The 1940s White Christmas Ball part 2: What we did

My last post talked about what we wore to the Ball so today I can tell you what we did once we were all gussied up!

The 1940s White Christmas Ball was held in the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, a facility that is housed in an airplane hangar. It was such a perfect location for this event! There was plenty of space and there was no shortage of interesting exhibits and things to look at.

The centerpiece of the party was the stage where there were all kinds of entertaining performances throughout the night. There was a Polynesian band (who of course played "Mele Kalikimaka"), a fantastic swing band called the Hot Tomatoes, an Andrews Sisters-style trio, and more.

Because this was the White Christmas Ball, there were nods to the movie sprinkled all throughout the hanger: the iconic "Welcome to Bedford Falls" sign, movie cameras and lights, and this sign:

"White Christmas" wasn't the only movie referenced--there was also a really fun backdrop from "A Christmas Story" where you could have your photos taken with Ralphie, who was wearing the pink bunny suit and carrying a Red Ryder BB Gun.

There were other photo ops but they had long lines so we didn't do those. I also found out after the party that there was a whole area outside with roasting chestnuts, ice carving and a glass blower. I was so disappointed that I missed it, although it FREEZING outside so we probably wouldn't have spent much time out there anyway!

We loved walking around the museum and looking at the aircraft and all of the really amazing displays.

We probably had WAY too much fun walking around and posing for pictures!

As with the other 1940s events we've attended this year, half the fun is just people-watching! I saw some really beautiful vintage dresses.

 I think The Mister was the best looking and best dressed guy there. :)

We definitely need more occasions for him to wear a white dinner jacket!

I have to admit I felt pretty va-va-voom myself! A slinky red dress, lots of sparkles and long evening gloves will do that to a girl. :)

I'm so glad that we decided to go to this event and will definitely plan on doing it again next year. I'm already planning my outfit for the 1940s WWII Ball in June!

The 1940s White Christmas Ball part 1: What we wore

These photos are almost two months old but they're too fun not to share anyway! You may remember that back in June 2012, The Mister and I attended the 1940s WWII Ball (part 1 is here, part 2 is here).

Then in August, some friends joined us and we went to the 1940s and 50s Voodoo Island Tiki Ball, put on by the same organization that does the other party.

 

The organization puts on a third event called the 1940s White Christmas Ball, and since we'd had such a great time at the other two parties, The Mister and I decided to go! The dress for this event was formal or dressy 1940s attire, which to me means one thing: SPARKLES! I was only too happy to pick through my collection of vintage rhinestone jewelry to find some sparkles to wear.

While it would have been wonderful to wear a long evening gown, finding something authentic 1940s in my size is pretty near impossible and even if I had gotten lucky, it would have been crazy expensive. I ended up wearing this dress that The Mister actually picked out for me months before--it's by Stop Staring, a company that makes beautiful retro-style dresses.

It has a 1940s-style sweetheart neckline and a cute little faux peplum around the waist. Since it's not really an evening dress, I had to make it fancier with my accessories. I added a big, sparkly brooch with long rhinestone dangles to the bodice.

The brooch is a (thrifted) vintage Kandell &Marcus NY and it's gorgeous! It's over 4" long and makes quite the statement so for this occasion it was perfect.

SPARKLES!! I wore a pair of long black evening gloves, a wide rhinestone bracelet, beautiful rhinestone clip earrings, and the star-shaped brooch was pinned in my hair. I carried the black beaded bag, a sentimental treasure that I bought way back on my study abroad to London in 1998.

I also wore nude back-seam stockings with a black Cuban heel and a pair of low-heeled black pumps. Finding authentic 1940s shoes in my size is even more unlikely than finding a dress, so I did my best to find shoes that had the right silhouette (rounded toe, mid-height slightly curvy heel) and ended up with these Clarks. They were okay in a pinch, but I really wish I'd been able to find the black suede version in my size because they would have looked dressier.

For my hair this time, I decided not to do Victory rolls and instead to go for an old-Hollywood starlet kind of style. When I found this photo of Scarlett Johansson, I knew it was exactly the look I was going for!

For makeup, I did pretty much the same colors as I used for the summer 1940s WWII ball, with the iconic 1940s dark eyebrow and red lips to match my dress. And fake eyelashes, of course!

The Mister decided to go full-out Humphrey Bogart and rented a white dinner jacket and tuxedo pants.

Of course we had to add a red carnation in his lapel! He even had the perfect cufflinks for the occasion:

They're hard to see unless you click the picture to enlarge, but they commemorate the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the wartime intelligence agency that was the precursor to the CIA. I don't mind telling you that The Mister looked HOT!

Tomorrow I'll post pictures of us at the actual event!