Here's a strange one: My Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress. From the "About" section (punctuation left "as found"):
My wife of 12 years recently packed up her belongings and moved out of our home. After her car was loaded I couldn't help but notice that a single item remained in her section of our closet, her wedding dress.
"You forgot something" I told her.
She replied "And what's that?".
"Your wedding dress", I said.
"Yeah, I am not taking that" was her response.
"What do you expect me to do with it?" I asked.
And to that she replied, "Whatever the $%^@# you want".
And this is what I did.....
The author is up to 50 uses as of last night, including pasta strainer, oil change drop-cloth, and so on. I applaud the concept and wish I had thought of it. But then again, there was no such thing as a "blog" when the maid quit. She did, however, leave her dress behind. I sold it in my Going Out of Bid'niz sale for ten dollars more than she paid for it. (The Second Mrs. Pennington, being a very frugal sort, bought the dress in a second-hand store. Srsly.) Here's the dress, laid out across the back of a couch (which went in that very same sale).
Someone got a good deal for only $30.00 US. Worn once, and all that. Well, twice maybe. It was second hand. True Story, swear to The Deity At Hand.
H/T: The Awl.
Ah, back when wedding dresses were simple - the style suited me fine. In fact, my dress was similar. I still have it.
ReplyDeleteOh, Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI went to the site, he seems to have a fairly decent sense of humor. In my past, I wasn't so friendly. Just being childish, I suppose.
As for what you did with your dress; You did the right thing. Hopefully it hasn't passed any bad karma along.
Ah - the Gunne Sack style of dress, I remember them well. My own wedding "gown" was actually a prom dress in white. It was classic for 1983. It's been stored in a box since then, I haven't seen it in 27 years. I would expect it to fall apart upon handling.
ReplyDeleteBuck, I haven't checked out the link yet, but will. Meantime, I applaud your entreprenural spirit and capitalistic approach. Anytime you can take a bad situation and turn a $10 profit, things tend to look a little better.
ReplyDeleteGosh, you mean someone actually bought it after was set on fire and burned up?? ;)
ReplyDeleteSorry, couldn't resist.
But I see them all the time on Ebay, not that I'm looking or anything.
And she let you keep the money, too? Wow.
Lou: I figgered you'd still have yours. Most women in happy circumstances keep those things.
ReplyDeleteDarryl: The Awl (where I got this) described the guy as "a person with significant issues about his ex-." Ah, political correctness rules the roost...
Kris: Is Gunne a designer? Or did you mean gunny? Serious question, that.
Dan: Well the profit was absolute, but the dress was bought for $20.00 US in 1978. I lost money if you account for inflation. ;-)
Kath: I offered TSMP first dibs on anything/everything. She took one painting and that was it. The sale was gut-wrenching... I got about ten cents on the dollar, if that.
Heh! Well Buck, I don't have an ex-wife (yet), but the dress she wore (which she bought new for about a hundred bucks in 1979) has been loaned to two other gals for their big day.
ReplyDeleteNeither of the other gals made it with Mr. Right for more than about 3 years.
I think Pam must have got all the goodie off of it on the first "go-round."
It's in the attic, in a body bag deal. She's finally found a FDIL that she'd like to offer it to for her "big day." But, FDIL is a good bit smaller in the top...and Pam has decided to keep her mouth shut.
Could have something to do with the "loaner" track record, too. Just sayin'...
Heh. The lace on myu dress has gone on to daughters' wedding bouquets, but neither of them was interested in actually wearing it. Maybe because my Maid of Honor wore it, too, a year after I did, and her marriage didn't make it.
ReplyDeleteOr, maybe because it was so seriously late-70s polyester that its half-life is about a gazillion years and it's just SOOO 70s! The lace is yellowed cotton, but the body of the dress is sparkling white-white-WHITE!!!
This week must be "wedding stuff" week!
I think mine is in the closet. Just cuz..... what else do you DO with them? It is 19 years old. Probably fall apart as I think Kris noted above.
ReplyDeleteHey Moogie, was your dress something kinda' like this?
ReplyDeleteI mean, it was SOOOOOO 70's and all.
Buck - Gunne Sack was a design/style of dress back in the late 70s/early 80s. TSMP's wedding dress is a classic example.
ReplyDeleteTiers of gather material, lace insets, etc...it was THE rage.
Andy and Moogie: I'm a BIG believer in karma... so I hear what all y'all are sayin'.
ReplyDeleteLaurie: At least you kept yours. Good on ya for that.
Kris: Google "gunne sack." I did. ;-)
Buck - given what those dresses looked like back in the day...the actual definition of "a burlap sack" seems kind of appropriate.
ReplyDeleteAdd Gunne Sack dresses to the list of things you say "what was I thinking".
And cream white tuxedos. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat's just sad all the way around.
ReplyDelete