Archive for October, 2008

When I was almost two years old, I went with my parents to a family gathering. As I visited the same farm many times in the following years, I can imagine that on that day the snarling mongrel dogs rushed down the long lane to greet us and snapped at the tires all the way up to the house. The ferocious chickens would have been loose and stabbing the ground all around my feet. The windmill would have been creaking and groaning. My aunt would have offered the thick, dry, currant-stuffed cookies she was famous for. (No thank you.)

That day I would have played with two slightly older cousins. One would always have been in motion, tearing around at an alarming rate. The other would have been shyly glued to her father’s pant leg. Eventually, we were all gathered up for a photo at the side of the house. I was wearing “the dress.”

This particular dress is still in my possession. It hangs on a child-sized plastic hanger, draped over the framed photo of that warm Fall day. I was photographed in this dress many times and a studio portrait of me in this dress was on my grandparents’ piano for many years.

The dress looks to be about a size 2 and the label reads NANETTE Toddler. It was purchased in New York state by an aunt. It has short puffy sleeves and the obligatory bow tied at the back waist. It was made of white cotton batiste with a sprinkling of pale coral flowers and soft lime-coloured leaves. The bodice has columns of fabric alternating with plain batiste that has been edged with heirloom stitching. The neckline is bordered with ruffled batiste and edged with a fine lacy stitch.

When I pressed the dress before taking the attached photo, I’m sure I could smell the Ivory Snow my mother would have laundered it in.

Leanne Kay, Guelph, Ontario

My name is Jerrissa. I am 14 years old and am a freshman at Bloomfield High School. I enjoy playing volleyball with my close friends. I hang out with my friends and just laugh about nothing. Chinese food is my favorite type of food. Spending time with my family is another hobby of mine. I have 5 sisters and 4 brothers and live 40 miles from town.

I remember when I got dressed up for my eighth grade promotion (graduation) last summer. I was not wearing a dress but it looked like I was wearing one. I wore a light brown paisley top with dark brown trimming and a pair of midnight black slacks. Over my top, I wore a see-through long jacket. Also, I had on a pair of 4 inch Mudd high heels.

My older sisters, Jerricah and Jerdania did my hair and make-up. After I was all ready, everyone started to take my picture. It was hectic. Right before the promotion, I went into town to get my clothes. It was the worst timing ever!

There was rush hour traffic and the stores were crowded. It took me almost three hours to finally get the clothes that I wanted. We were running out of time, so we just went home and started to prepare for the promotion. I had to hustle getting ready for the big night.

While I was getting ready, my sisters were already doing my make-up and hair for me. I was lucky that they were there, because I could not have done it all by myself. I got to the promotion and everyone was complimenting me on how pretty I looked. My friends were asking me where I went shopping. That night I had to give a speech about leaving jr. high and entering into high school. I was so nervous when I was speaking in front of everyone. Knowing I had such a pretty outfit and the help of my sisters made me feel special and confident.

Jerrissa Domingo, Bloomfield, New Mexico

The dress that will mean the most to me is my Quinceanera dress. A Quinceanera is when you turn 15 and you have a big party. I will wear a big princess dress. It will be the most amazing thing, like Cinderella, walking into the ballroom because all eyes will be on me. It will be my party and my time to shine like a star.

This is a very important day for all Hispanic girls when they turn 15. A Quinceanera means leaving childhood and becoming a young woman. My dad will change my shoes from flats to heels to signify this transition. Even though I haven’t worn my dress yet, I’m sure it’s going to be the most fun day of my whole entire life! 

During the summer I went to Phoenix. My mom and I went to all the stores, looking for the dress of my dreams. This was very important to me, because I wanted to be the most beautiful girl the night of my party. So for that reason I couldn’t choose just any regular dress. It had to be perfect!

We walked for a very long time. I was about to give up, I was so tired. We went to the last store on the block. It was Mary’s Bridal. When we walked in, there it was! Right in front of me was the dress of my dreams. Ah! I could hear the halleluiah chorus singing inside my head. I was so happy that I could barely speak.

I got the dress and went into the dressing room. I needed help putting it on but when I looked in the mirror, I felt so good inside. I felt all warm and giggly. I couldn’t take the dress with me that day because it wasn’t my size. It was too big. The lady said it would take 3 to 5 months for my dress to get here. I was kind of upset, because I wanted my dress.

Now, my dress is here and waiting. It is pink and pouffy and embellished in crystals. And I’m ready for my big day!

Alyssa Padilla, Bloomfield, New Mexico

My name is Rachel. I live in the northern corner of New Mexico. My area is known for having a pretty river, a beautiful winery and great wildlife.

The dress I wore was a cream color with lace around the waist. It felt like it was made of the softest silk. The occasion was my sister’s wedding in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I remember going to every store in Albuquerque looking for the perfect dress. The shoes for my dress were the worst. I had small cream-colored high heels. The straps had just a little bit of Velcro to keep the strap on the shoe. It was very hard to dance in them.

The wedding was beautiful. I remember my dress swaying as I walked down the rows of chairs with everyone looking at me, the flower petals rolling down my dress as I dropped them to the ground, and my mother’s tears of happiness falling from her eyes then hitting my dress as she held me.

Rachel Miles, Bloomfield, New Mexico

My great-grandmother made a little yellow dress in early 1990. She wanted it to be passed down from generation to generation. So far it has been. It’s a tradition in my family for the Moms to dress their daughters up in the dress when they are four years old. When I was four, I can remember my mother saying that I looked beautiful.

I took pictures in the dress and we went to my grandmother’s house. All I remember her saying is that I made her proud. My great-grandmother died about two months after that day.

I still remember certain things about her, like her smile and her smell. I also remember all of her jewelry. She had beautiful necklaces, bracelets and rings. They were all so elegant. They were the kinds of things that you can’t find in stores anymore. But most of all I remember the day that I finally got to wear the little yellow dress.

Elizabeth Rosenbaum, Bloomfield, New Mexico

The dress that means the most to me is my first Holy Communion dress. I got this dress when I was in third grade. It was the prettiest dress in the world – white with sequins, long and kind of poofy. I loved my dress, if only it fit me now!             

I love this dress so much because it was something that helped me get closer to God. God is a really important part of my life. My dress made me feel so pure and special. To my family a first Holy Communion is very important. My parents were very happy and proud of me.           

A first Holy Communion is where you receive the body and blood of Christ in the Catholic Church for the first time. Every Sunday at church you can receive communion but only if you have a first Holy Communion. You have to be at least seven years old to be able to make your communion. Before you make your communion you have to practice walking in the church and how slow you have to walk. It takes a lot of time.                      

When the day arrived on April 20, 2002, I was very nervous. It took almost 3 hours to comb my hair that day. My hair was up and curled all pretty. I had 251 bobby-pins in my hair. I went to the church and waited for my name to be called. When they called my name I received the body and blood of Christ. That day was one of my favorite days in my life.

Felicia Candelaria,  Bloomfield, New Mexico.

To talk about the dresses I have had the pleasure of wearing is inherently to talk about my mother, her sense of style and her influence in my life. The most beautiful dresses I have worn have all been made by my mother’s talented hands. No boning or design has ever been too challenging for her to tackle.

Other special dresses that were bought have always been chosen with my mother’s help. I remember trying on a floor-length blue strapless dress and my mother sending me out of the dressing room into the main section of the store to see what the “wow” factor was. Based on the responses people gave, she bought me that dress!

Once, when I was living in Paris and received an invitation to a dinner party through the Canadian Embassy, a carefully packaged black wool fitted dress arrived from across the Atlantic so that I would have something lovely to wear. My mother has often said that it’s important to have a good dress hanging in the closet for when an invitation arrives.

I can hardly think of a time when she has not been involved in helping me to get ready for a special occasion. Although at times I have been a typical, rebellious daughter, in truth I have learned much from my mother about the art of dress. I have been honoured by her advice and loving guidance.

There is one particular dress that stands out to me: a fuchsia taffeta floor-length gown with a diagonal bodice that was gathered and ended in a bow at one shoulder and another at the opposite waist. My mother made this dress for me when she lived in Washington, D.C., and sent it to me in Montreal where I wore it to my undergraduate formal in my final year at McGill.

I have a group photograph from that night and I look quite confident striking a pose in that stunning dress! Eighteen years later, I still have the dress. It is one of many that I keep as I could not imagine parting with the creations that my mother has made with such love, expressed through the time she took to sew each of them and the stamina she has always shown as my guide in all things feminine.

Dr. Alison J. McQueen, Hamilton, Ontario

Thinking about my favorite dress has provided lots of conversations and prompted quite a few journeys into the past. Most of the dresses I remember were associated with special occasions and milestone events: a cousin’s wedding, my first major clothing purchase as a teacher, and a number of “party” dresses from the time we dressed up and went to dances.

The dress I have chosen was the one I wore to my high school graduation. I purchased it in Toronto when I was living with my Aunt Helen while attending Teachers’ College. The dress was three-quarter length, strapless, black and teal shot taffeta with a white net insert at the bust. The inset had rhinestones on it and the taffeta was cut in peaks around the net. I remember feeling very swish with my black, strappy, high-heeled sandals. In the photo, my dress is the only dark one in a sea of pastels. It was probably the best I ever looked at Fergus High!

Catharine Murray, Guelph, Ontario

I considered sending you an old black-and-white shot of my white lace wedding dress (a 20-year-old bride), and the two-piece maternity dress (red and white checks) my beloved mother-in-law made for me when I was pregnant (age 23) with my first son.

And, I considered the smart gray business suit I wore as I went off in my late 30s to the working worlds of bank and hospital; also a strapless black evening dress that carried me through several capitals of the world travelling with Bill as he lectured and we were feted in some marvelous places.

But I settled on this one. I am 50 years old in the picture, newly divorced and madly in love with Bob Berberich. I have a new master’s degree and my third novel is about to be published. I AM WOMAN … SEE ME ROAR!!

Here I am in my short red leather skirt and black boots, the sexiest time in my life and the most vivid in all my memories. I’m happy … so happy, as I enjoy touring in downtown Washington, D.C., with my daughter Fran, and Bob, who is taking the picture.

Carey Roberts, Leesburg, Virginia

My Aunt Emma was a lady who received “the bale” from churches in Toronto. Church people in the city collected clothes to send to needy people in the north. Our family was not too needy but some things found their way to our house. It was the Great Depression and we did not have many luxuries.

I can remember a white voile dress with red embroidery around the neck that hung loosely from the shoulder. My six-year-old sister had long dark ringlets framing her rosy pink cheeks. I can see why my aunt selected that little dress for her.

I am now 84 years old, have four daughters and have seen many dresses come and go, but when asked what dress I remembered, it was that little white voile with red Norwegian embroidery floating softly from the shoulder of my pretty little sister on Manitoulin Island.

Jean Brodie, Melbourne, Ontario.

(Jean is the mother of Gwen Hopkins, and grandmother to Jean Hopkins, the authors of previous posts.)