A Dress to Kill
So my 30th high school reunion is in two weeks and I'd had yet to get a dress.
This can be a big deal when you live on an island. I can't just decide to buzz off to the mall this weekend. Even if I had the time to take the boat off and back on-island, I probably couldn't get a ferry reservation at such short notice this time of year.
I'm not sure how I let this happen. I'm usually pretty good at knowing when I'll need to buy something off-island, and then planning ahead of time when I can go. But with my daughter's graduation and my parents visit, this one got by me.
It's not that I can't buy a dress on-island. Of course I can. The Vineyard has some of the trendiest little stores around. Trendiest, very expensive little stores, especially, again, this time of year.
But unless I wanted to order something on line and risk having to exchange it in time, I really had no choice. So Daughter #2 and I hit some shops. She's good for me to shop with. She gives me her honest opinion and, even more important, she doesn't make me feel terrible if I decide to ignore her advice, and buy something she hates, anyway.
We tried four stores and each seemed to have two dresses I felt were worth trying on, and one that could have been a possibility (did I mention how picky I can be?). They were all expensive, but like I said, at this point I was paying for convenience, which is never cheap.
My mother had given me some cash as an early birthday gift when she was here, so I was using that to rationalize further. Let's just say I was willing to spend $500. That's not the real amount, but I'm sure if I said the real amount, half of you would think it's too much and half of you would think it's too little, so I'll just go with $500 because, hopefully, we can all agree that's too much for one freaking dress for a freaking 30 year high school reunion.
At least that's what one would think...
But at the fourth store there was the dress. It was soft and silky and turquoisey and awesomely amazing. It was also at least three times as much as I wanted to spend, which, for the purpose of this post, makes it $1500.
"I can't buy it," I said to D #2. "But I can at least see how it looks on me."
Well, you know the rest of this story. It fit like Cinderella's fairy godmother had waved her magic wand.
"You have to get that dress," D #2 said, in no uncertain terms.
I swirled around before the dressing room mirror, trying to justify the unjustifiable. What if I didn't buy shoes? That would save me a considerable amount, right? And it's not like I won't wear it again. After all, my summer social calendar is always stock full of formal events.
In mere minutes I was leaping from, "I cannot get this dress," to "I don't know how I can NOT get this dress."
So I did.
I'm still waiting for that morning-after guilt to knock me flat. You know, the feeling you get when you wake up and realize you were drunk and dancing naked on the table top the night before?
But so far so good. Maybe I'm getting too old for guilt. Or maybe I just love that dress.
This can be a big deal when you live on an island. I can't just decide to buzz off to the mall this weekend. Even if I had the time to take the boat off and back on-island, I probably couldn't get a ferry reservation at such short notice this time of year.
I'm not sure how I let this happen. I'm usually pretty good at knowing when I'll need to buy something off-island, and then planning ahead of time when I can go. But with my daughter's graduation and my parents visit, this one got by me.
It's not that I can't buy a dress on-island. Of course I can. The Vineyard has some of the trendiest little stores around. Trendiest, very expensive little stores, especially, again, this time of year.
But unless I wanted to order something on line and risk having to exchange it in time, I really had no choice. So Daughter #2 and I hit some shops. She's good for me to shop with. She gives me her honest opinion and, even more important, she doesn't make me feel terrible if I decide to ignore her advice, and buy something she hates, anyway.
We tried four stores and each seemed to have two dresses I felt were worth trying on, and one that could have been a possibility (did I mention how picky I can be?). They were all expensive, but like I said, at this point I was paying for convenience, which is never cheap.
My mother had given me some cash as an early birthday gift when she was here, so I was using that to rationalize further. Let's just say I was willing to spend $500. That's not the real amount, but I'm sure if I said the real amount, half of you would think it's too much and half of you would think it's too little, so I'll just go with $500 because, hopefully, we can all agree that's too much for one freaking dress for a freaking 30 year high school reunion.
At least that's what one would think...
But at the fourth store there was the dress. It was soft and silky and turquoisey and awesomely amazing. It was also at least three times as much as I wanted to spend, which, for the purpose of this post, makes it $1500.
"I can't buy it," I said to D #2. "But I can at least see how it looks on me."
Well, you know the rest of this story. It fit like Cinderella's fairy godmother had waved her magic wand.
"You have to get that dress," D #2 said, in no uncertain terms.
I swirled around before the dressing room mirror, trying to justify the unjustifiable. What if I didn't buy shoes? That would save me a considerable amount, right? And it's not like I won't wear it again. After all, my summer social calendar is always stock full of formal events.
In mere minutes I was leaping from, "I cannot get this dress," to "I don't know how I can NOT get this dress."
So I did.
I'm still waiting for that morning-after guilt to knock me flat. You know, the feeling you get when you wake up and realize you were drunk and dancing naked on the table top the night before?
But so far so good. Maybe I'm getting too old for guilt. Or maybe I just love that dress.
Pictures!! We need pictures, woman! You cannot post about "the" perfect dress, and not post pictures!! :) I had my 30th reunion in 2006... hard to believe that I went to school with those old fogies, while I remain so youthful and such. *cough cough*. Yeah. LOL :) Enjoy your reunion.
Posted by: Midlife Mama | July 03, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Sometimes you just have to spend the money. When you find a dress that makes you feel and look great, it's worth the money.
Posted by: class factotum | July 03, 2009 at 01:46 PM
Life is short....you wouldn't have bought the dress if you couldn't. It's a big reunion and you need to feel fabulous. I hope you will be posting pictures!
Posted by: Sandy | July 03, 2009 at 04:37 PM
Yes, pictures. We MUST have pictures!
Posted by: Jersey Girl | July 03, 2009 at 07:54 PM
Wear it and enjoy it! I'm still thinking about how I'd have to get on a boat just to go shopping. THAT would curb my impulse buys for sure!
Posted by: Myrna | July 04, 2009 at 03:35 AM
I always say you regret what you don't do more than what you do. This applies to clothing as well as more serious stuff, in my experience. Besides sometimes people meet the loves of their lives at high school reunions so you may as well dress for the fairytale, no?
Posted by: LPC | July 04, 2009 at 12:08 PM
My daughter has done the same thing that you just did. Spent a ridiculous amount of money on a piece of clothing that looked gorgeous on her, fit her perfectly and with my encouragement bought it. Personally, I think you deserve to spluge on occasion. It's good for the soul. I'll bet you will look fantastic and don't feel guilty.
Posted by: joanharvest | July 04, 2009 at 05:42 PM
"meet the loves of their lives at high school reunions"
I met my husband at my 20-year college reunion. I was wearing my FABULOUS red shoes.
No, he never noticed them, but I felt great wearing them: http://class-factotum.blogspot.com/2009/03/marriage-101-lecture-783-old-boyfriends.html
Posted by: class factotum | July 05, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Hey, if the dress fits. . .
Posted by: lizspin | July 05, 2009 at 06:03 PM
You MUST post pictures of your loveliness in that dress. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and i'm sure you'll make sure you get lots of use out of the beautiful purchase.
Posted by: Midlife Slices | July 05, 2009 at 06:46 PM
I knew Island living had it's downside but having to worry about a ferry reservation - well sounds crazy.
I have heard of people moving from Hawaii because they felt stranded.
Oh - I just read the first part about the logistics - did you get a dress? Check out Lilly's Life - there's always body paint!
Posted by: lisleman | July 06, 2009 at 09:50 PM
Chica...guilt is for sissies!
Posted by: Jill | July 09, 2009 at 08:42 AM