Lamenting the (probable) death of a perfect dress

Loads of you have seen the gorgeous black and cream outfit that I wore to my brother’s wedding a few months ago. I’m extremely flattered by the heaps of compliments I’ve received - before, during and after the event. To be honest, I purchased the piece eons ago, for no other reason except that it flawlessly and alluringly fits me to a T………then (it’s a whole other epic, let’s not go there).

Today, I chanced upon the dress again, oh well, my apt isn’t that big, but. I’ve been meaning to bring it to the dry-cleaners, as I really don’t want to wash and ruin it. And when you have a nice dress like that, even if you wore it just once, you want to hang it up high in the closet, beaming with pride.

And there, I revealed the problem — I’ve only worn it once. To a massive, once-in-a-lifetime occasion where you met almost every single family & friend you know or will ever know. Plus, smugly sharing all the photos of that night on the Internet expanded the amount of exposure of me in the dress. Sigh.

Chances of me wearing that dress again? Zero. Na dah. Zilch. Sigh.

Because I am a girl. Because I am vain. Because somehow the society gangs up and sniggers at you when you make fashion faux pas like this. Sigh.

Let’s say I wear the same dress to the next wedding/X’mas party/Million dollar charity red-carpet gala that I never get invited to. I take photos, we take photos; the next thing you know I shamelessly share the photos with everyone I know again. Then I will receive comments like: “Isn’t this the dress you just wore to your bro’s wedding?”, “Aiyoh, that dress looks so familiar?”, “Why you wear that dress again? You got nothing new?”… …

Remember the time when Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her role in Walk The Line? Or do you remember the bigger hoo-ha about her at the Golden Globes wearing the exact Chanel dress previously worn by Kristen Dunst to the same event just 3 years ago?

I might not be a celebrity, so you would argue that I don’t have to be self-conscious, as I don’t get sponsors or million-dollar paychecks. But let me tell you this. You will not understand the moral of this post unless you’re a female (or metro sexual).

I, unfortunately, conformed to certain social expectations. I believe that looking good…No. Wait. Looking great is key to survival. The beauty & health industry is ever blooming. The entire fashion industry exists because of this. And you, and everyone else owns a mirror.

So have you ever heard complaints of someone looking too great? Make sure you know the difference between jealousy and disgust before you answer.

Meanwhile, let me fold the dress up and place it in the car so I have it with me if I ever drive by a dry cleaner soon. And after it comes back smelling like fresh air, maybe, one day, down the winding road, I will put it on again if I ever meet someone new.