A Unique Dress For A Unique Girl

Natalie does not play sports in high school. I never believed in forcing my kids to play a sport. I knew she'd eventually discover something she enjoyed and she did: theatre. When she was a little girl she loved dressing up and her imagination was incredible. I'd watch as she came up with elaborate plots as she played with her My Little Ponies. So it really wasn't a surprise when she gravitated towards theatre. 

Over the weekend she had her theatre banquet. She's been in multiple school plays during her first year of high school. Her latest and final of the year is this week. She knew she wanted to find a unique dress for the banquet. She didn't want something from a department store. She found one on Etsy:

A talented store called NalikaCraft had this. I'm not exactly sure what Natalie was searching for. All I know is she showed me this dress and was in love.

I reminded her that it would be tough to find a dress that would arrive in 3 weeks on Etsy, because that was when she found out there would be a banquet. Many dresses take at least a month or so to create. But Natalie told me this dress was already made and ready to ship. I worried about the fit but when it arrived, it was perfect:

It was perfect. It fit perfectly, like it was made just for her. She was excited about the banquet--in fact, when she found out about it, she immediately sent me a text that said WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR? because of course she'd be attending. If there's a party where you have to dress up, she's there. 

Accessories are always important to go with the dress. She found this fabulous telephone purse from Amazon as well as these fingerless gloves. 

She did her own hair and makeup. I am not help in these areas. I barely know how to do my own hair and makeup but Natalie figures it out. 

I love how she checks for twirlability whenever she gets a fluffy dress:

She's done this since she was small:

I am so glad she found her people in theatre. Her place. Sometimes it can be difficult to find that in high school. But she's met an incredible group of people and I think--I hope--she sticks with this throughout high school. She lights up on stage. She belongs there. 

She ended up having a wonderful time at the banquet. And she was given an award for Best Debut Performance for her portrayal as Betty Parris in The Crucible:

Oh, and yes, that's a cloak. We had just seen Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and was inspired to pull out OUR cloak. Everyone has a cloak in their homes, yes?