Orange carpets, black tie, spending an evening with one of best friends AND doing all of this for animals? YES, count me in. This, is Zoobilation (in the simplest definition).

This was my first year attending Zoobilation, and I really had no idea what I was in for. Melanie was really great for giving me a lot of details, but this is really something you need to experience first hand. The main thing I knew and kept in mind while planning my attire was that the theme for the event was “Rock your Orange.” Perfect, the one color missing from my closet. Then I remembered a special dress that I had bought weeks ago for my friend’s bridal shower, and it was the perfect burnt orange color that really gave a 70’s vibe (hell yes).

Side note: I may have had 3 other dresses in the running for this event, but when it came down to it, I felt confident and classy in my 70’s burnt orange number, so that was almost a no brainer (after a 20 min. fashion show of course).

I then paired my Topshop dress with the most perfect strappy MIA heels in nude. These shoes really made my dress pop, and my heels had a pointy toe so it really made the overall look really fit the black tie dress code.

When we arrived at the event and walked the orange carpet, which BTW, is better than red, we were full of nothing but confidence. While waiting to get our picture taken, Indy Style even gave Melanie and I a shout out. They loved Melanie’s sheer dress (which was absolutely stunning) and then they said I wore nude and orange together the right way. (Yes, we had a major freak out moment, and felt like royalty). The rest of the evening was spent sampling delicious food and beverages from 70 vendors in and around Indianapolis. We then ended the evening by dancing our little hearts out to the various bands and DJ’s (after switching from heels to flats, obviously).

Everyone was dressed and just looked beautiful. One trend reappearing throughout the evening consisted of heavily bedazzled gowns. These seemed a bit prom-ish to me, but each person wearing it rocked it with confidence so props to them. I also discovered that I am a HUGE fan of men’s wear consisting of suit jackets with shorts and loafers, is it totally black tie…maybe borderline, but still, some totally rocked it and I think that is a really fun look for spring/summer for any age.

The one trend that stood out the most, was that everyone…and yes all 5,000+ who attended felt as amazing as they looked. Confidence is your best accessory and it was awesome seeing this throughout the entire event. Zoobilation lived up to its hype, and I look forward to attending this again and rocking whichever color they choose. Whether it’s orange, or another color you don’t think you can pull off, you can make ANYTHING work with the right amount of confidence.

My Zoobilation look: Dress: Topshop, (I did wear MIA nude heels from Carson’s, but the photo was taken after we switched shoes.)