Hot Pink Dress

I don't know much about fashion. I am drawn to simplicity and what I see as "classic," rather than trendy. I'm awfully picky when it comes to clothing and often don't find things when I'm looking for them because it has to be just so. It has to fit exactly the right way, it has to be the right price, and if I'm not 100% convinced that it is for me, it goes back on the rack.

At Target a few years ago, I found a hot pink short-sleeved shirt dress with a matching (same color, same material) belt. I fell in love. Thinking back, this must have been Summer 2008 or earlier. The dress was deigned by (first name?) Mizrahi, a famous designer who collaborated (maybe still does?) with Target on affordable yet fashionable designs for women. When I put on the dress, I knew it was meant for me.

Reading The Secret Lives of Dresses this weekend (which I highly recommend!) made me think about what stories my own clothing would tell. This hot pink dress has some stories!

I remember wearing it in July 2008 on GradSchool's European choir tour. On one beautiful and HOT day in Trieste, Italy, I wore this dress. I remember walking around the gorgeous city, soaking in the sunshine. I remember visiting this tiny music-themed museum which was hosting a large exhibit on opera singer Maria Callas. A sweet, elderly Italian lady gave Westley and me a tour. She spoke no English, and my Italian consisted of "Non parliamo italiano" and the lyrics of the Italian arias I had studied. Somehow, we managed to communicate with gestures and facial expressions as she showed us the various instruments from the past.

At one point on that day, Westley and I decided to sit by the water ... and there's a picture of me taken that day that BestFriend says makes me "look like a movie star." My hair is twisted up into a bun held by a clip (because it was sweltering), and I'm wearing big sunglasses. My body is angled toward the water as I'm sitting on the stone steps which descend to the water, but my smiling face is turned toward the camera. Another goofier picture taken that day has me pretending to kiss a statue (and, of course, I no longer remember who the statue depicted).

I remember wearing the dress to one of the performances of my school musical in April 2009.

I remember wearing the dress to an event at the resort in Jamaica when my in-laws took us along with them on vacation in January 2010, right after Westley and I got married. They had a free trip after redeeming a certain number of points, and they simply redeemed more points to bring us along. My mother-in-law and I danced the night I wore the dress. Loud music was playing, and several of my favorite line dances were played (Cupid Shuffle, Cha-cha-slide, etc). Both she and I flew down to the dance floor and started dancing away. By the end of the dance party, I was sweating but exhilarated.

I wore the dress to one of the performances of the musical I was in last summer. I loved wearing my pretty clothing to the theatre before changing into my costume for the show.

The dress is now slightly faded after many washings and much love ... but I look forward to wearing it again when the weather is warm enough.