EC Gala: Harvard Business School Prom

I have worn more formal gowns in the last year and a half than I have the rest of my life put together!

The big final formal event of business school is held at the Boston Public Library each year and I have been looking forward to it since I found out the venue sometime last year. Officially, it’s called “EC Gala” (EC is what they call second year students here at HBS – so many acronyms for EVERYTHING) and most of the 900+ student body goes with their +1 so it is a big crowd.

It turns out, the highlight of the evening for me was dinner with 25 of our closest friends at a steak house before the event. We chatted over burratta salads and calamari about how fast the last 18 months have gone. Can it really be that I met these people just a year and a half ago? Fall of 2017 seems like another lifetime ago and in the last 18 months, these friends have seen us through so many ups + downs + struggles + stress + overwhelm + pride + accomplishment.

Ben and I only lasted about an hour at the actual gala, just long enough to take a picture with his section and catch up with a few friends. We came home, made virgin mojitos, and lounged about before going to sleep at a reasonable hour (so very different than last year’s final ball down in Newport, RI).

P.S. I don’t mind looking pregnant most of the time, but every once in awhile, surrounded by lots of stunning younger women with defined waste lines, I catch myself feeling a tad frumpy. I wore this beautiful Tiffany Rose gown and was so grateful for something that made me feel beautiful while still feeling very large. The silky bottom material was so soft and draped beautifully. I did wear shape-wear under it but if you skipped that, it would also be so soft on your skin. My only caution is not to wear this dress if you’re planning on dancing the evening away because the intricate beaded top is a little restricting. For dinner and socializing though, it’s perfect.

outfit details:

dress: Tiffany Rose, c/o (comes in two different colors but this dusty truffle is my favorite)

earrings: Sugarfix by Baublebar, c/o (there is only limited availability left of these – I think these similar ones from Madewell are gorgeous!)

shoes: Kork-ease (these wedges are SO comfortable that I didn’t mind wearing them for a couple of hours and they gave me the height I needed for the dress – the ones I liked are a tiny bit shorter than the older version I have)

Past HBS events: