my bridesmaid dress

Earlier I invited readers and friends to submit their bridesmaid dresses for a design over-haul. Everyone was thrilled with the idea of actually being able to recycle the one dress you know you will never wear again. So where are all these horrific dresses I have heard tales of? I started to really think about the situation after the first one finally came in. 

I suppose these dresses are more nostalgic than we think. Personally, the 5 chardonnay stained dresses that were piling up on my closet floor ended up at Good Will thanks to Mom - and now that they’re gone I actually miss them. They bring me back to the time every single one of those weddings took place. It’s the nuptial yearbook - I remember what my hair looked like (gasp), where I lived, what job I was in and who I was dating. Now that the dresses are gone - I realize they took a few of those memories with them. Of course I’ll always have the pictures but somehow just caressing that teal taffeta really brought me back.

Not only do these dresses teleport me to the past, they are also a badge of honour, I suppose. I was close enough and special enough to that friend to be considered a bridesmaid on her most important day. Whether we still keep in touch or not, it reminds me of all the great times we shared as friends.

So I love the idea of the Bridesmaid Dress SOS because instead of watching that badge of honour stay wrinkled and stained on my closet floor - I can get a second crack at it and experience it in new ways and in new situations. I can create new memories with it while still remembering the old.  

Most importantly, I get to work with the incredible emerging talent of these new designers and one day when I see their work on the runway, I can pull my re-designed dress out of my closet and say, “this is couture’.