If you’re an Estonian, the Independence Day reception will need no introduction. If you’re not, let me quickly fill you in: it’s the event hosted by the Estonian President every year on 24 February. There are hundreds of guests (ministers, ambassadors, artists, civil servants, etc), a speech, a concert and – most importantly for the entertainment media – the handshaking ceremony where everybody gets to greet the President and be shown live on TV. The latter gets an unproportionate amount of attention: pictures are taken of all the guests, dresses scrutinised, rankings published, makeup discussed at the watercoolers all over Estonia.

It is not an easy occasion to dress for. As I said, there is the sometimes ridiculously intense scrutiny and public pressure to look good. I can handle that relatively well (although not perfectly), but I struggle with the nature of the event. Despite the high profile, it’s not about glamour like the film or music industry awards. It is fancy, but not sexy. There are rules: dresses have to be long, toes not visible, shoulders covered. Showing too much cleavage or skin in general, anything too transparent or clingy is out. Ideally, one should look elegant and classy and not too conspicuous.

I haven’t, necessarily. Last year, I wore a sparkly lavender pink gown that can be called many things, but inconspicuous isn’t one of them. No matter how important the occasion, I refuse to wear anything that I don’t seriously like (see my rules here). If I’m going to have a bespoke evening dress made that I’ll spend a considerable amount of time and money on, it better be something I really want to wear.

This time, however, I felt uncharacteristically subdued. We’d had a change of leadership – the flamboyant President Ilves replaced with the much less vain President Kaljulaid. I admire both of them for their intelligence and substance, but their vibes are different. I assumed that she would wear national costume (and she did) and the whole atmosphere of the event would likely be quite sober and tasteful (and it was). Which left me facing the question: how to look unpretentious and not over the top while still being true to my somewhat over the top self? I’m an attention seeker, but even I have limits, especially when being hosted by a woman I deeply admire.

The solution was, as is often the case for me, a simple cut paired with an interesting fabric. Designer Karolin Kuusik found the latter and we both fell in love with the sophisticated colour palette. The shape was somewhat inspired by this Emma Stone dress (by Calvin Klein) that I love, although because the material is so different, the overall effect is different as well. The stripy fabric is actually almost weightless and reflects the light beautifully. I couldn’t resist having a small train, as it just looked so pretty following me around.

I wore these red velvet Prada shoes with the dress: I didn’t want the footwear to be too matchy-matchy and I also just adore these shoes. Other than that, I kept it simple. No jewellery, no accessories and very basic hair. The makeup was slightly different from what you see here, as this look had to work for four different outfits (three soon to be featured on the blog). The original was more luminous, with a dewier foundation and some By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock smudged along the lashline. The lip combo is the same, though: Chanel Aqua Glossimer in Sirocco (604) layered over Charlotte Tilbury Amazing Grace lipstick – it looks a bit warmer in real life, with a touch of apricot.

I realise that this is a pretty boring readout that doesn’t say much beyond “this is what I wore”. However, several people have asked for it and I also feel I owe my fantastic designer and seamstress some pictures where I’m not standing awkwardly and the dress can actually be seen. So if you wonder why I look like a petrified statue, it’s because I’m terrified of disturbing the dress.

Dress by Karolin Kuusik (design) and Tuule Soosaar (execution), shoes by Prada, MUAH by Glow Make-Up Studio, images Marin Sild.