Dressing up

My husband, Peter, doesn’t believe me, but I didn’t always dress up.

I would dress up for the holidays and for a special occasion, but the definition of “special” was fairly strict. It involved wearing nice shoes perhaps half a dozen times a year.

But I changed professions and identities a couple of times and, somewhere in there, I discovered that I could wear a lot of clothes I never imagined I could wear. And then I met Peter.

This is the part Peter disputes. “You were always a fancy dresser!” he says.

And he’s right; I’ve never had anything against dressing up. But I also never had many reasons to dress up until I met him. Peter appreciates it when I get dressed up.

“You can’t be too dressed up,” Peter will say. I’m not sure this is true, but I’ve decided to believe him.

And now that I’m older, I am having a lot more fun getting dressed up than I ever did when I was young. I think the expectations are different. When I was younger, I had this wrongheaded idea that there was a right way to dress up. I thought I would either hit the mark or miss. Now that I’m older, I realize there is no one keeping score – there are no points off for getting it wrong. The only thing that matters is if I feel happy in whatever I am wearing, and maybe, if I can spread a little of that happiness to others.

“That’s a great dress!” someone will holler on the street when I’m wearing something colorful and a little wild. I accept the compliment with a smile. “Terrific glasses!” someone else will say about my oversized blue shades.

It’s fun to remind people that dressing up is a choice. No one has provided me with a uniform, and I am going to enjoy this freedom.

I’m thinking about this tonight because I’m going out to dinner with friends, and I’ve been planning what to wear. I had a fun, summery outfit all picked out that was a little flashy and perfect for a warm evening. But the evening had other plans, and it is going to be cold. I decided I was not going to let a little inclement weather spoil my plan to wear fun clothes.

And then I remembered the necklace.

I bought a crazy necklace in a park in Mexico. It was on a card table, being sold with a mishmash of other used jewelry. I have no idea where it came from – and I would love to know. It is large and asymmetrical and made of enormous, amber-colored crystals. It is not simply the gaudiest piece of jewelry I have ever owned – it is about 10 times gaudier than the gaudiest piece of jewelry I have ever worn.

And then I remembered the gold jacket. I actually own a gold fur jacket. It has been hiding in the back of the closet for five years. I thought it might make a good costume piece when I first was considering doing a show. It was used and very inexpensive and it has a lovely satin lining. And did I mention it was gold? And made of fake fur?

So, paired with a simple black dress, I think I have my evening’s ensemble sorted out.

Peter thinks I have always been a person who goes out to dinner in giant fake jewels and a gold fur jacket. I could argue with him, but there’s really no point because now he’s right. I do.

Till next time,

Carrie