Getting dressed up

I don't have a life any more that requires anything more dressy than a nice pair of gabardine slacks and a sweater set. I have even given up on jackets. However, sometimes an event comes up in your life that requires you to buy - gasp - a dressy dress. Not as fancy as an evening dress, more festive than a church dress. Specifically, a guest-at-the-wedding dress.

This is something that I haven't had to do for a while. Sadly, I needed to pull out my going-to-a-funeral dress this summer when my neighbor passed away. But wedding guest dress? I haven't been there since my sister-in-law got married. That dress was stuck squarely in 1985, and has since been re-homed. (It was a really nice dress, but the shoulder pads and all dated it badly. Wearing it, you expected to turn around and see Joan Collins.)

After my brother-in-law announced that he was getting married in April, I decided to face up squarely to the challenge, and not wait until March and panic. A good starting place was online shopping. I perused a few stores that had served me in the past, and then turned to the old faithful, J. C. Penney. (I know, there's a Penney store at the mall not 3 miles as the crow flies from my house, but it's the holiday season, people, I wouldn't go there if they were giving out gold bricks. I have experienced that mall at Christmas shopping season and lived through it - no good pressing my luck.)

I went to the jcp.com site and pulled up the page of dresses. Idly scrolling down the column of photos, I was stopped dead in my tracks. There it was. There it was. The dress I had in the back of my mind but hadn't even verbalized. A medium rose colored crepe faux two piece column dress with embroidery at the neck and waist. It was dignified. It was festive without trying too hard. It was on sale.

I filled out the order so quickly it heated up the keys on my laptop.

It was delivered today and fits perfectly. And it's beautifully made, fully lined, hidden zipper, lovely embroidery with tiny little sequins at the neck and waist. The only thing I have to work on is the back slit. It's a straight skirt so you need some walking ease, but the slit goes a little too high for my taste. I will either just lengthen the back seam or, if I can find some rose crepe to match, turn the slit into a placketed vent. It would be an easy sewing job.

Pearl necklace - check. Gold dress watch - check. Beige pumps - check. I'm ready.

Now, the question is - does my husband's suit still look good? He's the best man.