If you’re not an actress, it’s possible you’ve never participated in a dress rehearsal. Unless you’re married. Then it’s likely that you did a full dress rehearsal for your wedding.

It’s common for brides to do test runs before the big day, trying on their gown with all its undergarments, shoes, and jewelry and then testing out different hairstyles and make-up to make sure everything is just right.

So why don’t we take this approach more often?

Certainly arriving at a dinner in your honor, or hosting a fundraiser for a local cause, or interviewing for a once-in-a-lifetime job, or presenting at a conference or (fill in your next big event here) could only benefit from a similar dress rehearsal as well.

I learned this early in my career when I had an important job interview.

There I was rushing to get dressed. I had two identical pairs of shoes in two different colors and had been switching back and forth between them, trying to decide which color worked best with my suit.

You know what happened, right?

I walked out of the house wearing one blue pump and one black pump! Just one of several fashion faux-pas over the years.

That’s why pros like Rachel Zoe know it’s important to do a full fitting with their clients — a dress rehearsal, if you will — long before a big day arrives.

You don’t want to discover at the last moment that the nude bra you planned to wear with your dress isn’t quite nude enough. Or that the new shoes you bought to match your outfit pinch so bad that you can’t walk in them. Or that the necklace you planned to wear is too long, or too short, or just too…wrong.

No, dress rehearsals aren’t just for actors. They’re handy-dandy fashion rituals for us not-so-famous leading ladies, too.

Even easy-breezy looks like today’s VPOD warrant a quick run-through. This vintage Edwardian lawn dress is just perfect for a casual spring or summer wedding.

And it’s sure to get a standing ovation from a Vintage Crusader!

Available at Sydney’s Vintage Clothing.

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