The Dress

Clasp at the neck of the jacket

Last weekend was supposed to be the great wailing and gnashing of teeth - tears and frustration - as I struggled to find a fancy something to wear to my son's wedding.

Shoulder of the jacket

I can't remember the last time I had to really dress up. And if a business attire was required, a suit was adequate.

So getting this dress caused me some distress. No experience at picking out this kind of clothing. No experience at wearing this kind of clothing. No experience usually equals mistakes. And I couldn't afford a mistake at my son's wedding.

Anxiety!

The sleeve of the jacket

So we went to Nordstomes and Lord and Taylor - both places had pretty good selections - things I could actually see myself wearing. I was less anxious.

At Lord and Taylor we found the perfect mother-of-the-groom solution.

Neck at the back.

Separates - and not a dress at all.

• A shell top. Good for May if it is warm.
• A matching long sleeve jacket with an attractive neck for someone who will be 65 years old (if you know what I mean.) Good for May if it is cool.
• A skirt that isn't a skirt at all. Good for a woman who is more comfortable in pants.

The shell and the jacket are black knit with embroidered silver thread trim throughout, very sparkly - a lot of sparkle for me personally, but my daughter assured me it was great. And standing beside my husband in his Tux, I won't be an embarrassment. The pictures don't capture the silver reflection as much as it is in reality.

The "skirt" is loose flowing sheer black pants that look like a skirt if you stand still. Over the pants are 4 sheer flowing panels that give a further impression of a skirt when moving. The hem is tea length - more mid calf. I am sure this style has a name, but it is just not part of my "causal clothing" vocabulary.

Hem of the jacket.

Guess you figured out by now that I won't be providing a full picture. Snippets is all you are going to see until the Wedding Day. Unless I am fully done up (hair, make up, shoes ... etc.) a picture wouldn't do justice anyway.

Still need to buy shoes (no heels for me - maybe some patten leather flats) and figure out what to do with my short hair. But the big "dress" mountain is now behind me.

Final note: It is an evening wedding, the color theme is purple and green for the decorations and the attendants dresses are black. When I told my mom I was wearing black she had an expression of disbelief! I had to explain that black was one of the new in-colors for a wedding - especially an evening wedding! I don't think she understood. And every time since then, when she asks about my outfit, I have to explain all over again. I will show the outfit to her in advance. I think she will understand better when she sees my outfit. If definitely is not something you would wear to a funeral! :-)