The sun is out but my thoughts are increasingly wandering towards awards season - and I have news on that score. Not only have you guys propelled me to the finals of the MAD Blog Awards for the second year running, you've also gone and got me onto the shortlist for the BiB Awards 2013.
Aye carumba people!
I need to pester you for votes later, but if I do miraculously make it into the finals for the BiBs, that'll be three award ceremonies I'm going to this year (in addition to the MADs in September I'm also going to the Quality Food Awards in November).
So, what to wear?
I've been browsing the Max Studio website this morning, seeking inspiration...
Max Studio is a brand that you might have heard of through its well-known celebrity ambassadors Rosie Huntington Whiteley and Lily Cole. It has a good balance of quality, fashion and elegance. There are a few daring touches, but a solid timelessness runs through the designs that is crucial if you ever want to roll out your dress on another occasion. And I always do.
Of course, the first time I wear a designer evening dress, it's a chance to rock an outrageously glamorous style and wobble around on killer heels all night long.
But I want to be able to wear the dress again, at a less salubrious occasion preferably. I'm a firm believer in a versatile black tie dressthat can stun on its first outing, but be dressed down at a later stage.
The black organza dress above is a great example. Wear with huge heels and an up-do for a black tie event - but pair with military boots and a cropped cardi at a later stage to give it a grunge-chic makeover.
This beautiful, pale blue cocktail dress is another good choice: worn with nude heels and dramatic make-up, it's fit for any red carpet - wear with hair loose and waved, a white oversized blazer and white wedges, and it could work for anything from a wedding to an informal garden party.
And if you want to get some serious secondary wear from your black tie outfit, you could always consider wearing trousers and a top...if it's good enough for the likes of Juno Temple, Penelope Cruz, Pixie Geldof, Rosamund Pike, Julia Roberts and Rachel McAdams at various star-studded A-list events, who are we to argue?
Compiled in association with Max Studio. Images from Max Studio.