Charleen Willoughby
hunter green velvet dress
"A hunter green velvet dress I made myself for my senior prom. It was
beautiful. I was so proud. My boyfriend drove a Toyota with no
air-conditioner. It was June in Florida—hot and humid. The fancy
restaurant where we had reservations was 40 minutes away. He opened my
door and I got out and he stopped me, staring at the back of my dress.
“What happened to your dress?,” he stammered. I looked behind me a
nd
I was mortified by what I saw. There, imprinted in the velvet, was the
vinyl seat pattern from the car ride. You see, heat, pressure and
moisture irrevocably flattens the velvet. The backs of my thighs AND my
butt cheeks were perfectly imprinted in shiny splendor on the back of my
dress. After dinner, I knelt on the car seat during the ride back to
the dance, but it was already too late. I spent the entire evening
dancing in the corner of the gym, trying to hide my back."
Judy Radcliff
silk dragonfly dress
"In May of 2005, my husband Cliff and I were both nominated for awards
at the Omaha Community Playhouse Awards ceremony. I had recently lost
weight and had NOTHING that fit that was remotely appropriate. I went
shopping in my sister Mary’s closet with Cliff in tow. When I tried on
this breathtakingly beautiful silk dragonfly dress, Cliff’s eyes lit up.
Decision made. I rarely feel attractive, but that night I felt
beautiful, especially so in the reflection of my husband’s eyes. A year
later, my husband lost his life to cancer. Whenever I feel particularly
average, I remember this evening, this dress and my husband’s love."
Sonia Keffer
bubble skirt party dress
New Year’s has long been my favorite holiday.
When I was in college my friends and I decided to go out to celebrate. I talked
my mother into making me a fancy party dress for one occasion. We shopped for
the pattern and fabric together. I chose a deep green velvet for the bodice and
a gorgeous dark red and green poppy covered print for the skirt. It was a satin
that was a bubble skirt—it poofed out from my body. I topped it with rhinestone
jewelry, another favorite. We went out for dinner and a party, it was wonderful.
I felt elegant and beautiful.
Teri
Fender
black and white saddle shoes
For as long as I can remember from my earliest days of
childhood, I had always wanted a pair of black and white saddle shoes. I
couldn’t say why then and still don’t really know now—I guess I’ve always just
been drawn to the two-toned look of them.
No matter how much I begged, plead or asked, my mother
flat-out refused to let me have a pair. Her reasoning? She had had to wear them
every day as a young girl, both because of her Catholic schooling and because
it was the fifties, and she could simply not, would simply not bear to put her
own daughter into what she saw as a punishment.
So, when I became an adult, I, of course, bought my first pair
of saddle shoes. They were easy to find, as swing dancing and jitterbugging had
just come back into style. I loved them. I wore them until they fell apart and
immediately replaced them—a cycle that continues to this day.
And now? Both my mother and I have pairs of black and white
spectator flats in our closets. Guess you could say the love of two-tone is in
my blood.
Caitlin Mabon
...nothing special
“Material objects have never really held any sort of emotional significance for me. Don’t get me wrong, I like clothes and I like to feel good in clothes, but when it comes to important moments in my life they have never been particularly memorable. I can recall certain memories perfectly, but I couldn’t tell you what I was wearing or carrying on me at the time. The truth is, the moments themselves and being able to make memories is what’s important to me. Being able to afford to travel during the best and most freeing years of my life because I don’t invest a lot into my wardrobe (it was just how I was raised) is what’s special to me. I’ve been very lucky to see a lot of places and sure, I’ve bought some nice things during these trips—like the best pair of jeans I’ll probably ever own—but I can remember the smile on someone’s face during a conversation more than I can remember what shirt I had on. Clothes come and go from my life, which is fine with me. I’m still happy.”
