You asked me, what DID I wear to NOTC's Special Award Dinner in Concordia, Kansas, instead of the dress I forgot to bring?
Well, I'll tell you.
I wasn't smart enough to do what Judy Greff & Bee Lanning would have done: go shopping for a dress in the local thrift store. I didn't think of that.
Nor could I use Beverly Walker's solution: Call my POSSLQ to bring my dress to me. Bev claims her Ed has "driven hours to bring me forgotten clothes." But I can't count on that. My Jack totaled his car and gave up driving months ago.
And I didn't wear "what I had on," as Kira Gale would have. I had on my ratty blue jeans and scuzzy sneakers, good for the drive but not for an awards dinner at the Huckleberry Tea House.
Luckily, thinking I might want to upgrade a tad for the ride home, I had packed a pair of khaki scrubs which I wore instead of jeans.
I'd driven to Concordia in a short-sleeved pullover with a scooped neck, a pretty little thing. It was rose, only a shade lighter than the burgundy dress I'd planned to wear. I kept it on. The beaded necklace I'd chosen for the occasion looked sharp on the rose fabric and, hopefully, brought attention to my face.
And of course I wore my hateful Mary Janes. This was, after all, a special occasion.
Here's the fashion irony:
When I got there, I discovered that most of the women were dressed more or less like me. If I'd worn the dress I'd planned, I'd've stuck out the way major fashion gaffes do.
I'm certain that Kate Middleton, that "no-fuss" kind of girl "terrified of making a fashion faux pas," would agree that leaving my A-line burgundy dress at home was a brilliant fashion coup.
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WHAT OTHER READERS SAID
Erma Bombeck came down stairs in her "Godmother Dress". She called it her godmother dress, because her children always said "God, Mother, are you going to wear THAT dress again?"
Do you love it? I still laugh every time I think of it. . .
Muffy Vrana, Lincoln, NE.
You know Muffy Vrana.
She's the only person in the U.S. White Pages with that name.
That ranks her 53,158, 020.
I don't quite understand what that means, but I'm impressed.
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I'm biting: What Did You Do???
Carla Barber, McPherson, Kansas
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I try to follow Stacy and Clinton, but even they are wrong 20% of the time, so Mom can still be the better bet.
Marsha Stribley, Omaha, NE
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Oh, dear. What she wore: I can't resist.
Both (both) of my girls, (when they were teens) daughter and stepdaughter used to say the same thing to me (not ask): "You're not wearing THAT?"
Then I would next see that article of clothing on them as they were off to Junior High in the morning: my shirts, my ties, my Army fatigue jackets with my name and stripes, etc. Whatever dad wore was too neat for him to wear when they could wear it.
David "Dave H" Hufford, Omaha, NE
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marilyn i went no fuss in the mid-60s, when I traded my girdle for a fancy beaded top from the Orient to wear with a long black suede skirt -- never looked back
My solution: 1 one-piece bathing suit + 1 long-ish, full-ish dress (just what you said -- A-line) = Done.
slenderizing, flattering, graceful lines, I've got 'em in enough different materials, colors -- don't have to think much easy-pleasy, just two items i pay a little for the dresses, they look good
Sandals, flats or boots, according to weather, destination ... Bronze goes with everything and adds a little glam i do however admit to a small stock of cowboy boots -- 1 fancy black leather, 1 bronze, 1 mauve suede
adjusting a few details (straps or sleeves, wrap, jewelry) these will take you anywhere
At home, it's long skirts with gathered elastic waist which I pull up over my boobs to make a strapless 3/4 schmatta to cover me, usually to my knees at least. Done. (I can answer the door and not be in my nightclothes; i don't actually have to get "dressed," even if it's only 2 pieces)
Beverly Walker, Texas
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Not the Queen's but the Emperor's clothes eh?
David "D" Loyd, Omaha, NE
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"BY POPULAR DEMAND"
is from: a JoLt of CoFFeY
An Intermittent Newsletter
by Marilyn June Coffey
"BitterSweet Rebel"
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THE WORLD IS ON FIRE.
Extra! Extra!
Read all about it!
to read "The World Is on Fire"
Jack Loscutoff's latest entry
in Hospadi's Blog.
For Jack's website
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some BitterSweet books
written by Marilyn June Coffey
MAIL-ORDER KID: AN ORPHAN TRAIN RIDER'S STORY
This biography sees the orphan train movement through the eyes of a small child, Teresa, who survives a tortured childhood and ultimately, as an adult, comes to terms with her past, her faith, and herself.
"This book absolutely captivated me and I had it read within 24 hours." Leela Brunner, Amazon review
Order from www.mail-orderkid.net or The Bookworm in Omaha, NE, or online book dealers.
GREAT PLAINS PATCHWORK: A MEMOIR
A lyrical chronicle of the "wondrous strange" Great Plains, the book stitches together historical research, myth, Coffey's family legend and memory. Atlantic Monthly featured a chapter as its cover story.
"An entertaining, insightful collection." New York Times
Try on-line book dealers such as Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookFinder, or Powell's Books.
A CRETAN CYCLE: FRAGMENTS UNEARTHED FROM KNOSSOS
The ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur, a bull-headed monster, retold—from a feminist perspective.
"A single, sharp, funny story in verse." Santa Barbara Independent.
A collector's item. Search eBay or other on-line book dealers.
MARCELLA: A NOVEL
A riveting story of sexual abuse, Marcella made literary history as the first novel written in English to use female autoeroticism [masturbation] as a main theme.
"An important part of the truth telling by and for women." Gloria Steinem
Try on-line book dealers such as Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookFinder, or Powell's Books.
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