Excuse Me

One more post about our experiences at the inaugural events. We attended the Illinois State Society Ball on Monday, which apparently was quite a disappointment to many who paid upwards of $300 for a ticket. The venue was the Renaissance Hotel. There was no apparent program or schedule of events, and the conference rooms were "sponsored" by various IL-based companies and organizations. We spent quite a bit of time in the room sponsored by Cruzan and sampled their mojitos, but ultimately the event was a big house party. No politics involved, which was a bit strange for a politics-driven event.

At this event I was also reminded that although people put on nice clothes, it doesn't change personas. Ugly is still ugly. I walked past a woman who was on her way to the dance floor with her partner. She had a glass of wine in her hand, and when she bumped into me she spilled her drink down the back of my dress, dropped her glass on me....and never broke stride. No apologies. She didn't even look back. Everyone around me stood in disbelief. My wonderful friend dabbed at my behind in an attempt to minimize the damage. My first impulse was to walk out onto the dance floor and throw my glass of ice on her (I made sure that I drank the rest of my mojito - no need to waste it) - but I restrained myself and held my head high as I prayed that my dress would dry quickly.

I imagined what the outcome would have been if I had acted on my initial impulse - and none of those scenarios would have made me look good. Some would have cheered my actions, but most (who did not witness what this self-absorbed woman had done) would have perceived me as crazy, rude and every other negative word that would have dampened the atmosphere of the event. But you can't help feeling tired of being "spilled on" and turning the other cheek. Just once it would be nice to just be bad.

It takes such strength to NOT act on impulse - to take a moment, evaluate the consequences and make decisions.

Thankfully my dress dried without a spot and I wore it again to the Peace Ball the next evening - which was a very well put together event. It was hosted by Dick Gregory and Harry Belafonte, and the other speakers and performers were inspiring. Considering that attending the event was an unscheduled surprise, the "peace" theme was quite fitting after what had happened.

I do have one vindictive thought - I hope that woman woke up with one hell of a hangover.

Great Balls!

We returned home from Washington, D.C. / VA this morning at 5:30 am EST and I am a bit exhausted, but I couldn't go to bed without at least starting a blog recount of the past 2 days. As you may recall we were scheduled to attend the Illinois State Society gala on Monday night and I offered to wear a jeweler's design in promotion. A few designers recognized the great PR opportunity and contacted me, but due to logistics I was not able to coordinate some meetings. I want to thank Nancy Redisch (http://www.nancyredischdesigns.com/) and Keri Starker (http://www.keristarker.com/) for presenting the wonderful opportunity to wear their designs. Check out their work!

Not only did I attend the Illinois ball, but by a stroke of wonderful luck I had the opportunity to also attend the Peace Ball (Obama did not make an appearance at either - sigh). I was not prepared to attend 2 events, but I had no problem wearing my outfit twice!

The jewelery that I did wear unintentionally fit a "green" theme. Remember, my Bill Blass dress was bought from a Goodwill store, so it was wonderfully appropriate that I wore a bold necklace and pair of earrings from TAA Designs - all made from recycled materials! The pieces were made of recycled glass and vintage beads. The dress served as a wonderful backdrop to the jewelry and I received quite a few compliments.

Don't forget - wearing the jewelry was about promoting a product in exchange for having something dazzling to wear, so I exuberantly gave TAA Designs (http://www.taadesigns.com/)business cards to every person who expressed interest. These were receptive and interested potential clients - not passers-by who happened to walk by.

This situation is a great example of "thinking outside of the box" for ways to spread the word about products and brands. The big name designers constantly use entertainment personalities to model their wares and ultimately to promote their products. The key in promotion is to get that buzz going - to get people talking about your product, whether you start the conversation or someone else does.

Just make sure that the comments are positive!