Cocktail Party Dress

| DETAILS |

FREE PEOPLE Chiffon Mini Dress  (RENT IT!)  | STEVE MADDEN Proto Heels  | VERA BRADLEY c/o Tess Crossbody Bag  | BAUBLEBAR Slim Hinge Bangle,  Aretha Drop Earrings,  Cuban Links Bracelet  | RAYBAN Aviator Sunglasses  | ESSIE Nails in Fiji  | MAC Lipstick in Craving

I’m continuing with more insider access to the Thrive Blog Conference with a look at what I wore for the Friday night Welcome Party.  All the conferences that I have attended have this casual mixer event.  It is one of my favorite times to get to know some of the bloggers attending the conference and say hi to old friends.

 I love any excuse to buy a pretty dress, so I knew I wanted a dress for this event.  I was looking for something specific, because I wanted it to have a fun colorful almost spring print and work with whatever weather we had that night.   I wasn’t really finding what I was looking for, since stores were changing seasons when I was looking.  I decided to take a look at Rent the Runway to see if they had anything that caught me eye.  Rent the Runway is a dress rental company that lets you rent designer dresses for a fraction of the cost.  I love it for special occasion dresses that you probably will not wear more than once.  I found this Free People dress which was only a $30 rental and decided to go for it.  I had this dress on my current craving list all winter, but I wasn’t really feeling the $200 price tag.  If you love this dress, I found it available to purchase for $100.  I loved the long sleeves to work with the cooler temps, and the mini length to give it that cocktail party dress vibe.

The dress was kind of statement on its own, so I kept my accessories simple.  I went with my fringe party earrings and just a couple bangles.  I also added my new crossbody bag.  My obsession with crossbody bags is only growing with all the cute styles I keep coming across.   I love the design of this one from Vera Bradley.  It is the perfect size to wear for a night out or during the day for errands or brunch.   It also has little dividers inside which is rare in a crossbody bag, but it was kind of a welcomed addition.   I love the white and quilted design to pair with all the gorgeous florals and bright colors that I plan on wearing this spring.   I love how the white compliments and enhances the print of the dress.  The quilted look helps give this purse a subtle pattern to help it standout without taking over the show too much.   It also comes in this fabulous blue non-quilted version too!  If you have checked out my shop page recently, you have seen that one on my current cravings list!

I love that the overall look was fun and easy.  The dress was easy to move in, and the crossbody bag made it easy to shake hands, hold drinks, and play at the fun DIY booths.  I shared some pics from the party at the very end of this post.

SHOP THE LOOK

Before you head down to see the photos, I wanted to mention the Shopbop Spring Buy More, Save More Sale is going on right now!!  Lots of normally excluded brands are INCLUDED in this sale like Clare V and a few shoes from Stuart Weitzman!  The Shopbop sales are always HOT and sizes start going quick, so be sure to check it out soon an don’t forget to use code BIGEVENT16 to score the discount! I have already perused the sale and listed a few of my favorites below:

click images to shop or the arrows to scroll

Thrive Friday Night Welcome Party
photos by Meg Cady Hawley

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