Last Minute Panic

"The vintage dress is too plain," I said to Dan. "It's my party, I should wear something more outrageous."
"The dress looks good," Dan said, "and it's a bit late in the day to go looking for something else."
"I know, but I'm going to call at the fancy dress shops, just to have a look at what they've got."
I asked Lizzy to come with me for a second opinion.
"Something more outrageous?" Lizzy said, "Isn't wearing at micro mini at aged 60 outrageous enough for you."

There are two fancy dress shops in our town. The oldest has been there for about thirty years and used to supply outfits to the dancing school Kathryn attended when she was five. Run down and seedy, it is still owned by the same person. I asked the girl for 60s outfits and she handed Lizzy and me two tatty looking books.
"That's Trisha Smith," I said pointing to one of the teenage girls modelling the outfits. She used to dance with Kathryn. She has kids of her own now." As I turned the pages more and more of the old dancing girls appeared.
"I dread to think what the outfits must be like after all this time," Lizzy said.
"They didn't look that good when they were new. Lets go."
"My mother's selling up," the girl said.
"Not before time," Lizzy whispered as we left.

The ultra modern interior of the second shop was in complete contrast. The walls were decorated with brightly coloured banners and streamers screaming Happy 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th 50th 60th. Perhaps there's not much call for the 70th plus. There were none. Gayly coloured outfits were displayed on dummies and rails. But the 60s gear was just as dire as the first place.
I noticed the plump balloons floating around the shop, and asked if they stay up.
"They're treated with a special agent so they don't shrink," said the shop assistant, who was dressed in a Sandy from Grease outfit. "They're guaranteed to stay up for a week."
"You've paid the deposit in the other shop," Lizzy reminded me. "They won't shrink - stop worrying."

When I got back home I tried my vintage 60s dress on again with the black and white shoes, black tights and head band. It looked better than anything I'd seen in the shops.

Copyright © 2007 Barbara Attwood