you can go with this or you can go with that.

this post has been in my head since thursday, when i had am immediate response to the shoe question i put up on twitter/facebook...

it got an overwhelming "shoe!!"

{i'd also like to point out that i'm wearing an unnecessary scarf.}

so i figured that if i could have all my friends with me while shoe shopping, why not bring them along for trying on dresses for an event, right??

see, i've got this work-related black tie event to go to tomorrow night in DC. and even though it may sound super duper fun, i will likely know no one there, and steve can't make it, so i'm feeling like the girl with no friends who is headed to prom without a date. i mean seriously, who even does black tie anyway?? rich people. that's who. rich people in DC.

so to compensate for my feeling a little like a fish out of water, i need a little help choosing my dress, so that i can have a little extra confidence. i know you know how the right outfit can do that for you.

when i looked up what black tie meant for women, the internet said a cocktail dress. which i feel like can be anything. so i looked in my closet and came up with two likely contenders. and i put them on with shoes, and took grainy pictures with my trusty (but oft annoying) iphone. no scary mustache this time--i just cropped my make-up-less head out of the shots :)

so what do you think?? should i go with this??

this dress is velvet in the skirt and some kind of sheeny fabric up top (not silk or satin because it's washable, but nice nonetheless.) the fabric makes it feel right for this time of year and i can wear normal bra plus make-me-skinnier tank top. it also makes me look a little like joan on mad men. would likely wear with short pearl necklace.

...or should i go with that??

this one is lighter, the fabric being matte jersey. and while the photo tends to make it look a little more conservative than the first, the drapey-ness can tend to show off a little cleave if you know what i mean. i can wear a normal bra, but can't wear a make-me-skinnier tank top because of the deep-V neckline. the neckline and big broach thingy can be a challenge for coordinating accessories. but this one can kinda feel sexier. but i can't decide if it's "i'm young and i'm comfortable being a curvy woman, even at a work event" kind of sexy, or "i'm young, and just moved here from the west coast, and i clearly think this is LA--in a bad way" kind of sexy.

so what do you think?? i know that the photos are terrible. but help a sister out here :)

also, i now have the fatboy slim "weapon of choice" song stuck in my head ... "you can go with this, or your can go with that..." and here's some christopher walken craziness if you have it in your head too.