Book Nook: Ode to a Dress

About the Author

Inge is senior editor and a regular contributor at YLF.

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Book Nook: Ode to a Dress

— by Inge

on November 18, 2011

This Summer I suddenly wished I still had a dress I gave away six years ago. In a fit of madness, I now realize. It was a calf-length midi sheath dress, light grey with a very thin white pinstripe. The fabric was a sturdy crepe de chine with some stretch to it. Very form-fitting, yet it seemed to perfectly camouflage all problem areas. The silhouette could have come straight out of Mad Men, and boy, did I feel spectacular in it. It also had a very unique twist on the classic no-sleeves style: overalls straps! It may sound kooky, but believe me, it was sleek, sassy and would have looked every bit as modern today as it did then.

I’ve accepted that my “miracle” dress is gone, and I’m super excited about my wardrobe options today, but My Favourite Dress by Gity Monsef got me thinking it would have been fun to still have a picture of me sporting my frock. That’s exactly what this new title is all about: through exquisite pictures and personal anecdotes, designers and other fashion industry professionals share their absolute favourites with us.

If there’s one dress that gets loads of attention, then it must be your wedding gown. It undoubtedly is one of the most photographed frocks too. No wonder that lots of thought and effort goes into selecting the perfect dress for your special day. A process that doesn’t always go as smoothly as we would like it to. For all anxious brides-to-be – and friends and family involved – Nancy Di Fabbio comes to the rescue with Quest for the Dress, a practical guide with tons of tips from an expert in the field.

Are you in a reminiscing kind of mood too? Then do tell if there is one particular dress, aside from your wedding gown, that you’ll never forget? Do you still have a keepsake photo of it?

New Giveaway

For this week’s giveaway we are continuing with our photography theme. In A Shade of Red – One Lipstick and One Hundred Women, photographer Alyson Fox invites us along on a visual journey in which one hundred very different women have their portrait taking while wearing the same shade of bright red lipstick. Chronicle Books is kindly giving away five copies of this intriguing book. The competition will run until Thursday 24 November and is open to all readers in the US and Canada. Hop on over to our Competition section for a chance to win one of the five copies, and tell us if you feel different when you are wearing make-up.

Affiliates

Some links in this post generate commissions for YLF.

Books

9 comments · Add a comment

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Oh no! The perfect midi dress is no longer. I’m sobbing for you, Inge.

I’ve regretfully passed on a midi too. So the moral of the story is to NEVER pass on knee-covering skirts and dresses. Our knees have a voice and we should not ignore their plea.

I will never forget my High School Dance dress, which I designed and had made. I worked together with a seamstress and we had loads of fun together after school. It was the most hectically over-designed garment I have ever worn. It was ruched, ruffled, asymmetrical and colour blocked. It was so awful – but in 1987, it was so perfect :). And of course I topped it off with pink and blue eye shadow. Other than my wedding dress, that was the most memorable dress of my life. I should have a photo of it somewhere.

Fab books, Inge!

November 18, 2011 at 7:06 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I forgot to say that now is the time to replace that midi, Inge!

November 18, 2011 at 7:07 pm

Inge

(website)

Moderator

I love it that you designed your High School Dance dress yourself, Angie! It sounds very intricate and a little different from your current style;-))) But I bet you looked gorgeous and had a ball!! (eye shadow: oh boy, been there…)

I’ve certainly learned my lesson, I’m holding on to anything midi-length from now on! And you bet I’m on the look-out for a new one. That’s a good new rule: listen to your knees, ladies!-)

November 19, 2011 at 4:10 am

Mellllls

When I was 2 (!) my mother made me a gorgeous blue velvet dress. Sooo beautiful. And yes, my mom does still have it. I don’t actually remember wearing it but there are picture and I know it holds a very special place in my mom’s memories of me as a child.

When I was 18 I bought a phenomenal red sparkly dress. It was my freshmen year of college and it felt like my first real adult cocktail dress. And, it is now 11 years old but I do still have it….I haven’t worn it recently but I just can’t give it away. With my weight fluctuations, sometimes it doesn’t fit but sometimes it does so for that reason it still hangs in my closet.

November 19, 2011 at 6:26 am

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Oh, Inge, your dress that got away sounds so lovely and as a “Mad Men” fan, I truly appreciate the fabrics and designs of that era. I’m sure it was stunning on you. Sometimes, in the hopes of “recreating” these lost wonders, it’s a delightful “fantasy” idea to think about having a tailor create a newer version of them. Is that a possibility or are you going to enjoy the memories?

I have to say that I love the red dress on the cover the book, “My Favourite Dress,” shown above. It makes me want to read it immediately!!

As for personal memories, I, too, recall a high school dress that my twin sister and I each sewed for our first day of 10th grade. We had the same print, but different colored backgrounds (mine was tan and my sister’s was green). They were simple short-sleeved, waist-less mini-dresses and I remember our parents taking a photo of us as we were about to leave for our first day of school.

I wish I still had that dress, because now it seems rather timeless. I also think that I appreciate this dress, because we sewed them, with care, and everything about the dresses and that year, was hopeful with anticipation and wonder. It was an innocent time and the dresses reflected that, too. We may still have a photo floating around somewhere.

November 20, 2011 at 5:16 pm

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Mellllls and Vicki, thank you so much for sharing “your dresses” with us, just reading your stories made me feel all nostalgic. They’re really more than “just” dresses, aren’t they, it’s also the events and moments attached to them, and the memories we have of the people we lived these moments with.

Mellllls: I bet you look spectacular in your red cocktail dress, and the blue velvet one sounds very special too.

Vicki: Such a touching and wise comment. I also love it that you and your sister sewed the dresses yourselves, that made them even more special.
To answer your question: I think I’m going to concentrate on finding some fab new midis for the time being, and think back fondly to my striped Mad Men darling:-)

November 21, 2011 at 3:28 am

Antje

Veteran

Inge, I am so sorry about the loss of that dress. It sounds AMAZING, and I can totally see you in it. Fit for Mad Men, oh my… this makes me sigh wistfully. I hope you’ll find another midi dress you enjoy!

I’ve had quite a few dresses that are still very dear to my heart. Here are two:

One was a sexy little number in black stretch velvet with sparkly silver side panels. Short, tight, only fit for a good party. I was in my early to mid twenties and LOVED that dress, as it made me feel sexy and daring, and I wore it for the first time to the after-party of the premiere of a play I was in, which I was quite proud of. I still have that dress – in the dress-up box my daughter rummages through. Still get misty eyed when I see it, both because it reminds me of a fabulous vibrant time in my life, and because I’m crushed that I don’t fit into it any more!

The other one was very different: a simple but elegant black linen dress, sleeveless, in a long midi length. I must have been in my late twenties or very early thirties, as I didn’t have my daughter yet. I wore the dress in Italy, in Tuscany specifically, and that trip remains one of my favorite vacations ever. When I think of this dress I think of cheese and wine, castles and espresso bars, the beautiful Italian language, etc. etc. And the dress was special because I didn’t ordinarily dress in any way “elegant”, but this dress made me feel somehow more grown-up and also very “Italian”.

Thanks for nudging me on a trip down memory lane, Inge. I’m quite nostalgic, and totally associate certain pieces of clothing with specific moments in my life. Lovely post.

November 21, 2011 at 12:02 pm

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Thank you, Antje!
(sounds like we are two nostalgic souls;-)

It’s heartwarming to read about your two gorgeous dresses (I bet you looked beyond stunning in them!) and the roles they have played in your life.

Here’s to all our special dresses!

November 22, 2011 at 2:37 pm

Jocelyn Fraemohs

I had a lovely black day dress with silver buttons down the front, a slightly dropped waist and a hint of an A-line. I wish I’d never given it away. It wasn’t expensive, but I felt like a princess when I wore it.

November 25, 2011 at 9:23 pm

About the Author

New Giveaway

Share this Post