Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

My dad will be in town later this week for his annual medical conference, so The Gryphon and I needed outfits for the black tie optional dinner that's held every year on Friday night.

You would be surprised how difficult it was for me to find a dress. The Gryphon and I went to the Plymouth Meeting mall, because I reasoned there were more stores there, more options. I thought this would make the selection process easier. Boy, was I wrong.

We started out with the special occasions sections of department stores like Sears and JCPenney's. I was looking for a dress that would be formal enough for the occasion but something with classical lines I could wear for other occasions, too. Easier said than done.

Most of the special occasions dresses were clearly prom dresses, in garish colors with bows and frills. The other option were shapeless dowdy numbers, covered head to toe in sequins. Very few people look good in this type of dress, to be honest.

I wasn't alone in my complaints. As I browsed the racks, I was joined by a number of other grown women, many of whom seemed to be looking for dresses to wear to weddings. I heard one of them complain, "That's not a mother of the bride dress. It's a grandmother of the bride dress."

So we moved on from mid-priced department stores and checked out some of the higher end stores instead. But a quick glance at the special occasions sections revealed the dresses were far too formal and far too expensive.

I was determined to find something, and find it that day. I knew what our schedule would be like coming up, and there wouldn't be too many other chances to get out and look. My hopes rose briefly when I saw Jessica McClintock, an entire store devoted to special occasion dresses. But the dresses in stock looked very, very much like either prom or bridesmaid dresses, and none caught my eye.

That's just as well: it would have been nearly impossible to try them anyway, as there were so many high school aged girls standing in line at the dressing room, it would have been a terrible wait just to try something.

I was beginning to appreciate the troubles my sister went to last year when she selected bridesmaid gowns for her wedding. She managed to find something with simple lines that was elegant rather than overly ostentatious.

That's when I decided maybe I was looking in the wrong section of the stores. Maybe I should look in the regular dress sections and see if I could find something that met my taste. We discovered that two particular stores, New York & Company and The Limited have clothes that suit my tastes, but unfortunately had nothing quite formal enough. There were a couple dresses that almost work but had design features that didn't work on my pear-shaped body type, such as a band that went right across the midsection.

By this time, The Gryphon and I were hungry, so we took a break and had some sushi at a restaurant in the mall. I also had a glass of wine, to take the edge off. We discussed our game plan. While he was pretty much ready to throw in the towel, I suggested that we try the regular dress sections of a few more stores before giving up.

Unfortunately, there was nothing in the mid-priced department stores that suited my needs, so I decided to try once more at the higher priced stores. Their regular dresses might be more expensive than I'd normally spend, but it should match what I planned to spend for a special occasions dress.

Finally, my luck turned. I found a terrific Michael Kors dress in Lord & Taylor. It's a tea length halter dress with an uneven hem and an A-length skirt. The material wraps around the waist in a very flattering way. It was perfect on me, and what's more, it was on sale, coming to almost half what I'd been willing to spend. As an added bonus, the size 8 was actually too big, so I bought a size 6.

I already have shoes for it: the ones I wore to my sister's wedding last year. The only thing I didn't have was some sort of wrap, as the room is likely to be air conditioned. I went to JoAnn's Fabrics earlier this week and chose a filmy material which I'll make into a wrap, based on the one that came with my bridesmaid dress last year.

Of course, The Gryphon's process was a lot easier than mine. He knew he was due for at least some tailoring on his suit, which he'd bought several years ago. But neither of us realized just how much a change was due.

When the sales person at the Men's Warehouse saw him in the suit, he clucked his tongue and said it would be far too much work to alter it. After taking his measurements, he revealed that The Gryphon has gone down three sizes! So even though it meant additional expense, both The Gryphon and I were pleased at this evidence of his progress. He ordered a new gray Versini suit, the exact same model as the one that's now too big.

The salesperson was a bit of a stocky guy and kept calling The Gryphon a little guy. That was funny to hear, in part because he's so much taller than me that I don't see him that way.

While we were there, the sales person helped him select two new shirts with matching ties. One is a light gray with a matching tie, and the other is lavender. They'll be good for both the black tie optional event and for a friend's wedding, coming up in a few weeks.

I might have found a dress sooner if I haven't been so careful lately about finding things that really look good on me. I just don't see the point in spending money for clothes that just cover my body when I can find clothes that look great. It's worth the extra effort, as far as I'm concerned. This is a great dress, and it can be worn for this occasion but also for others, as well. It never hurts to have a classic black dress that you can pull out for special occasions, just like The Gryphon's suit is a good asset to have.

At least now we know that, at a moment's notice, we can look fabulous.

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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