, you drink your champagne out of whatever you can. Like a mini Schweppes bottle.

One of my handsome companions for the evening.

A Steve Tate Photobomb at ass-am, as the sun is rising, and we are still going strong. Or drunk. Going drunk.

Morning view out the windows of The Carlyle over the park. I think we went home not long after this? Who knows. It was a night. And we did hit the diner before bed. Because necessary.

xM

[thedressr]

Tonys 2015: The Outfit in Action

Accessories assemble! God. I love jewelry. And I was super happy with how this motley assortment of jewels turned out. Even though I was running late for my viewing party with friends, and had totally forgot to bring the bottle of champagne I’d picked up for my host (Steve Tate, of Tate Theatrics/The Atlantic Theater, natch).

And here’s a full shot of the outfit, minus the clutch. God the fuck knows what I’m actually looking at, or pretending to look at, but you know, whatevs. A girl posts the pics that she must, and this one had the best focus/angle on the dress. Also, let’s talk about how dress, while a bit big in the top, was so comfortable I cannot even believe it. I wish I owned this beauty instead of just renting. And the pockets!

Anyway. I felt like a million bucks that night. And every second of the brainstorming and prep came into place exactly as I wanted it to. Which is good news, because I was wearing this outfit for another 14 hours from this point on, so... I better be feeling good in it!

xM

PS. Check out the truly amazing assortment of locks on Steve’s old-school New York apartment door.

Dress photo: Katie Riegel

[thedressr]

Tony Prep

Getting ready for the Tonys is like getting ready for prom except without all the drama. AKA, all the good stuff, none of the bullshit. I’d have to say this is one of the major perks of adulthood-- dialing back on the unnecessary drama.

I started with Paintbox manis with one of my best friends on Saturday. Paintbox does all this gorgeous nail design, but, more importantly, they treat their employees ethically, so you can feel good about where your money is going. (PS. If you haven’t read this amazing/insane/horrifying investigative report on the horrible conditions in New York nail salons, drop everything and do so now.)

I went with the ‘Electric Feel’ design from the Paintbox menu, with the triangle in a shade of pink/purple designed to match my lipstick for the evening. If you look closely you can even see traces of where I’d swatched the color on my hand for my amazing nail artist. A few glasses of prosecco and a relaxing mani with a friend was an amazing way to spend my Saturday afternoon. 

On Sunday morning I couldn’t sleep in, no matter how hard I tried, so to burn some excited energy, I did a few 7-Minute Workout circuits and some Hatha Yoga. (Gentle Hatha for Hips on YogaDownload.com, holla!) Then I showered, treated myself to an at-home mini-facial (that Alba scrub is a pretty good dupe for the much spendier Kiehls Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub), and hit Drybar.

Drybar, you guys, Drybar. Like Paintbox, there is booze -- I always go with a mimosa -- and like Paintbox, they specialize in one specific thing. In this case, the blowout. I showed my stylist that Sienna Miller pic and she went to town. Drybar always feels so indulgent and relaxing that I basically fall asleep in the chair. It’s amazing! Plus, with my hair I get about 4 days out of a blowout, so it’s well, well, well worth the $40 pricetag. I just adore that place. 

You know what I also adore? My Quay sunglasses. Because when my sunglasses are mirrored, no one can see me judging them ;) JK. Okay. Maybe not JK. But it also protects me when I’m staring at attractive gentlemen, so...

Anyway, after that, it was home to get all gussied up before the parties. I am makeup OBSESSED, so I usually do my own, and the Tonys were no exception this year. I can’t believe I’m sharing a fully makeup-less selfie here (My non-existent red eyelashes! My zits!) but it is kind of amazing to see the change once I’ve got a full face on. Lots of Bare Minerals, Urban Decay and, of course, my new MAC lippie (Rebel, with Nightingale liner) up in that finished look.

I kind of go all-out for the Tonys, even when we’re not covering the carpet. (And this year, we weren’t.) Maybe it’s because I love any excuse to put on a gown and get my hair did. Maybe it’s just because I don’t want to look like an idiot at the parties. Maybe it’s a bit of both. But nothing is more fun than getting ready for the Tonys (esp on a year we’re not covering the carpet!). I get to indulge in all the stuff I love, and then party all night, I mean... What about that isn’t fun, right?!

xM

[thedressr]

Tonys Accessories

Because they’re almost more important than the dress. At least if you’re me.

Anyway. Back to the color wheel! As soon as I picked a navy dress, I knew immediately what jewelry I wanted to wear. Because honestly, who doesn’t own several items of neon orange Bakelite jewelry, right? (Okay, so I may have a jewelry problem...) And with the orange being a nice contrasting color, I knew I was set with these J Crew earrings, and the H&M ring. I threw in my trusty BaubleBar Mason ring for some right hand flare/sparkle.

Shoes were harder. I wanted something strappy, but it also had to have a heel height that I could manage through upwards of 7 hours on my feet. Because I am NOT taking my shoes off in front of Tony winners, you know? Still, it couldn’t look orthopedic, either.

Once I found the Nevrstp at Steve Madden, I knew I had found the shoe. But then hemmed and hawed on whether I wanted to go nude so my legs would look six miles long, or steal a styling note from the RtR team and go with black. Ultimately friends talked me into black. (Of note: those puppies made it for the long haul-- I put them on at 6p and kept them on till 8a.)

The bag was another easy call, because I have the best best friend/business partner/platonic life partner in the world, and Lucky gifted me that sick C Wonder evil eye clutch for Christmas this year. It fit an external phone charger, touch-up supplies, sunglasses, a pen, and a wallet with no trouble at all.

xM

[thedressr]

Tonys 2015 outfit inspo.

It all started with the dress (which I rented from Rent the Runway about a month before the show). The brainstorming and style-stealing just spun out from there.

Since the weather was going to be nice -- not too hot, not too hair-meltingly humid -- I realized I could go for a blowout and not an updo this year. That’s when my obsession with the undercut (and current short-cropped hairstyle) lead me to this Sienna Miller snap. I could totally fake an undercut! The only change I made was to add a braid on the side to ensure it’d stay tight to my head all night with zero effort or attention.

And god, when I saw this lip on Emilia Clarke! First of all, I wanted that lipstick immediately. And then I realized it was actually perfect for the Tonys -- the rich purple-pink an analogous color to navy -- and boom, there was my excuse to hit MAC for a new lippie. I even riffed on that lipstick color in my manicure!

xM