New Year's Eve

Oh, what a night! New Year's Eve was magnificent.

My story starts back in October at Dillards Department Store. I was thumbing through a clearance rack and found an elegant burgundy full-length formal. It appeared to be a halter with a deep burgundy velour top. The fabric was ample enough to cover the bra, but revealing enough to show sufficient cleavage, especially when dancing. The back was attached at the high collar and fanned out to connect under the arms. The material was satin from the waist to the floor, appearing a lighter burgundy because of the shimmer. The length was sufficient to require 4 1/2" heels, and I just happened to have a pair of silver sandals with the right heel height to keep it from dragging on the floor. When would I ever be able to wear such an elegant dress?  New Year's Eve seemed to be the appropriate night, but where would I go?  People don't dress formal at gay bars. I decided this year I would try to get into one of the many formal parties around town.

New Year's Eve arrived, and I carefully applied my makeup and dressed. I decided to wear a short, flame red Raquel Welch wig, slightly tussled. My fingernails were white and silver and I had silver toenails in case they peeked out from the long gown.

I was to meet a male friend and another gal (tg) and head down to some bars in St. Louis. Well, as luck would have it, I could not get in touch with her. I did end up meeting my friend, Paul, in the parking lot at Generations. We decided to see what was going on there. At the door, I could see dozens of people milling around in the hall outside the ballrooms. They even had a temporary bar set up. Taking a deep breath, we entered. Almost all of the women were in full-length formals; having a man by my side meant I did not attract any undue attention. How wonderful-- to finally be able to wear formal attire and fit in with what everyone else was wearing. Not that I don't wear formal attire, because I do quite often. I just don't usually fit in.

We walked around for several minutes observing everyone. I did receive a few looks, but could not tell if they actually 'spotted' me. So far, so good. Z-band was playing in one of the ballrooms, so I asked Paul to lead the way to the dance floor. I thought it would appear more normal for the male to lead. Once on the dance floor, the bandleader recognized me and waved, and I waved back. I looked around as we were dancing to see if anyone was looking. One lady had a "What in the world?" look on her face and a few others were staring. Not bad considering there were several hundred people there. Well, this seemed so easy, we decided to try another place.

We arrived at Joe Hanon's to find a nearly full parking lot. Inside, the halls were full of people milling about, most dressed very formal. There were three bands playing in three separate rooms. I knew Stacey Collins was in the grand ballroom, so that was our destination. I didn't bother to look at anyone till I was on the dance floor, but once there, I did see one lady with a distressed look on her face and several others gave me a sly smile. Stacey saw me and waved, and I waved back. I feel a bit more comfortable when someone recognizes me, as I have a feeling that other people must think, "She/he knows the bandleader; she must belong."  Well it could just be rationalization. I also was greeted by a few of the bar regulars and one couple that I had met at Mag's.

We stayed till closing, dancing most of the evening. I did get my stiletto heels caught up in my hem a few times, but not enough to trip. I was thankful that I had taken advantage of a dance lesson at Southern Comfort and had some good female dance moves. If I had to guess, I would say I was spotted by about 10% of the several hundred that were there. Most were just interested in their own affairs and having a good time. This is not an event that one would want to go to without a male escort, but definitely one night I will never forget.

PS. I did avoid any bathroom confrontations by leaving for a short time during the evening. This is one big disadvantage to frequenting straight bars. There are some straight bars with multiple bathrooms, some of which are not often used. Some bars have patrons who don't care, but this can always develop into a problem, so if you have to relieve yourself, be careful and try to be prepared for some problems whether you're using the men's or women's room.

Below are photos of the dress taken at a later date.
Sharon DeWitt New Year's Eve Sharon DeWitt New Year's Eve Sharon DeWitt New Year's Eve








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