I'm a Believer

I just had an other-world, out-of-body, psychic experience with Fashion. Has anything like this ever happened to you?

A few weeks ago I lamented that I had not bought a dress we had in stock during the holiday season at The Lovely Boutique Where I Work. It was a stunner, but I had no place to wear it. I never tried it on, so as not to be tempted. I let it go... onto the markdown rack... out of the store...

 Now a wedding event has come up. I realize I have the perfect shoes, the cover-up, the jewelry— but not the dress. That coveted dress was indeed available to purchase on ebay, but at a price too unreasonable if it didn't fit or just plain looked terrible.

This past weekend we were in the magical city of New Orleans. Anything can happen, and it did. I always stop into a truly genuine outlet shop located in the French Quarter. A beautiful silk dress hung on the size 2 rack. I usually need a prayer and a shoe horn to get into a 2, but this dress had a price tag of $595— make that $59.99— better yet $14.99— okay $4.99. It was worth the effort to try on a $595 dress now selling at $4.99.

Which I did.

And it fit.

And looked divine.

So I bought it.

Before the store could change its mind.

For reasons (mostly guilty) I am not revealing the designer name. I don't want them to know one of their beautiful creations ended up begging "Please, please get me out of here". I don't want anyone to think the unnamed shop sells stuff for a song, because they don't. This was a fluke.

What struck me, not just that this was a lucky buy, but that the designer name was the same who had made the dress-that-got-away.

Was it New Orleans, the land of magical thinking? Similar things have happened before. The dry cleaner once ruined my old-but-still-favorite dress. When I had dropped it off I said (jokingly), "Please don't ruin this; it's my favorite dress." And they did— ruin it. I ran home, went on ebay, and immediately found one, NWT, in my size.

If fashion is your religion, you are a believer.