I have so much I would like to talk about that has to do with Dapper Day, that I don't exactly know where to start. Let me start by saying, I enjoy every single Dapper Day. I love seeing my friends, meeting up with people and dressing up.
Now at 5 Dapper Days deep, I have created my Dapper Day squad. We get together every Dapper Day, and none of us miss it. I am so thankful to have a group of friends that share the same excitement as me for Disney. We all plan our ideas months before and share our findings via texts. Some travel far, some are old high school friends. They are the friends that will go in their heels to the Pirates Lair to take pictures for you or have no problem getting dragged to a meet up. It wasn't always like that though, so please don't be discouraged to go by yourself. Sometimes your friends don't have the same interest in Disney as my friends do. One of my Dapper squad friends I actually met through Instagram first and we became friends after that. Now she travels down for every Dapper Day and we make a whole weekend trip out of it. Don't get me wrong, I kinda miss the simpler times when I didn't have to "work" on instagram things like photos and appearances and what not. My first Dapper Day ever I went with only Zack and we had no clue what we were doing! That was somewhat magical to me. We enjoyed going to the expo and seeing all the beautiful shops and photo ops. As newbies, we didn't even step into Disneyland, which I now regret because Disneyland is loads of fun on Dapper Day and I enjoy meeting new people!
At first I was skeptical going to meet ups. I was nervous to meet new faces and talk to accounts I love and look up to. I'm sure I am not alone here. It can be super overwhelming putting yourself out there and maybe not getting acknowledged. I know they aren't celebrities, but their success is something I admire. That alone terrifies me. Like I said, this was my 5th Dapper Day, so I have broken out of my shell a little. I now approach people I recognize, regardless if i follow them or they follow me and I chat. I remind myself that they might be feeling the same way so rather than wait for them to talk to me, I make the first move. I met so many accounts that I hadn't met in person before and that's the beautiful thing about meet ups. I also reconnected with people that I have met before and caught up. We all have similar interests, like Disney and the obvious, dressing up. I mean we are all meeting up on Dapper Day right?
If you know me, I rarely get ready. I'm usually wearing Zack's band tees and some shorts. With that being said, I do like to get dressed up and feel pretty. I usually use the excuse #momlife, but really, it's hard to get pretty if I'm just going to be working from home and changing diapers. The best part about feeling pretty, is putting together an outfit. Here is my thought process when it comes to picking a Dapper Day theme.
- Ooo I love that purse, that's totally Heimlich.
- Time for some math, what percentage of each color does the character have and how shall I spread it out in my outfit.
You're probably thinking, she's totally kidding right...I totally am not. I take this very seriously and I enjoy it. I know when Disney Bounding first started, it did not take much thought. What colors does this character wear, wear said colors. Now it's become scientific. I always see the best ideas when it comes to Disney Bounding, whether it's on my Instagram feed or at the parks. Disney Bounding has evolved and I'm totally digging it as a hobby. I wish I could do it more often but to be honest my Disney days come randomly and I don't have much of a colorful wardrobe. If you have the energy and closet to Disney Bound every trip, hats off to you my friend. I envy you.
I typically find a cool accessory and run with that first. Then I think of the style of dress I want for that character and it all just falls into place. Trust me when I say, hours are spent trying to find the perfect look. I make it a a lot more complicated than it should be, but hey I warned you earlier that I enjoy this stuff. I just mentioned how I usually plan my Dapper theme, but this time around, it was different. I was planning on being something else and while I was searching vintage Etsy dresses, I stumbled upon what seemed to be the Magic Carpet in dress form. I immediately scrapped the previous idea and started to search for all things Magic Carpet. I knew I wanted my accessories to have a gold/mustard tone to it. My fascinator was bought on Amazon and my purse was actually a Walmart find for $9.99. I decided to go with flats this time because I usually end up barefoot if I wear heels. I re-used my flats from last years Dapper Day and added some trim to give them a different look. Easy way to re-use and trick people into thinking I got a new pair of shoes. The dress was a vintage 70's dress for $25 bucks on Etsy. 4 out of 5 times I used vintage dresses for Dapper Day and 4 out of the 5 times I actually felt comfortable in my dress. Can u spot connection? I have an hourglass figure and todays dresses just don't fit me right. I have decided that I will only wear vintage from now on. On occasion used dresses actually save me money as well, so the list goes on and on in justifying my choice for vintage dresses.
Alright, I've bored you long enough. If you got this far, thank you! I am still trying to find my style and flow for blog posts. So I thank you for sticking around while I get all the kinks situated. Have a magical day!
-XOXO, Jasmine