Belle of the Ball or: A Lesson in Shopping Efficiency

The last time I attended a "fancy" ball at Hofburg (THE prime location for balls in Vienna if you don't count the State Opera, venue of the famous Opera Ball) I was still a student and you were not expected to wear a long ball gown. Times have changed and when I spontaneously decided to join a group of friends for a ball in February last Saturday, I realised there were two little catches. A) the fact that I am returning from Riga at 18:15 (if all goes according to plan) that night and b) that I don't own a long ball gown and it is the worst time to start shopping for one, it already being peak ball season. In any case, I decided not to waste any time in view of the fact that I will be on business trips more or less non-stop until then. Well, on Monday, I wanted to quickly pop into Peek & Cloppenburg only to find out that they were closed for stock-taking that day. Eeeek! Plan B was Monsoon and right enough they had 1 dress left in my size for 70% off. What can I say...the shoe erm, dress fit and for EUR 84 I am now in possession of a really nice dress that also is remarkably crease-free. I really like it and am looking forward to wearing it.