"So how would like to 'disappear' for a weekend", was the question posed to me on the phone by my husband, and when I asked what she meant, she said, "to Stage West silly, for a Saturday evening show". I did not argue the fact and totally agreed with my husband that it was wonderful idea and started to look forward to it right there and then. The date was April 10th and the show was a murder mystery at the theatre and Sharon informed me it was going to be a ton of fun.
At first I was a little disappointed, as Sharon and I had left it a tad bit late and all they had left was smoking rooms and we both hate smoking. So our contingency planning was that we would find another hotel nearby that had a non-smoking room and catch a cab after the show, but neither one of us really liked the idea. We kept our fingers crossed and Sharon was going to be bugging the Stage West hotel for a non-smoking room on days leading up to the Saturday.
As we chatted back and forth on days leading up to the event, Sharon and I talked about what we were going to be wearing for the Saturday evening. We always liked to go into our closets and pull out a fancy/formal dress for the dinner theatre, this was our 4th or 5th time going and we were going to do the same all over again!. I decided to let Sharon pick her outfit before I picked mine, as my plan was to try and get a similar look to hers. Now, since my formal dress wardrobe is huge and Sharon and I are about the same in certain styles, she asked me to "pull out a few dresses and we will see which worked best". Recently I had gotten some new dresses and pulled out a couple that would be flattering to Sharon's figure. I had a couple that might work for her, but the best was a velvet Alfred Angelo Bridesmaid dress in a deep wine colour. The dress had a matching pair of low comfortable shoes that were her size.
On the Wednesday evening before the Saturday, Sharon and I got together. She only tried on the wine dress and shoes and my guess was perfect, it flattered all aspects of her figure, and she could get away with a conventional bra for the evening. So with Sharon in the wine colored velvet dress, I decided to go with a sexy black velvet, knee length dress, with big puffy sleeves adorned with purple sequins, and a sexy front kick pleat that had a 6" slit to mid-thigh. We also talked about not choosing pantyhose for the evening, and wear garters and stockings and Sharon liked the idea and wanted thigh highs, "less fuss", was her reason. I agreed and she let me know she would be picking some ultra sheer ones before the Saturday, in both nude and nightshade. We also discussed packing arrangements and decided to go with two separate suitcases for accessories, but both of us to use a garment bag for our dresses and other clothes.
I then had to decide on the other outfits I would be wearing, one for the Saturday and one for the Sunday. I toyed with the idea of wearing a pair of brown suede pants and matching heels and then a red angora sweater for the Sunday. When I started packing I realized I was running out of room in my suitcase, and for the brown suede pants would have to pack another pair of heels. I let Sharon know that I would be wearing "something nice" for the Sunday and she told me that she would be prepared.
For the Saturday I looked through my wardrobe and decided that an outfit I had not had the occasion to wear out would be the choice. The outfit was a short black jumper and pink short sleeved angora sweater. Combined with sheer nude hose and my 3" black heels, it would be the perfect look, not too business or casual.
A new "spring" outfit I just acquired was a Grey business outfit, which was a short little gray skirt, and front kick pleat, a lilac colored silk blouse and matching gray jacket. The look was professional and business, a bit of overkill for the Sunday brunch, but I really wanted to wear it. The other thing that "sold" me was the fact that the outfit would look great with the 3" black heels I would be wearing to the Hotel on the Saturday. I also decided that I would pack a new floral dress I had got that also would look good with the black heels, and be appropriate for Sunday attire. I would leave the decision for that day and how I felt.
I then continued to pack for the weekend and made sure that I had everything needed for the weekend as well making sure that I had not packed the things I would need to get dressed for the Saturday when getting ready. I also made sure my camera and extra film was packed to document the day, as well the plan was to for Sharon to go swimming and me to soak in a scented bath, so we both made sure that we both packed bathing suits. I decided to pack my black and white striped one piece, Sharon would surprise me with hers. I decided that the Saturday evening for my more dramatic makeup application, I would experiment and packed a whole new range of colours. Finally I was packing the jewelry for the evening, both Sharon and I would be wearing sparkly long diamond earrings, and necklaces, and I decided to pack a pair of sparkling anklets to finish off our looks.
The Saturday arrived and so did some great news, as Sharon found out that we would be staying in a non-smoking room, and declared, "well you will be happy Jennifer, we are sleeping in a double bed this evening, so checking in should be fun". Sharon and I planned on leaving for the 3pm check in at 2pm, so I started getting ready around 1pm. I first slipped into my lingerie for the day, my favorite white all lace front closure bra, purple silky and lacy panties. I then slipped on my white satin gloves and carefully pulled on my sheer nude pantyhose and then into my low 2 ½" black heels to protect against runs. Then finally I slipped on my pink makeup coat and headed to the bathroom mirror to apply my makeup.
I was light on my makeup and applied my usual business colours, light pink on the upper lids and dark purple on the lower and just a hint of the colour. My eyeliner was light and so was my blush and I used my light pink lipstick. I spritzed myself lightly with Halston's perfume, as I planned on wearing my Obsession for the evening. I brushed out my hair and then started to get dressed, and once I had finished buttoning up my jumper and slipping into my 3" heels, I checked myself out in the mirror and was ready to go!.
I met Sharon as she was just finishing up her makeup and after she looked me over, she liked the outfit and then I placed my suitcase and the garment bag with our dresses by the door. When Sharon was ready, she met me by the back door and we both got our coats on and I handed her the camera and asked her to take a couple of shots of me leaving and she did. We gathered everything up and took it to the car and off we went, perfectly on time, 2pm. We chatted about the play and the fact her co-workers went the Wednesday evening before and thought it was great and that we had to pay attention to the beginning of the play. We both started to get excited as we got closer to the theatre, me especially, as we have had so many wonderful experiences.
The parking lot was full and Sharon dropped me off at the front door and we unloaded the luggage as she parked the car. After she came back we entered the lobby and checked in, I watched as the girl behind the counter informed Sharon and I that we would be staying in a room with a single double bed and that it was non-smoking. To which Sharon replied, "thank heavens, non-smoking". As we left for our room, I looked back and saw her smile as she said, "have a nice evening ladies", I guess you can take that comment more than one way!. Our room was on the 10th floor and we proceeded to go and get unpacked and settled before heading for a walk around the hotel and some pictures.
Once in the room it was a wonderful feeling, the bedroom was an en-suite, with French doors, and in the bedroom was a lighted vanity and vanity stool, perfect for putting on your makeup. Outside of the bedroom was a comfortable sitting area for watching Television. I quickly took our dresses out of the garment bag and hung them up, as well, my outfits for the Sunday. Sharon started to unpack some of the things out of her suitcase, and once we were all settled in, we decided to grab the camera and take a few pictures to capture the moment. I took some of Sharon and she did the same for me, we then grabbed our purses and headed out the door for a tour of the hotel to see if anything had changed since we last came. We quickly found out that being on the 10th floor, we had a long wait for the elevator, and Sharon took some time and snapped a couple of pictures while we waited.
We walked through the main lobby and down the hallway that lead past the restaurant that we would be having breakfast at Sunday morning and then past some shops and then eventually the hallway that lead to the theatre area. I smiled as I walked along the marble of the hall, hearing my heels click and knew that this evening the time would be even more special as I would we hearing the clicks of other heels as well. We got to the theatre area and besides another couple we were alone and Sharon snapped a few pictures for keepsake in various areas. Eventually we decided to make our way back to the room so Sharon could have a swim and myself a scented bath before we had to start to get ready. On the way back we went in a convenience store located in the hotel to pick up some munchies and as we grabbed them, I noticed a recent copy of Glamour magazine and thought it was perfect reading for the bath, and we picked both up.
Once back in the room, Sharon and I changed into our bathing suits and Sharon surprised me, starting to run the bath, and had brought some scented bubble bath and it was really nice. I asked her if she had planned this and she kissed me and said, "of course". I gave Sharon a hug and slipped into the nice warm and scented bath, with my Glamour magazine in hand as well as a cool drink. Sharon left for her swim and I sat and enjoyed the warm bath and the magazine.
Eventually Sharon came back from her swim and I asked her to take some pictures of me in my swimsuit in the bath and she did, and I knew they would be special when they came out. Both Sharon and I changed out of our bathing suits and into robes, hers a green cloth robe and mine my satin pink makeup coat, the time was 4:45pm and we were planning on being to dinner for 5:30pm, so we were going to have to hurry.
Sharon gave me the vanity in the bedroom first to start my makeup, and I took my time to make sure my makeup was going to be perfect for the evening look. I started with my eyes and applied my eyeliner darker than daytime, but as always, not too dark, just perfect for a formal look. I decided to do something different with my eyeshadow and used a dark blue for the upper and lower lids and really like the way it looked, and as I applied a healthy coat of Mascara, Sharon surprised me and was taking pictures of me putting on my makeup. She waited for me to put on my blush, which was a dark more formal blush before she stopped taking pictures. I finished my makeup off with my deep red lipstick, perfect for formal wear, and Sharon wore the exact same shade. I finished my look off with a deep red nail polish that matched the lipstick almost perfectly.
Once I was done I let Sharon know, and she let me know that she was done her makeup except for her nails, and I asked her before she did her nails if she would like to pick her jewelry for the evening. She agreed and I laid out the two necklaces and clip earring sets and asked Sharon to pick first. She picked her earrings and sparkly necklace and slipped them on and I did as well. Now it was my turn behind the camera and snapped a couple of pictures as Sharon sat at the vanity table as she put on her nail polish that was the exact same as mine.
As Sharon was putting on her nail polish, I ask her opinion for what color of hose to wear, nightshade or nude, and she suggested, "try the nightshade first". I slipped into the hose and then the dress temporarily and as she did her nails, she looked over and said, "definitely the nightshade". I slipped back into my makeup coat and waited for Sharon to do her nails. When Sharon was done she joined me in the area that had the television, she asked me if we was ready to slip into our dresses and I informed her that we needed to put on one more thing. When she asked what it was, I pulled out two lovely and dainty sparkly anklets and asked Sharon to pick the one she wanted. Sharon made her pick and we both took turns putting on each other's anklets, and they looked great.
Sharon and I then helped each other into our dresses and Sharon made the comment as she slipped into her low heels, "ready slip into your 'stilts' my dear". I joked back that they were not, but she assured me, most women would think they were. Once that was done, both Sharon and I checked our clutch purses, and I added my darker blush, my lipstick, the hotel key and I was all set, Sharon and I both decided to go "clutch" with our purses to the theatre. We both took turns taking pictures of each other in outfits before we left and I could not help but notice that the cut of Sharon's dress. Her white bra exposed on the edges of the cleavage and she had to adjust it to make it hidden under her dress. Once we were ready to go we both made sure everything was perfect in the mirror and left the room for the elevator.
We were alone in the elevator and then we entered the hotel lobby and lots of wonderful feelings came back to me, as there was everyone dressed and ready for the theatre heading down the main hallway. I loved hearing the clicks of other heels as we walked along the marble approaching the theatre entrance, even if they were low heels they were still nice to hear. We had to walk upstairs to the upper part of the theatre and Sharon presented our tickets at the door, and we were met by a cute young waitress that informed us, "right this way ladies", and once at the table left us with, "enjoy your evening ladies". Sharon and I sat at the table and looked around and soaked in the environment, it was as wonderful as ever. The table was got was a "mini" booth and was comfortable and cozy. Our waitress came and Sharon and ordered drinks, me a Sling and Sharon a beer. We eventually decided to go for the buffet and turned our clutch purses into regular purses and slung them over our shoulders and headed for the buffet.
I made the observation that Sharon and I were definitely the best dressed women in the theatre, with many opting for business style dressing and some with slacks and blouses and low heels. Sharon and I got in the lineup for the buffet and met each other out the other end of the buffet and walked back to our table. Sharon and I chatted as we ate and basically we were both excited to see the play and talked about the show we were in for. Sharon decided to go up for dessert, but I decided I did not feel for it, and waited for Sharon at the table and continued to soak up the atmosphere. Eventually the food was cleared from the table and about that time I discover a bit of a problem with my outfit for the evening. The front slit on my dress was high up on my thigh and high enough that the tops of my stay ups were showing and I ended up for the rest of the evening fighting to make sure the slit of my skirt was covering it. As well, Sharon started to have problems as her white bra started to continually slip out of the bodice of her dress and I kept telling her about it and she kept correcting it.
Sharon and I also noted that the wait staff was few and far between and were lucky to order a couple of drinks right after dinner special coffees. After they came, Sharon and I were hoping that our waitress would be around and could take a couple of pictures of us at our table, but the lack of the wait staff was definitely a topic of conversation. We were also ready to order some drinks for the play, but something interesting happened.
Music started and the lights on the main Stage came up and the actors and actresses walked onto the stage and voila, the play started, without the main house lights going down, it was definitely different, so much for our drinks. The first part of the play was acting and was like any normal play, and it was quite enjoyable and humorous. I felt the urge of nature calling and not wanting to miss the play, I held off as long as I could but eventually grabbed my purse and headed for the ladies room. I was not alone as other women were in the 5 stall washroom and I had no wait as I headed to a stall and did my business. I did not want to miss any more of the play so when I came out of the stall, quickly fluffed my hair and did not bother to fix my lipstick and headed back to the booth.
The first act of the play ended with the lights coming back up and one of the characters offering that anyone wanting to ask questions could and meeting in the front lobby. Sharon and I chose to stay put and she took the first trip to the ladies room, and when she came back, informed me that if I wanted to go, "there would be a long wait". I smiled and told her I would be right back, and grabbed my purse and headed for the ladies room. She was right, the lineup was still out the door and I sat in line with the other women and waited for my turn to use a stall. In line, I finally ran into another woman that was really dressed up, she was in the identical outfit I had tried on a few weeks before, a long cream skirt and thigh high slit, a top with rhinestone buttons down the front and to top it off a corsage. We smiled at each other as she left the mirror from applying a coat of lipstick and I as I walked towards a stall that freed up. After finishing my business, I took my spot at the mirror, beside other women that were freshening up, and applied another coat of lipstick and fluffed out my hair.
I joined Sharon back at the stall and noted that she too had adjusted her lipstick and we were both all freshened up. Sharon had managed to order drinks for the two of us from the wait staff, but they really seemed busy. The announcement was made that the second act of the play was only 5 minutes away and we really wanted to get our pictures taken together, so Sharon asked the couple in the table next to us to take our picture and they did. One other special thing happened and that was when Sharon ordered the drinks they came with more special glasses and one of them was from "South Pacific", it brought back some fond memories, and I knew I had to have it.
The second half of the play started much like the first, the music started and then the actors/actresses started coming out and the play started. The second half of the play was fun, it was interactive with the audience and Sharon and I got right into it. The play eventually ended and I asked Sharon about sneaking the other glasses that were brought for our drinks, along with the ones we were allowed to keep. Sharon responded, "well dear, that is why we have purses", I took her advice and decided to slip one of the glasses in my clutch purse, which I found was impossible. I decided that I would simply grab the glass I had and walk out with them, as who would know the difference.
Sharon and I waited for the crowd to clear and then decided to leave. We grabbed our purses and me, I grabbed the glasses and started to head out of the theatre. Sharon suggested that we take some pictures and I posed for a few while Sharon snapped away. Eventually we left the theatre and headed back to the room, and again the clicking of heels across the marble as we walked back was so sweet. We got to the main lobby and found that the lineup to get on the elevator was huge and probably a half an hour wait to get on. Sharon and I then decided that we did not want to wait and made the decision to walk up the 10 flights of stairs to our room, a decision that I would later regret. We were not the only women to start up the stairs and one of them commented that, "she could never climb the stairs in heels like that", and I just smiled back and told her you get used to it. Eventually we got to our floor and to our room and I was the first to kick off my heels as my feet were throbbing after walking up all of those stairs.
Sharon and I took a few more pictures of each other and both relaxed after a long and wonderful evening. Sharon then suggested that we get changed for bed and took the first trip to the bedroom and slipped into a long black peignoir, with a lacy bodice and a long slit on the side to her thigh. She met me with her housecoat on, but opened it to show me what she was wearing, and now it was my turn. Sharon helped my unzip my dress and I slipped into the bedroom and out of my dress and into a long black peignoir as well, with a long slit up the front. I was feeling really sexy and had Sharon take pictures of me posing in the lingerie.
Sharon and I snuggled on the couch and sipped drinks and watched television as the evening wore down, eventually we were two tired girls and decided to head to bed. Sharon tucked me in and I snuggled into her and she wrapped her arm around me and I fell asleep on her chest.
Sharon and I took our time getting up in the morning and as Sharon changed into her bathing suit for a swim, I slipped into the shower and started getting ready for trip to breakfast. I had already decided before I slipped into the shower that I was going to be wearing my new gray business suit, as I had not worn it out before. I finished showering and drying my hair almost the same time Sharon came back from swimming. I gave Sharon the bathroom and headed to the bedroom to get dressed and put on my makeup.
I started with a pink lacy pair of panties and my favorite white lacy bra, then after donning a pair of satin gloves, I carefully put on my sheer nude pantyhose. Finally I slipped on my pink satin makeup coat and sat down to put on my makeup, I was going to be light, but using my business tones. So it was purple on the lower lids, light pink on the top a fine line of eyeliner and light blush. I finished my makeup off with my light red lipstick and a spritz of Halston's perfume. I then slipped into my suit, and made sure the front kick pleat of my skirt was positioned right, I then complete my look with a pair of long dangly gold earrings and my gold anklet.
I slipped into my 3" pair of black pumps and met Sharon in the next room were I noted that she had dressed up as well with a pair of nice black slacks, a pretty blouse and a black blazer. Her makeup was done business as well, and after looking me over, she like the look and exclaimed, "now shall we go and be the best dressed women at breakfast as well?". I told her, almost, and wanted her to take a few more pcitures before we left the room for memory sake. I smiled to let her know I was ready, and we both grabbed our purses and headed out the door for breakfast. We were greeted at the entrance by a waitress that asked us for smoking or non and we answered "no" and she lead us our table and left us with menus and a "have a nice breakfast ladies".
The breakfast was buffet, but my stomach was not feeling well and I decided not to eat or drink anything, but Sharon went up to take advantage of the buffet. Sharon and I chatted about the evening and how much we enjoyed it and how it was the best and most entertaining play we had seen and that we would keep our eyes open for another along the same concept. Sharon finished up her breakfast and we headed back to the room to pack and check out. Sharon and I packed our things and eventually we were all ready to leave and grabbed out things and headed to the elevator for the trip down to the lobby.
Well another adventure was about to begin as the wait for the elevator was really long and every elevator that came to our floor was packed. Finally, same as the evening before we decided to use the stairs and a few other couples decided to join us, so down we went, 10 stories. When we got to the bottom, the stairs led us out to the side of the hotel and we had to walk around to the front so that we could check out. Sharon checked us out and we walked through the hotel and right by the theatre and Sharon and I managed to slip into the theatre and got a few pictures taken with me by the stage for keep sake and then left for the car. We had about 5 pictures left on the roll and Sharon suggested I stand by the sign for the theatre and she took my picture. Once the roll was finished I joined Sharon at the car and we packed it up and started to hear for home.
I thanked Sharon for a wonderful weekend and we held hands all the way home. We talked about the play over and over and again both agreed we need to watch for another of the same style. Once at home, we unpacked the car and both relaxed, and again my thighs were killing me after walking all the way down 10 flights of stairs in 3" heels.