The (almost) Perfect Dress

My husband is fond of telling me that I "have issues."  On the subject of dresses--and a few other things--he's right. When it comes to clothing, most women have some sort of "issue." The reality is, our appearance is directly tied to our emotions, and sometimes how we feel in a garment outweighs how we look in it.
I grew up on a farm. I spent a lot of time working around machinery that made it not only impractical but quite frankly dangerous to wear a dress. So the only times I wore a dress as a girl was when I went to church or to visit my grandparents. Both events filled me with dread, and I dreaded the dresses I had to wear nearly as much. My grandparents were extremely conservative Christians, which meant that when I went to visit them, not only did I have to mind my P's and Q's, but I had to wear dresses that went down to my ankles, up to my collar, and over my shoulders. I hated these confining garments, and I learned to associate dresses with misery. I never felt pretty in a dress and never thought of dresses as pretty. I did buy and wear a couple of shockingly short and tight dresses in high school as an act of rebellion, and my mom made me a beautiful velvet tea dress for prom, but as an adult I never looked twice at a dress when clothing shopping. When I saw them on the hanger, all I could think of was fire and brimstone sermons and the misery of being a girl in a family that did not value girls.

This is how I felt in dresses, right down to the snarky expression.

This year, I realized that there is a limited amount of time before I turn 40 and that the days when I can get away with a fun summer dress are growing numbered, so this spring I set out on a mission to find a dress that I felt comfortable in. I had simple rules: no ankle length, long sleeves, no high collars. I wanted a dress that I felt pretty in. Let me tell you something: Nearly 40 years is not long enough to erase the fear that I will be struck by lightning if I show my knees in public. I nearly had a panic attack in the dressing room.

I probably would have liked this better if it went down past my knees, but I'll get over it.

As it turns out, I like dresses. They are a darned sight easier than skirts. You find one that looks good on you and that is it. No worry about finding the right top. Even shoes seem easier to pair with dresses. I actually found two sundresses that I liked right off. One is more stylish but less practical. This one from Old Navy is good for nearly anything. It's light weight and durable and long enough for pretty much any activity short of planting flowers. It's easy to pair with little sweaters and pretty jewelry. Most importantly, I feel good when I wear this dress--so much so that I bought it in two other colors! I even plan to look for similar dresses that are slightly longer that I could wear for gardening. Yup, I believe I have found the almost perfect dress for me. So what if it took me nearly 20 years?