Something like this would work well.

So I somehow got invited to a black-tie event tomorrow night. Black tie is one of those things that separate the women from the girls, fashion-wise, and to compound the usual wardrobe dread, 1) this one has socialites and 2) I was invited by a fashion magazine. (My editor there said “LBD is fine,” which is fine if you have an LBD.) Unless pilling sweaters count as black tie these days, I’m a little challenged here. Any ideas in Brooklyn for a dressy outfit that will cut it with this crowd? 

Usually I resort to personal shoppers for this type of challenge. This doesn’t sound especially Brokelyn-y, but actually it is because they do all the work for you and they know where all the best deals are hidden. But my favorite one is in Manhattan, and no time. There are all those groovy boutiques on Seventh and Atlantic avenues, but that ain’t happening on my budget.

So here’s my perhaps wrongheaded strategy: shop like a Russian. They’re dressy and blingy, as well as label-conscious and deal-aware. So I’m hoping that somewhere between Fox’s and the rest of King’s Highway, which includes TJ Maxx, I can come up with something affordable and sharp, without resembling a wannabe oligarch’s wife (though if any oligarchs are interested…) Do you guys have any better suggestions? Is there some shockingly reasonable boutique in DUMBO/Williamsburg/Fort Greene that opened last week? (Note: Please do not send me to your friend’s vintage dress booth at the DeKalb Market. I’m sure it really is tootoofabulous but that’s a skinny girl’s game.)