You are at a party! Great, right? No, absolutely not. You aren’t prancing around, high-fiving the hostess for her stellar quiche or talking to your best friend about her recent engagement. Instead, the hostess has already tipsily forgotten your name (plus, the quiche is bland) and your best friend has run off with some guy with a ponytail. We know that you want to leave (so badly!)—but for one reason or another (social obligations, the missing friend), you have to stick around. You have the following choices: You can either muster up that confidence, extend your arm for a firm handshake, and strike up a conversation with whoever’s nearest (and hope to hell that they’re interesting, or as Vogue.com Fashion News Editor Alessandra Codinha says, “If you can’t get out of it, get into it."). But some days, for whatever reason, you just can’t summon the energy. And should the idea of maneuvering through a cramped room full of strangers feel like the equivalent of an eternal, confetti-strewn hell, feel free to embrace the second option: the elevated wallflower. You aren’t in the mood for feigned giddy small talk, instead, bent on transforming yourself into a flickering hologram, you re slowly slinking away into the corner to text the people you actually like and to pretend that you are anywhere besides where you actually are. And you know what? You’re an adult. You can do what you want! It worked for Martin Margiela!
But before you disappear into a black hole of a corner, let s assess the "look." Don’t worry about anything outrè or statement-making when it comes to your ensemble: Forget the party-ready tight and bright frock and opt for whatever you want, whether that be a pair of shorts and a nubby striped sweater, or a canary yellow slip. But don’t be surprised if you’re not alone in that corner for long—dressing for yourself tends to have that effect.
