My favourite dress isn’t a dress, but it is very much a favourite. I bought it before I met Graham while on assignment in New York. It cost me US$100, a great deal by my standards, but I loved it then and I love it still.

The assignment I covered was an exhibition by Canadian rainwear designers in the Big Apple. They were hoping to crack the U.S. market and some branch or other of the Canadian government helped finance the show. It was, of course in the garment district, a story all by itself, but I digress.

The item I bought is technically rainwear, but it is much more than that. It is a black velvet, hooded cloak. It’s perfect over evening wear, it was perfectly elegant when I was pregnant, and it still is perfect. I wear it as my dress coat, anytime I need a dress coat, still. My kids have both borrowed it, and the hem has gone (temporarily) up or down to suit their needs. It has been to press gallery dinners, to Government House, to weddings, to royal occasions, and, from time to time, to Halloween outings. It is indestructible, elegant, and I love how it looks and feels. The best US$100 that I have ever spent.

Gail Scott, Toronto, Ontario