One From The Vault!

voltee ♦ September 1, 2010 ♦ 2 Comments

Item:  Dress   Color:  Black velvet with beaded flowers  Designer:  Rimini  Where Purchased:  Value City (Sadly, extinct.)  Years owned:  10

Today for our viewing pleasure is a classic oldie.  I remember buying this dress, although I can’t say exactly when it was, I know I was still living in Lansing, and I know I hadn’t been married for very long.  So I think it’s around 10 years.  I found it on the “Take an extra 75% Off!” rack, which is the best type of rack there is.  I thought it was very sophisticated, and although I had never heard of the designer, I thought “Rimini” sounded very Italian.  Practically Prada.  An excellent find.  Here is a closeup of what sealed the deal, the beadwork, which is lovely and sparkly, but in a sort of subtle way.

I know that I have only worn this dress a single time.  For our very first Christmas as a married couple, Nate got us tickets to see the tour of “The Phantom Of The Opera” at the Wharton Center in East Lansing.  This was a Very Big Deal.  Besides “Annie” at a dinner theater in Toledo when I was 4, this was my very first theater experience that was not some type of school production.  I was very excited.  It was like prom.  Nate wore a suit, and I wore this dress, and my friend Ashley spent a great deal of time trying to form my hair into a shiny cascading tumble of curls.  One life lessen I have learned through my years is never, ever to curl my hair, and if I absolutely must, Pump-It-Up is essential.  I ended up looking like I broke out the crimping iron in 1987.  I wish I had a picture to share.  I think I may have destroyed them in a fit of shame.

I even bought new shoes for the occasion.  Thankfully, those are long gone.  Truly horrific.  Fake suede with a square toe and chunky, awkward heel.  And they hurt like hell.  But I was proud of them for that one night.

I wish I could remember where we went for special dinners in East Lansing.  It was not exactly a hot bed of culinary delights.  I don’t think we went to La Senorita, though.  I’d like to think we ventured into uncharted waters.

I didn’t really know anything about the Phantom of the Opera, except that it made my mind wander to Broadway.  We sat in the very first row, and everything thrilled me.  I cried 109 times.  I loved it.  I’m pretty sure this moment is what opened Nate’s mind to the possibility of enjoying theater.  He loved it.  I don’t think, though, that either of us ever imagined theater would become such a huge part of our lives.

I do know, though, that when Nate got offered the job at IBM, and he told me that once a month he would take me to see a Broadway show, I thought about nights like this one and agreed to move here.

I have been hanging on to this dress for ages.  It’s not dated, really.  It’s sort of timeless.  But will I ever wear it again?  Do I need to be able to physically touch it to remember?  I’m helpless on this one.  Thoughts?

**This one is in a pile of other rejects. Would anyone like to claim her??