How Do You Do Fancy?

I never attend cocktail parties, I never go to fancy restaurants, I do not frequent grand galas. Basically put, I need not own a fancy party dress. I do own one toned-down 50s party dress that I wear to Holidays, but that is the only time it sees the light of day.
Imagine my heart break when I put on this dress and it fit like a glove. I will never have a reason to wear this lovely dress so instead I listed it for sale over on Etsy.
This has really got me thinking that I need a reason to get fancy. So tell me dear readers, what do you do to get fancy? Do you own a fabulous cocktail dress? Where do you take it? I am honestly quite curious!

Panic at the Disco, er, I mean wedding!

Tim's cousin is getting married in just over a week. Which, would not normally be that big of a deal, except I *just* found out, that the wedding is at this grand Victorian mansion, and there is to be formal dining and dancing afterward. Yes my friends, its to be a black tie sort of event.
I do not, repeat, do not own anything even remotely appropriate for such an affair.
I have spent the day on Ebay(EW!) hoping to catch a decent deal on a 30s style dress to wear ( so I can wear my lovely topper...) I did find one dress, a 30s black cocktail dress, but alas it was about 6" to big in the bust region.

I wish there was some miracle that would make a really inexpensive formal dress land in my lap.
I am sort of hunting for this silhouette:

Sigh, I really need to invest in a decent formal piece when I come into money again, because this likely wont be our last fancy shindig.