Monday, March 24, 2008

DRESSED TO KILL


My mother used to make many of my clothes when I was a kid, but there was always one exception--the Easter Sunday dress. We weren't the richest family on the block, but there was no cutting costs for Jesus. And that's the truth. Good Methodists weren't like that.


I particularly remember well the selection process when I was a 5th grader. Mom and I had scoured the aisles at J.C. Penney's and Cook's Department Store, looking for just the right dress, but no luck, so we turned to the Montgomery Ward catalogue. It was there that I found the perfect Easter Sunday dress, a stunning light purple (lavender, lilac, violet, whatever) faux organza with a full skirt and puffy sleeves. It would be all mine---price be damned. When it arrived a week or so later in the mail, I was so excited. It looked even better in person--the prettiest dress I had ever owned.


Well, Easter rolled around and I eagerly entered the 4th-5th-6th grade Sunday school room, looking more angelic (and itchier) than ever. We girls exchanged compliments on what fashionistas we were. I felt just like a princess....until in walked my neighbor, who is now known in the blogging world as Literary Diva, wearing the exact, same dress as my Montgomery Ward special!! How dare she!


I could feel the embarrassment flush over my face. Having a look-alike dress was a fashion blunder of the highest order! What do I do now? Run to the bathroom and cry? Sneak out and go home? No, Jesus wouldn't like that. Both of us chose to stay put, tolerate teasing about being twins, and accept that Easter was ruined. "She is clothed with strength and dignity."--Proverbs 31:25.


Decades later we can laugh about what exquisite, stylish taste we shared in Sunday school dresses way back when, but I don't think either one of us ever walked into the Methodist Church again wearing that purple dress. Certainly not at the same time. And, I know for a fact, I never ordered anything else from Montgomery Ward except underwear!



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the stuff good Sears' customers are made of. Nope, I never ordered anything from Wards ever again either!
Has this ever happened to you again? I always check when I walk into a party or meeting as I know lightening can strike twice. This is definitely one of the greatest stories of my life. I posted in my blog today about my Easter experience with the grandgirls. Ron is in Boston this week taking your latest "novel" with him so we ought to have feedback on how it worked on Wednesday. I feel the goal is to get an interview and he has that at least. Can't thank you enough. You must still be using the library to post.

Sarah said...

Oh the horror of having the same dress. I can tell it still haunts you. ha ha.

Nancy Evans said...

Diva: No accidental dressing alike anymore--just ones on purpose for school activities. Yeah---I'm still without my PC so am back at the library. Keep me posted on Ron's job search. I'll go read your blog.

Sarah: Can you imagine how awful it would have been to show up at prom dressed in the same gown as someone else???

Anonymous said...

Got to tell you just one more story in this same vein. I went to a party once when my hubby worked for IBM. I'd made my dress so no prob on a look a like for me BUT one of my hubby's friends' wife showed up to find out she was a twin!! Horrors! So, she and I found a spare bedroom and did her dress in. first thing was we ripped two foot of the bottom of it to change the hem length. Then we took the gold lame trim off my dress and made it into a belt for her dress, which hadn't had a belt at all before. We then cut the neckline way down and put a snip of the gold lame to tie it to one side. It looked nothing like when we started. She walked back out and he husband, who was a hero, told her he liked it better than the original dress. so later on someone asked her about her unique dress. She said--with a straight face, The Diva made it for me!! I was proud! we always threatened to try it again.

Sarah said...

Oh, I totally understand the importance of having a special dress.