A short time ago we were asked to a fund raiser for the community hospital. The party was a formal dinner, silent auction and dance and was held at a area country club. My husband wore his best suit and I wore an evening dress that was royal blue. As we were socializing among the guests I noticed that most of the women were in black frocks. There were lots of styles among the black frocks, but the major thing you noticed was the shade because there were so many of them. At first I felt out of place in my blue dress. I was musing to myself that I had two black frocks that I could have worn and wished I had pulled out one of them – I felt like the blue was an uneccessary xs. Then my husband asked me to dance. As we were dancing he told me how attractive I looked and that he was happy that I was wearing the blue dress. He said he gets tired of seeing women in black frocks all the time.
After he said this I started reflecting about the amount of times that women hear that they have to have a little black dress to finalize their wardrobe. They hire an individual with a personal trainer certification just to make sure they fit into it! When you go shopping it is black dresses that are the most plentiful on the racks. The styles differ, but as I had experienced at the fund raiser, when you see so many people in the same color the styles do not stand out. The two black dresses that I have are very different from each other in fabric and cut, yet I am certain that when I wear them most folks just notice that I have on a black dress.
When I was young I was asked to the high school prom. There were so many things to think about – how to do my hair, how to get rid of cold sores, how to put on my make up, and also what to wear. My mom and I went shopping for a dress for me. There were many types and colors, but the one I liked was in black. My mother would not allow me to get the dress. She said that women spend so many years wearing black dresses that I should wear a brighter shade while I was young. I think my mother was ahead of her time in her way of thinking. I am sure that black dresses will continue to be the accepted norm for formal occasions, but women should not limit themselves to the one color.
Since the remark my husband made at the fund raising dinner, I am more elective in the colors that I choose for my special occasion clothing. I still want to dress tastefully for an occasion, but I am no longer limiting myself to black dresses. It made me feel nice that my husband felt I stood out from the other women in the room.