I have to go to a May wedding. (Another wedding! This is going to be one of those years.) What to wear! It's being held at a farm in Ohio. I'm not sure what the dress code is, but if they're getting married barefoot in the grass, I'm sure as hell not wearing pantyhose.
However, this is a family wedding and the family is a bit on the traditional side. The future is hazy, but through the mists and soft focus, I'm pretty sure I'm seeing a spring dress, pantyhose, and sensible pumps. I fear this means I must face the horror of shopping.
I've been gearing myself up for the shopping. It might not be so bad. I might be able to find something suitable for a lady who is neither a bimbo nor ninety.
Then, this evening I recall that I have a spring dress, with matching lingerie, pantyhose, shoes, and handbag. I got it at the Gap, back when they didn't suck, in 1997 perhaps. The shoes and handbag date back to 1989. I only wore the dress once, for a wedding (what else?) in 1999 or so.
I pull it out of the closet, still in the dry cleaning bag. I slip the dress over my head and button a few buttons.
It fits! It's got a timeless cut so it doesn't look dated! It's cute!
Did I mention that it fits? The cut is also quite forgiving, though since I regularly wear other clothes that old, I shouldn't be too surprised that it still fits.
Oz says, "Oh, darn, you don't get to go shopping."
"No. That's 'Yay! I don't have to go shopping!'"
280 words | April 26, 2007 11:27 PM | Real true storyIf you don't buy a new dress for every wedding, doesn't the economy collapse, or something? Surely there must be some repercussions.....
Posted by: Jonathan Dresner at April 27, 2007 01:10 AMNope, no repercussions. The dress I bought to wear to your wedding was worn to many other weddings through the late nineties when the economy was booming. In fact, I don't think I wore it to anything but weddings. Perhaps the economy just needs more weddings.
Today my mom found out from my aunt who is the mother of the groom that the dress code is "dressy casual, like what you'd wear to a nice restaurant." Gah! I think that means semi-formal for ladies and khakis and collared shirts for men. Anyway, my spring dress that still fits will be perfect.
Still, though I only need to wear a dress once or twice a year, I wouldn't mind buying a new dress now and then if the shopping process were fun. Usually it's an exercise in frustration to find a dress that fits, doesn't itch, doesn't require special underwear, is cute, has an appropriate level of formality for the event, and is a flattering color and not all black or all white (the two colors a lady cannot wear to a wedding, though one can sometimes squeak by with black at an evening wedding). Plus, it has to be all that and not cost more than about US$100. I can't bring myself to spend a whole lot on a garment I'll only wear a few times.
Posted by: 100 word minimum at April 27, 2007 01:44 PM