There were many, many dresses that passed through my life in the mid-nineties. The love affair started at a Salvation Army in Livermore, CA. I was sorting through racks and racks or polyester Maxi dresses and Faux furs, when my hands felts cotton. Thin, soft cotton, and in the dimly-lit, western themed store, my eyes found it. The perfect dress.
I estimate it was from the 60's, maybe the fifties. I'm not really sure. It was a shirt-waist dress. Collared, with cuffed sleeves, pleats at the waist- just the right size.
I didn't even realize until I got home that it had freaking UNICORNS on it!!
I wore this dress for years, and year. Through the end of high school on into college. I even wore it after having kids.
Then recently, I wore it, and found a tear on one of the pleats. I showed my mom and we discovered that it wasn't even a tear- the fabric itself is disintegrating.
So, it lives now in a box of sentimental things. You can see how worn it is- its not just the photo- the pattern is darker around the collar. So sad. It still fits perfectly, I'm just scared to touch it too much.
The next dress I found on Telegraph in Berkeley. I bought it at a store called Mars, which in my opinion was Mecca (until I started going to Haight Ashbury) for vintage. It is in excellent condition today. It is from the 1940's, wrap around up top, with a straight skirt and a cute little flared part just below the waist. I used to wear this with fishnet stockings, suede Mary Jane Heels and a red wool coat with a mink collar. I freaking loved this dress.
Why the past tense? Well, the unfortunate fact is, though I have lost most of my baby weight, my bones are just...bigger.
I can't zip it up. I'm about the same weight I was in High School, give or take a few pounds, but I still can't get this one on. So, in the it resides.
There have been other losses- a pair of vintage Calvin Klein dark denim bell-bottoms, a silver fur coat, a velvet coat (that I'm absolutely furious at myself for giving away), and several pairs of fantastic shoes that simply fell apart.
I take comfort in the fact that these things were truly loved and that there will be more to come.
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