The Dress

So 2011 is officially gone . . . hallelujah!  2011 was my test and so far, I probably have a C-.  It's been a difficult year.  Not really complaining, but difficult things far outweighed the good ones.  I won't go into all of them because those of you who know me just know.

Last night was New Year's Eve, and everyone was festive.  Everyone but me.  We spent the time at a dear friend's house, and believe me, they are some of the best friends a girl could have, but without my mom, nothing feels right.

I just couldn't get myself in the festive mood.  Maybe if I had gotten dressed up and gone out to a fabulous party with dancing and crowds and music and champagne, there might have been a slight chance I could have gotten lost in it.  I could have even worn "the dress."

Let me tell you about the "the dress."  This dress a links my mom, me, and my daughters.  Do you remember flapper dresses?  Well, I don't think anyone actually was around when they were popular, or if you were, you probably don't know how to use a computer (sorry ... just trying to make myself chuckle a little).  Well, in my closet hangs a black flapper mini-dress.  It was made in the 1960's and doesn't even have a real size - I think it is Size B, whatever that means.  It is a simple black dress with layers and layers of black fringe and bands glittering black sequins and spaghetti sequin straps.  Putting it on makes you feel quite sexy or flirty or whimsical, just plain happy.  You want to twirl and dance to Chubby Checker's "The Twist" or shimmy to "The Charleston."  It makes you feel like a Dr. Suess character or a Tim Burton siren!

So what is special about this dress?  My mom and I had lots of talks about "the dress."  She said she wore it to a Halloween party one year in the 1960's, and to top it off, my dad was Dracula (bet that was one crazy shindig!).  What amazes me is that my mom ever fit into that dress.  She has always been overweight, but I cannot even remember her ever being that size.  Heck, I don't even know if I can fit into the dress anymore, but I'm gonna try (I'll try to post a picture if I can squeeze myself into it!).  I bet my mom was gorgeous that night!  She always dyed her hair Elvis-black back in the day, and she wore cat-rimmed glasses with faux diamonds, dark thick eyeliner, and the fire-engine red lipstick.  I'm pretty sure she was wearing black patent leather high-heels, too, when she went to that party.  Oh, if I could just see a snapshot of that long-ago magical moment . . .

I've worn the dress to a Halloween party, too (on a few occasions when I could stuff myself into it).  I, too, wore high heels and black fishnet stockings and even a sequined band around my head with a few feathers and strands of sparkling beads hanging low!  For a moment, I felt my mom and the fun she had when she wore that dress.

Meghann has worn the dress for Halloween.  I have pictures somewhere, and I plan to scan and post them.  She was a natural in that dress - always hamming it up for the camera.  Exaggerated makeup, cute bob, and those pouty brown eyes . . . she looked liked she had jumped out of another era.  She was only about 10 when she wore it, so she will have to don the dress as an adult for some special occasion!

I don't think Kristen has worn the dress to a Halloween party yet, but we owe it to my mom that she does.  Kristen would look stunning in it because of her height and her flair for fashion.  She might even wear some of the dangling earrings that my mom loved to hang from her ears!  Blingy and glitzy and even gaudy are some appropriate adjectives to describe my mom's style, and each of us have taken a little cue from her (have you seen the picture of my Miss Me Jeans from Buckle with rows of sequins on the butt?)  Pictures are coming . .

Yes, it's just a dress.  But it ties us all together in a way that is unique.  My mom is gone, but her legacy lives on in me, my daughters, and all the family and friends whose lives she touched.  "The dress" is our link forever.

Maybe my New Year's Resolution should be to slim down to do that dress justice and just paint the town "red" or "black" one special night as a tribute to my mom.  The only catch - she'd be mad that she wasn't there with me!

Goodbye 2011. . . 2012 . . . please be kind.