The clubs are like runaways of real girls wearing their best and are some of the trendiest and stylish pieces I’d come across. When I first started going out, I marveled and looked at my own clothes; I was determined to find dresses that were just as head-turning.

To quote Alicia Bridges from the 70s, “I love the nightlife, I like to boogy” whether its chill jazz lounge bars, trendy clubs bringing in house music talent from around the world, or art exhibition openings – I love to be anywhere that gives me an excuse to dress up.

I love dresses! I probably own too many of them and find them to be my greatest weakness. I have dresses for just about any occasion, including farmers’ market shopping, family get-togethers, and of course, clubbing.

I remember when I first ventured into the club scene I hadn’t really dabbled with shopping for a ‘raging’ wardrobe. I didn’t really own dresses outside of dressing for work, and for clubbing, resorted to some simple miniskirts and lose tops – in my typical palette of black and white of course. No real accessories, I owned one purple clutch and still can’t believe I wore summer wedges those first nights out. Aside from how stimulating I found the club experience to be–the light shows, the personalities housed, and of course the spins from the DJs – my favorite part of it all was getting to see lots and lots of dresses.

Like the fashion nerd I am, in the middle of sick drops by DJs, I would ask girls where they got their dresses. They came from everywhere, some popular places were bebe, American Apparel, shops in Melrose, and so many more. One I remember is a $50 Sweetheart Two-Toned Mini Dress in Coral Ice and Nude from American Apparel. It’s overpriced for its quality (and much of AA garments are but they are known for being more socially responsible) unfortunately, did not look good with my curves. It looked stunning on this girl wearing it though and prompted a great discussion in which she pointed out it was fun dress because the black on black version was so popular and she stood out with the hot pink. Agreed.

Since then I’ve been on the lookout for dresses that are out of the norm black palette. This one in particular is one of my latest findings brought to you by bebe. I name my dresses in the way men name their cars and boats. I call it my “Alice in Wonderland 3-D flower dress” because it is reminds me of the décor at Syrah Wine Parlor that is based on Alice in Wonderland.

The dress is a white rosette strapless dress that was purchased on clearance for $60.60, originally $89.99 and also includes a snap satin black belt embellished with a black bow at the center. It cinches at the waist but does heavens for hiding the panza because of the texture. I plan to fancy it up with some romantic like accessories like a headband, patterned tights, and black Mary Jane shoes, or with a black lace pump peep toe and rhinestone heel (yes, also bebe). Although not a daring color, the 3-D quality made from ruffled chiffon makes for a daring texture – making for the a-typical bodycon dress. Daring also because I’m at risk of having my roses painted red.

Typically as a tanchi, nightlife dresses aren’t too complicated to shop for in terms of sizing, perhaps that’s part of why I love dresses so much. It’s actually a lot of fun. I own many different styles, colors, fabrics, and all flatter a different part of my body. My go to still hails bebe.

Although the 3D flower dress is no longer available here are some other dresses currently available at bebe.com that I tried on in store. I’ve selected Alice in Wonderland themed dresses that are great dresses for the night out in town (especially to Syrah Wine Parlor).

“Alice going raging in neon dress”

Image from disneybound.tumblr.com

This is a rendition of Alice letting her down and going raging in San Diego. The dress is a simple great cut selling for $129. Click on the dress to see images of the back – it is open and also has black fabric straps similar to the cartoon Alice image above. All you would need left with this dress is a black belt, some glowsticks and Rayban ragers!

Image from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/darren-kennedy/

“A Date Night w/ Cheshire Cat 3-D dress”

Halters are great for tanchis and although the usually require an alteration, it is only a simple and inexpensive pinch on the top strap. Sometimes I use dental floss to pull it up and cover it with my hair when I don’t have time for a quick alteration. It’s an incredibly flattering dress with the 3-D flower aesthetic great for going out and also for a wedding/bridesmaid dress as well. On sale 40% off from $139.

The “Queen of Hearts dress” (literally showcasing the heart).

At first I didn’t think this would be fit or flare (Ponte Fit & Flare Dress), but I try on anything bebe stylist Geoffrey recommends. To my surprise I actually needed a size XS and the dress it one of the most flattering “little black dresses” I’ve ever tried on. The red (crimson) version is a great combination with black and also reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts’ dress from Alice in Wonderland. I was concerned that it would only be great for going out because of the long v-neck mesh plunge. However trying it on with some undergarments like bralettes and camis gives it a different sophistication. Great heavy textile and construction, it hides the panza so effortlessly. It’s very form fitting up top and the skirt starts slightly above the natural waist. It’s super sexy classy. Great for keeping is sexy classy in San Diego for $119.

Last but not least,

The “Going Down the Rabbit Hole Sequin Vegas Dress”

I want this dress for Vegas. A city for the ultimate living runways in nightclubs. The sequins are eye catching but yet again with bebe, they keep sequins classy. The “scrunchy” look of the dress hides the panza and the lines create a flattering shape and silhouette. It’s strapless so no alterations are needed. It’s a fun fun dress. Caution: The black fabric is shiny satin like and is not so stretchy which makes the dress run small. I sized up for this dress to a M. Currently an additional 30% off is being applied ot the sale price of $74.99 (originally $149.00)

A little throw back, watch “Painting the Roses Red”

Friday after work we stopped over at Syrah Wine Parlor (one of my favorite wine bars) and visited with a group of friends I haven’t seen in what feels like forever. My friend, Tressa, just took her bar exam and is finally back to being social. It was great to see her and I’m so proud of how dedicated she’s been lately. Congratulations!

After a couple hours at Syrah I had to leave to join some other friends for a going-away party. My friend, Jay, is moving to New York and he couldn’t be more excited. I’m so happy for him, he’s always wanted to be in New York and now that he’s finished school he’s making the attempt. It will be nice to visit him once he gets settled and figures out the NY life.

Joey and I at Jay’s Going-Away Party

Following the first two gatherings we decided to run over to another favorite bar of mine, Urban Mo’s. I couldn’t stay too long because I had to be up at 7:00am Saturday morning. So I made a quick exit around 11:00pm to stop from a late night food stop and then home to pass out.

Saturday morning I joined Mikey and Nikki to go visit our dear friend, Mayra. Unfortunately she was recently arrested and detained because she had not finished all of her paperwork to be in the U.S. as a legal citizen. Mayra is very well known in the Hillcrest area as she is extremely outgoing and makes friends with everyone she meets. Now we had to head down basically to the border where the state prison is and where the immigration detention center is. We had to fill out some paperwork and wait – after about an hour and a half we were called in to verify our information and hand over our IDs. We made our way up three flights of stairs and down a dark maze of halls to get to the unit where we would be able to talk to Mayra.

Sexy Mayra

It was a bittersweet moment to actually see her although we had thick glass between us and had to use phones to talk back and forth. Mayra is in good spirits and feels that this situation is happening for a reason for her to get everything organized in her life as well as realizing how many friends truly care about her. One of our friends designed t-shirts to raise money for her lawyer – I wear mine all the time.

After visiting Mayra, we went over to Baja Betty’s – another one of my favorite bars. (And yes, I know that I drink a lot.) Mayra worked a Betty’s so we went to give everyone there an update on her. Of course we ate and had some drinks while we planned our evening which was going to consist of a wine night at my house.

Shots for Mayra

I love having people over at my house. It’s easy for me to through a gathering and my backyard is perfect for entertaining. We had the BBQ going with carne asada and corn. Thanks to Joey for cooking because that’s not a strong point for me.

Joey cooking

After eating we started a fire in the fire-pit and I guess it’s apparent I was never a boy scout since it took about 30 minutes to finally get the fire going. But once it got going it was perfect to keep everyone warm and toasty.

We started playing cards, a little BS, blackjack and then texas hold’em. It was a lot of fun especially since no one really knew how to play poker but that didn’t matter. Around 11:30pm we went inside the house to play Scattergories. Somehow that lasted until about 1:30am when finally I was exhausted, nicely buzzed and ready to get into my bed.

Here’s the morning after picture when I was trying to get myself out of bed this morning.

Done and done – this weekend was a blast yet it’s just not over yet. I’ll be picking up my friend Tony from the airport this afternoon to visit with him – we’ve been friends since middle school. Then I’m supposed to see my friend Benny for cupcakes and conversation. I love my life

Until next time.

Justin

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