New Clothes Must Be Worn Immediately
There is a strict SNAP Fashion Law that I (nearly) always obey. That is: New Clothes Must Be Worn Immediately. This is so obvious that it is very nearly a Universal Axiom. If it is not, then it should be. But why? … Why do mountaineers climb mountains? You wear new clothes because they are new. And what better time to wear them than the onset of spring? The sun is shining (theoretically – Melbourne has been somewhat capricious) and the birds are twittering. Out with the old! In with the new! Hurrah!
These outfits that my friend Sapphire and I are wearing are new (at least, they were at the time this picture was taken in early March this year). We had gone to the theatre, and I was wearing a brand new (second hand) silk dress by Rebecca Taylor and Sapphire was at last christening an old new sequinned tank that she had not had the opportunity to wear. We both felt enormously pleased with ourselves.
But, I hear you ask, what happens if you buy something for a particular occasion? Well, this is dangerous, risk-taking fashion behaviour. You can’t buy clothes too far ahead of time, and I’ll tell you why: you might grow out of them.
I felt a bit like Goldilocks with such an alarming dilemma.
This happened to me. I had been keeping a weather eye out for a leather dress for some time, and quite by chance (when I was browsing for sunglasses) I stumbled upon a delicious vanilla leather shift dress on sale in Witchery. It was reduced from $400 to $100, a pretty good reduction in anyone’s book. The leather was thin and butter-soft. Scrumptious. Irresistible. I took two sizes into the change room and dithered between them. One was slightly too large, the other slightly too small. I felt a bit like Goldilocks with such an alarming dilemma. I finally decided on the larger size.
The infamous white leather dress by WitcheryThere was only one catch: it was the middle of winter, and this white minimalist sleeveless shift dress demanded to be worn with naked limbs. Tights and a jacket would utterly ruin its pure lines. I would have to wait for warmer weather.
About a month later, a friend – having heard of this famous leather bargain already – was visiting my home and requested me to model it. I happily complied and … DISASTER! In the interim, I had taken up jogging and lost a lot of weight. THE DRESS WAS TOO BIG. It swam on me. It was ridiculous. Impossible to wear. There were tears, wailing, and beatings of the breast.
It was ridiculous. Impossible to wear. There were tears, wailing, and beatings of the breast.
Unfortunately, the store no longer had any smaller sizes (remarkably they were willing to exchange it even without a receipt, as all the tags were intact). I wandered around like a tragic Greek muse for a few days until another friend suggested I have the dress tailored. Eureka! Brilliant suggestion. And my tailors were even more brilliant, shrinking it to fit my form perfectly.
That was a few months ago now, and I’m still waiting for warmer weather …
TO BE CONTINUED