stormtroopers and high fashion!

I know, I know... but, trust me, the two went together tonight!

First, though, we dined!

The JEA feted us with chicken pesto pasta - yeah, trying saying that three times very fast! - and, as seems to be the case, we wore mismatched clothes.

That's to say that I was dressed nicely and he wore a T-shirt.

Ah, but not just any old T-shirt!

This was the one that started him on his path of attaining clothing that made folks take notice.

Purchased prior to seeing "Evil Dead: The Musical" and sitting in the splash zone, he proudly showed off the stain near the bottom.

(smile!) 

He went to that with his sister, in Ohio, while he was on sabbatical; I had seen the show in Las Vegas with a groupon, back in 2013.

We always talk about that un-shared memory when that musical comes up!

(smile!)

This "Starry Night Stormtrooper", as I have dubbed it, combines two of his loves: art and science fiction.

Most of the others are purely physics, a third love.

All, except for the the one with Oskar and Klaus, have a dark background.

Nice, n'est-ce pas?

(smile!)

So, why the switch to French?

Le film de ce soir se déroulait à Paris.

Remember when the physicist and I went to see "Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris"?

Well, I had made sure he knew about this SJCAF offering.

After all, "Haute Couture" makes a nice counterpoint, looking at things from the perspective of the women sewing, rather than those buying.

The head seamstress is about to age out of her job at the French fashion house.

She had followed in her mother's footsteps, choosing to pursue a career path identical to that which had stolen her mom's attention when she was a child.

Her daughter was not interested in doing the same.

However, the nimble-fingered pickpocket who stole her person showed promise... if she could only convince the girl to learn the craft of working with fine materials.

Very interesting movie!

What truly captured my attention to the details in that salon of seamstresses was a piece of fabric being handled and smoothed prior to the art of "measuring twice, cutting once."

As I whispered to the bfe, "I used that for my wedding dress."

I had recognized the peau de soie instantly, seeming to feel it under my fingers as I watched.

As I told him and Barbara (she had joined us for the movie), that material has the weight of brocade, but the sheen of satin, making it perfect for the skirt of my wedding dress.

Perfect.

When my bfe took me home, he walked me up to the porch...

usually he gets out for a parting hug and watches to make sure I get in safely...

so I asked if he'd like to see the dress I made.

Oh, most definitely!

So I brought it out of the closet, letting him first get a feel for the skirt's weight, pointing out the lining, too, as well as the high-low design of the hemline.

Then I emphasized the four different types of lace trim used, with none of it having roses.

There was the swirled pattern for the bodice overlay and sleeves -

then the fine strip with little pearls at the tips of the sleeves -

plus a bouncy flounce with Romanesque fountains above the skirt -

and a heavy, ornate piece to accentuate the bosom area.

The princess seaming, lined with seed pearls, was outlined for him, too, with me explaining why I had chosen to make this dress more than thirty years ago.

You see, when I married the first time, I was 19 years old, in a rush, and just bought a spring-time dress off the prom rack at the store.

For this second marriage, 14 years later, I wanted a real wedding gown.

I was still in grad school, so my budget for such was quite limited.

All the gowns that appealed to me were going to cost thousands of dollars...

but, thanks to Mama, I knew very well how to sew and had made my own clothes for years.

So I then turned my attention to patterns, searching out high fashion designs.

Then, having found the one to use as my basis, I set about getting the fabrics and trim.

Aunt Linda allowed me to use the sewing machine at her house, so that was good.

I spent at least a month putting the dress together, after shopping for twice that long.

Peach satin for the bodice, peau de soie for the skirt, all those different laces...

worth every minute of time spent.

All in all, the dress cost me about $300, a fraction of what a bridal shop would have charged.

I had meant to change it up after the wedding, transform it into a fancy evening gown...

but I hadn't the heart to deconstruct it.

It was such a labor of love for me.

After the physicist left, I wondered...

would it still fit, 55 more pounds and 30 years later?

To my amazement and delight, it did!

Well... mostly.

I didn't bother with the zipper in the back, just the hook and eye at the neckline.

(smile!)