For example: my darling cousin Cristina got married in 2005 in Atlanta, GA. My then boyfriend (see: flavor of the month and purposeful 'seek to make X jealous' stand-in) was going to drive down from Michigan with me to attend the wedding. Of course I knew her big day was going to be quite an affair so I had to have just the right dress.
*NOTE* In 2005, I was 23 years old. I'd been out of college a year and a half (fashion major, no less), and had lost all that college weight so I was feeling GOOD about myself. Also... I stayed up late nights watching A LOT of Sex & the City on TBS before I started buying the seasons at Best Buy to avoid commercials and editing.
One of the things I was experimenting with at the time was well, everything. I wanted WOW and excitement when I dressed up and went out so I got it in my mind to make the dress for this wedding and the inspiration for it was...
...my bra. A bright orange lacy, pretty push-up bra from H&M. I decided it would look incredible with a gold skirt and I got to work fashioning together this orange bra with a gold skirt sewn to it and a little gold shimmery tulle to make it a tiny bit less obvious (at least in my mind) that the bra was the base (and display!) for this dress.
To top the look, that night, I wore great little Steve Madden gold sandals, a long strand of pearls I knotted and wore backwards (since there was so much bare skin in the back), a fabulous fake tan, and a bump in my hair that would make Snooki jealous (that's right - I bumped it way before anyone knew who Snooki was).
I turned some heads, slightly embarrassed my mother, and actually had a group of people from another table approach me to ask if it was mine (which is quite a compliment in the fashion world).
In retrospect, I believe I slightly embarrassed myself, my cousin the bride (who, in proper Southern belle fashion would never admit such a thing), and probably made that group roar with laughter at my expense later that night because the odds that they were genuine in their compliments are slim.
HOWEVER - I can't bring myself to open closet space by parting with that dress. Maybe I don't want to put it out on the world ever again (that was the only time I ever wore it) or maybe a tiny part of me has pride in such a statement piece because while I never had intentions of becoming a designer, for one night, I was.
Other items that live in my closet:
A red snake-print skirt I made to wear to prom when I was a freshman in college (I dated younger guys then... what can I say?). I was working at Jo-Ann's at the time and we had this fabulous, funky material that caught my eye daily. When I found out the theme for prom was "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil", it only made sense to wear snake-print. I paired it with a backless tank I found at Frederick's of Hollywood (it had one strap that attached the sides in the back to the straps - it was awesome). And I got away with it since I was no longer a student. Sidenote: this was the first garment I ever had to install a zipper in. Win!
That skirt made another appearance a in 2010 as part of Mallory's costume when 5 of us dressed up as the Spice Girls. She was Scary. It was perfect.
My champagne BCBG NYE dress. In 2007 I made plans to visit a college friend who moved to New York (yes, she was actually working to DESIGN for a living). We bought tickets to a fabulous party under the bridge and we were going all out. I found the PERFECT New Year's Eve dress on BCBG.com and scoured the city of Houston to find it. Upon discovery, I hated it on my body but fell in love with this little number instead. I paired it with eggplant purple heels from Bakers (they zipped in the back and had little bows on them), a killer side pony, and jewelry from H&M. To top the look, I found a vintage Jordache faux fur coat (circa 1980) on ebay. I rocked NYC so hard Carrie Bradshaw style that I will never let that dress or the coat go. The shoes, however, will be missed (satin shoes & champagne simply do not mix).
A Western Michigan University Broncos hockey jersey, size XXL. My freshman year of college (2000), 1st semester, my roommate Megan and I had declared ourselves hockey fans and were determined to attend as many games as possible. One day, while browsing the racks and killing time at the bookstore, Megan and I discovered hockey jerseys - FOR SALE. Of course, the only way to justify such a purchase (since they were pricey & frivolous & we were broke college kids) was to offer up the exchange as early Christmas gifts for each other. SOLD. We each had our very own grossly oversized hockey jerseys. These days, I have nowhere to wear it but I refuse to part with it. Ever.
The Snow White costume my mom made me for Halloween when I was 5 (1987 for those of you who need the math). She painstakingly made this incredibly detailed costume she knew I'd only wear for one year - to school and to trick-or-treat. While this particular gem isn't in MY current wardrobe, it's tucked away somewhere at my mom's, being saved for a special day when she has a grand-daughter to dress as a certain dark-haired, fair-skinned, crimson-lipped Disney princess.
*disclaimer* obviously, this isn't me. I don't have access to pictures from that Halloween for the purposes of this blog entry.
My first 'designer' love - THE prom dress I insisted on hunting down... My junior year of high school, I was sitting in math one day flipping through a teen-driven magazine (let's face it - I hated math, I was terrible at it, and I didn't see the point in paying much attention near the end of the year) and my eyes stopped on a page of Alfred Angelo formal gowns. Immediately, I spotted a lilac velour spaghetti strapped dress, complete with jewel accents on the straps and glittery silver stripes. I WAS IN LOVE. Of course, I certainly didn't have the money for a dress like that. My parents definitely weren't going to pony up for it (when I went to prom previously, my mom made one of my dresses and my dad bought the other for me from Sears - certainly not designer but it sure made me feel pretty). My sister and I had a weekend with Dad planned and I pleaded with him and his wife to take me dress shopping. This is one weekend in my life I am certainly not proud of - we drove to nearly every formal-wear shop in the tri-state area, spending an entire day searching for THIS dress - a dress I wasn't even sure he would spend the money on because I knew it would be well over $200. Each store we stopped in, I became more deflated yet more determined to keep looking. I don't know why my whole family was willing to bend like this for me but my persistence paid off when we FINALLY found the LAST dress at a little shop in Indiana. It was a size too big but I didn't care. I convinced my dad that Mom could take it in and it would be perfect. I was in heaven! He actually bought it without much argument and I paired that gorgeous deal with elbow gloves and strappy silver sandals. I felt like a movie star in that dress, which was ironic because the following year, I played the part of an opera house owner in our school's big winter production. The dress re-appeared as my costume, complete with faux fur stole and a large, melodramatic personality.
And finally, the favorite item of my wardrobe I'll never let go of - a pair of Victoria's Secret cotton pajama pants. While I realize up until now, everything else has been 'special occasion' or 'absolutely random', these pants find their way out of my closet on a regular basis. Circa 2005, I was going 'home' with a friend for the weekend and tossed a quick bag together. The night we got there, I realized their family was big on "lounge wear" and since the pajamas I brought consisted of a tiny tank top and short shorts, I figured that was inappropriate to wear around the house. The next day, while we were at the mall, I came across these rock & roll pj pants and I bought a coordinating PINK thermal. While the thermal disappeared long ago, the pants have stayed with me, oversized and comfortable, and perfectly lightweight for summer evenings at camp in the break room. Two big reasons I'll never let these pants go: December 7, 2008 & June 23, 2011. On that day in December, I was wearing the pants with my hot pink "Frankie Says Relax" tshirt and washing off my makeup when Calvin asked me to be his girlfriend. On that day in June, I was wearing the same pants with my lime green Michigan Tech tshirt, sans makeup when Calvin asked me to be his wife.
These garments are like bookmarks for chapters in my life - I remember how they made me feel, what they felt like on my skin, the energy of the rooms I wore these things in, the looks & comments I received - these moments may not have lasted long, but the memories have lasted years. While I no longer work in the fashion industry, it will always be a passion I carry in my heart. Life may not afford me the finest labels or the latest trends, but I will always wear what makes me happy. And someday, maybe I'll have a little girl who wants to twirl in my dresses or have me teach her to sew. And if God doesn't bless me with a daughter, at least I have a hockey jersey :)
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