Here is Maurya in her mothers dress.

Made with my mother’s dress pattern, a pattern she kept from the early 70’s (possibly even the late 60’s).  That would make this a vintage dress, in its own way.  I love that it fits both me and Maurya (there is no way Michaelyn would ever step into it, as pink as it is).  I love that I can remember my mother dressing up in her own concoction made from the same pattern.  It was navy blue and white pinstriped, and she wore a red sash, a red hat, and red heels with it.  I think I can remember red buttons.  Her dress was a little different; the pattern has various length options as well as sleeve options.  Her sleeves would have been long and full, and the hemline would have swept the ground.  But the same pattern!

And what a rare and enchanting occasion when my mom dressed up.  My sisters and I would watch, fascinated and enthralled, as she put on her makeup (not just mascara, but blush and lipstick too).  And spritzed a whiff of perfume (I think it was Emeraude; it had an elegant, pillowed-with-green-velvet lid).  We could just barely catch the scent in the hallway outside her bedroom.  Heady, sweet memories.

Sadly, my pink dress has seen very little wear.  I bought the fabric on my birthday several years ago, and dreamed for awhile of what I’d do with it, before I got around to actually using it.  It is that soft shell pink that looks good on everyone (or so I’d just read in a magazine while I waited in the dentist’s office).  It is embroidered with fuschia daisies and sprinkled with sequins.  When I finally did decide on my mother’s dress, I struggled with the application.  The collar was tricky.  The bodice was tricky (the pattern and I were not made to fit each other exactly). There’s a zipper under the arm.  I abandoned the project once or twice, frustrated.  But returned to it again, compelled by my love of the fabric and the novelty of the pattern.

Once I finished the dress, there was a week of minor accessory plotting, and another of high expectations.  Finally the day came that I had it all pulled together, with the right sash and (almost) the right shoes, and a sparkly necklace and earrings and my favorite perfume and lipstick… and I looked in the mirror, and saw (to my dismay) a vintage puff of bubble gum.  Perhaps my perspective, my lack of conviction in my creation, was contagious; Frank has never liked the dress (though he loves the shoes).  Both Maurya and Michaelyn won’t wear it in public, for all that pink.  I’ve only worn the dress three times in the last three years.  Almost wore it this last Valentine’s Day, but…no.

Still, doesn’t Maurya make it look lovely?  Perhaps it just needs to be worn courageously.  Happy to be in pink (pink is such a happy color).  I think I’ll wear it on my birthday this year.  And maybe I can convince Maurya to wear it just once more, sometime this spring.