But enough of that. We had a fabulous day out on Saturday, beginning with Chinese brunch before moving on to Uwajimaya in search of a traditional oil-paper parasol (we found one). We wandered around in that store for a while, petting wedding kimonos and marveling at the giant array of weird Asian toys, before selecting a few more sets of origami paper and heading out. Following that, we were going to drive home when we remembered thinking that we ought to drop in on this little retro shop in Pioneer Square called Diva Dollz (I included that link because their actual website is just a picture, address, and links to Facebook and contact info).
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| Outside of Diva Dollz (no photography allowed inside) |
This store is a dream for any girl who loves retro styles and dressing up. They've got a million outfits, accessories, and so much more. And there's actually a bit more than just retro, as well, since a necklace I bought years ago from this shop kept showing up on various television series. "Omg, Inara Serra from Firefly is wearing my necklace!" *swoon*
At any rate, the years have not lessened its appeal, and I was transfixed with glee the instant we set foot in the store. Racks and racks of dresses, most of which were actually cut so they would fit someone with an hourglass shape which, let me tell you, is incredibly rare.
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| More Diva Dollz from the outside |
Basically for us curvy girls, it's like being in a candy shop. Where the candy is dresses. And you aren't a diabetic anymore. Heaven! I tried on a whole pile of dresses, and I finally settled on a black one with tiny polka dots. This of course had to be accented, so added to the dress were a red belt with a leather bow on it and a bolero top.
They gave me some shoes to wear with it, and they were really cute, but I'm so picky about heels that I didn't go for them. They have to be at least slightly comfortable to stand in, or I won't wear them. I've never been one to just suffer in my shoes for the sake of looking awesome. Or at least not more than once per pair of shoes. Then I learn my lesson all over again!
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| Can you believe this hat? I thought not. |
I decided to get two bolero tops, because I had been wanting ones in slightly longer arm lengths (my others go to just above the elbow), and I wanted more than just black, so I got a red one as well. I was perusing my selections and contemplating which stockings to add to the pile when I saw it.
That. Hat. The most amazing hat ever.
It was perched waaaaay up high on a post above the dressing rooms, and I hadn't even seen it before, but once I had, I couldn't stop staring at it! I was transfixed. "Patrick," I hissed. "I need that hat. I must try it on. Can you believe such a hat exists?" Indeed he could not. Or at least he refused to admit it to me in my semi-crazed hat frenzy.
I asked them if it was for sale, and if they could get it down for me so I could try it on. The price was a bit more than I wanted to pay for a damn hat, but really? Once I got it on my head?
Well, that was just it, now wasn't it? I had to have that hat. Fortunately Patrick is most understanding and was completely supportive of my hat coveting. He'd spent most of Friday night sitting around at a movie recording gig doing a big fat pile of nothing (they were waaaay off schedule) and getting paid for it, so he figured that this made up for all the time that we didn't get to spend together. (It doesn't, not really, but I wasn't turning down this hat.)
I was adamant about wearing my head adornment as we left the store, holding the left side of it carefully to make sure it wouldn't blow off in the wind. As we made our way through a crosswalk, a lady in a van leaned out the window and yelled, "That's an awesome hat!" So it is. I grinned back and thanked her.
We made our way home and decided that after showers we needed to go out and be fabulous. Patrick looked up music scenes for the evening, while I dolled myself up. We debated going to the symphony, but it was a bit too late in the evening already for us to eat and then get to the show on time, so we went with something at The Triple Door that sounded even better, The Touré-Raichel Collective, a collaborative world music project with musicians from Israel and Mali. The Triple Door itself is connected to a bar called The Musicquarium, which is basically exactly what it sounds like, a bar with aquariums in it.
We were seated and decided on a bottle of Portuguese wine, along with some seared scallops and fresh rolls to start. The music venue is also part of Wild Ginger, a downtown Thai restaurant, so all the food came off the same menu. This was fortunate, because it was delicious.
Following the appetizers, we had pad thai and panang beef curry. The music had begun at this point, and the backdrop of softly glowing pinpoints of light behind the musicians really added to the atmosphere. Sadly I have no pictures of this, as photos weren't allowed.
The music was simply lovely, and at several points we sang along (this was encouraged). Most of it was in languages I don't speak, but a bit was in French, and I picked up a few words here and there. For dessert, we finished off with a type of tiny cream-filled sponge cake drizzled in orange honey and topped off with toasted coconut. It was sublime.
Various people told me I looked great, my hat was amazing, urged me to try it on for them so they could see it (I took it off inside so as not to block the view for anyone), and so forth. That's the mark of a great purchase!
A wonderful evening, with an amazing man and a fabulous outfit. Does it get better than this? Maybe. But this is good enough for me.
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