Now, we all know you don’t need a $95 shirt unless you’re onstage with your four brothers, but that never stopped Theo from wanting one, and it didn’t stop any of us from lusting after some article of clothing we were sure would change our lives.
You know, some magical piece of cloth that would transform a dumpy wallflower into the life of the party, a bookish girl into a smokin’ siren, or maybe just a 5’2″ woman into a slightly taller-looking woman with great calves.
For me, it was this floaty, white, non-specific-historical-period-epic-inspired nightgown from Victoria’s Secret. They sold that thing for years. Decades, even. How I longed for that nightgown (from ages 13 to 19)! It was sorta like this one, but with long pirate sleeves. I would kill for a photo of it right now, but I’m betting a few of you remember Elaine Irwin Cougar Mellencamp in that flowy off-the-shoulder cotton number trimmed in eyelet lace. I fantasized in a very PG-13 style about, I don’t know, wearing it on some Mediterranean balcony, or in the kind of bedroom that’s inexplicably filled with mosquito nets and smells of bay rum, while my husband, the dashing underwear-model-slash-professional-soccer-player-slash-Chairman-of-International-Perfume-&-Wine, came at me with PG-13 style lust in his eyes.
I even considered buying it to wear on my actual wedding night, but by that time, the magic had worn off. I realized that the nightgown was probably more of a Snuggie for virgins than anything else, and I would look more enticing to D if I were wrapped in the actual bedsheet. Sadly, this isn’t far off:
I never bought the gown before that time because it was something like $39 or $49 or possibly even $59, and since I was responsible for buying all my own clothes from the age of 13? I just couldn’t justify the expense for something no one would realistically ever see me in.
Obviously the fantasy was better than the reality in that case, but I’m still lusting. The DvF Benny dress– the Jockey Green one you see third from left in our current banner?
I’ve been dreaming about that one for the last year-and-a-half. Of course, with my 2009 budget, it’s not going to happen. But watch me snap it up on eBay right after the 2010 ball drops.
How about you? Did you ever get your Gordon Gartrell? Still pining? Beyond it all? Snoozed and lost? Or are you, right this instant, wearing that nightgown on a balcony in Barcelona as the sea breeze whips though your hair?
Oh my goodness, I DO have that nightgown!
“The Snuggie for virgins” — cracks me up! The nightgown is in fact made of flannel, which, let me tell you, is not ideally suited for the Mediterranean, or for people who can’t make massive static electricity look sexy.
Though I definitely didn’t pay $39 for it, I will say that the lace and the puffy sleeves are just as awesome as they look.
LOL! I remember that nightgown! I lusted for it, too. In a very PG-13 way, of course.
I HAD that nightgown. I bought it at a Salvation Army, which is possibly kinda gross, but it looked completely new. I loved it. It was like the nightgown Samantha (the American Girl doll) had, that I could never have because my parents would never spend $80 on a kid’s nightgown.
The Victoria’s Secret version looked like ass on me. Too many frills, too much fabric, too long–I just drowned in the thing.
I’ve wanted a Tokidoki purse for about three and a half years now. I originally lusted after the Tokidoki for LeSportsac line of purses (and one pattern in particular), but missed the boat entirely on that one. I have since transferred this lust to Tokidoki purses in general.
I have seen them at about 40% off but still refuse to pay the price on them. I don’t know what will happen: I will either cave and buy one of the damn things or lust after it forever. I am very conflicted.
Although I never wanted anything specific (or anything that I can remember with my age rattled brain), I do remember in 7th grade there was this store called Judy’s in the mall. It was the place that all the size negative 2 “cool” kids went to purchase the hottest outfits of the day. I coveted that store. I so wanted to own something, ANYTHING from that store. Then finally one day, the fashion Gods smiled down on me and lo and behold there was the stretch knit. Judy’s had a pair of green and black leopard print stretch capri pants (the kind with elastic in the bottom) that fit over my humongous size 11 butt. (What I would pay to have a humangous size 11 butt now. Sigh…) They were completely and totally hideous but I didn’t care. I had to own them because I could and they were (cue in the heavenly light) from Judy’s.
The next day at school, I put on my ever so fashionable stretchy pants (because sometimes grown men and 7th graders need to wear stretchy pants) and wore them to school. I was not the fashion hit I hoped to be. I was teased relentlessy about my ugly pants. I was in tears at the end of the day. Needless to say, my Holy Grail black and green leopard pants from Judy’s were a disaster.
The moral of my story is that sometimes the wanting is better than the having. Nowadays, I figure if it ain’t on clearance or I am not gonna die a horrible death if I don’t buy it, I wait. The need will either pass or I will luck out and find it at a highly reduced rate later or find something that surpasses the first. I figure if it is meant to be it will finds its way to me.
I can’t believe how many people had or lusted after that terrible nightgown!! Well, I guess it had to have been a good seller for them to keep it in their catalog for 10+ years.
Leslie, my heart breaks in empathy. I have so many stories like that one (remind you to tell me about my Dick Tracy hat) that I’m going to have to write a whole separate post about my woes.
I like your philosophy.
Cosby reference FTW!!
Great episode!!
My Gordon was a pair of patent black cherry platform sketcher sneakers. Oh and they were sparkly, like a diner booth. (sigh)
I already worked 2 jobs at the mall to supply my never-ending desire for thrift store treasure, Merry Go Round dresses and Y-necklaces from Gordon jewelers (layaway was my bff)..
Anywhoo…They cost like $125.00..So I started saving up but the minute they went on sale, my friend at the Wild Pair called me. I snapped those babies up for about half price after his discount.
I wore them with cuffed wide leg silver satin pants, or even better – a bodysuit and short-alls. I was also a heavy thrifter at the time because I liked to find cool unique things no one else had.
(Like a green, red and white mesh Fila track suit with a huge F on the chest. I guess it was from the 80s, but I bought it at an ARC thrift store – everyone loved that thing – boys, girls etc. It was convertible from pants to shorts and long sleeves to short, and made of polyester and mesh ugh.) I wish I had pictures to post here.
I was super duper skinny in HS, and sometimes I think I wore crazy get-ups because I was trying to detract attention from my lack of curves.
Oh I wanted a similar nightgown! Not the same one, as we don’t have that brand here, but I remember watching an old (and utterly un-scary) vampire movie with the young lady in the traditional sheer white bodice-heaving nightgown. Sigh. Would have looked terrible on me in retrospect.
I had many, many tragic clothing desires when I was younger. I saved up and bought some 14-up doc martins. Looked terrible on me and were expensive but I loved them. Craved a 60s mod-style coat and found one at a second-hand market. It was a thick plastic red and white number, low hip length, kind of similar design to this: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31739779&ref=sr_gallery_10&&ga_search_query=1960s&ga_search_type=&ga_page=11&order=&includes=tags_exact
Because I wasn’t built like Twiggy it sat terribly on me, and was too hot and unbreathable for humid New Zealand, but I loved it. My teenage wardrobe was a pretty awesome collection of random eclectic second-hand finds.