Dressy Dresses

Day 14: Dressy Dresses, Bathrobes, Shirts and Other Miscellaneous Clothing

I agreed to split the cost of a dress for the 100 Day Dinner with Emma, if she would agree to give away two dresses from her collection. The 100 Day Dinner is a pre-graduation celebration, which presumably at some point took place 100 days before graduation but, this year, takes place later.

What was I thinking?

Emma and I have been arguing about buying dresses since she was in middle school. My philosophy is that you can sidestep the moral complexities of the U.S. clothing industry by limiting yourself to thrift shop purchases. I hate the idea that what I'm wearing was made by a slave or a child. I hate the terrible toll textile manufacturing takes on the environment. I hate that textiles comprise 5% of our waste stream. By buying used clothing, I can get stuff cheap - designer stuff! cashmere! - while giving money to organizations, like the Thrift Shop, that help my community. And I'm not contributing to any societal bads.

It's really cute, but
it's unravelling

Plus, I never know if I'm actually going to like something once I get it home. If I get it from the Thrift Shop, it doesn't matter. Like, what was I thinking when I bought these ridiculous chartreuse velour pants a couple weeks ago? They're too short. They're too big. They're chartreuse. No problem! Back to the Thrift Shop! They only cost $2 and the $2 went to a good cause. I've put more in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmastime.

My philosophy works very well for a woman whose idea of styling her hair involves sleeping on it wet because the tangles create more body. 

I'm giving these away too,
because Emma's giving something
away doesn't really count

Emma, on the other hand, loves to dress up. She has three-inch heels in purple, red, beige patent leather and black. She has a train case full of nail polish. She knows how to blow dry her hair, apply eyeliner and depilate. She doesn't like to wear the same dress twice. Which is why giving away two dresses - one from the Activate the Cure competition and one sexy black lace number from tenth grade prom (thank God it's going!) - is no problem.

Before I had children, I thought they would rebel by voting republican or cooking meth. Silly me! In reality, kids find much deeper ways to differentiate themselves from their parents. Which is why I spent yet another evening standing outside the dressing room at Marshall's, dead on my feet and poised to state my preference for the green vs. the black vs. the blue lace dress. 

At least I know it won't be the last time. Graduation countdown: 66 days.