Music Appreciation!

My wife and I are volunteer ushers at a large performing arts center in our community. It provides us a wonderful opportunity to not only enhance the influence of art and culture but to connect to a more positive reflection of our shared humanity. As with any performance venue, many attendees simply come-as-they-are and slump passively into the arena and their appropriate seating. There are, however, those creatures of a finer time who dress for the occasion. These are men who wear traditional suits and ties, women who wear their church clothes, and people who don whatever represents their self-perceived “Best look.”

On our last outing at the PAC, we were assigned to offer direction to patrons in the main gathering area outside the performance space. This gave us the ability to see virtually everyone who had come for the Symphony performance. Although I was not truly surprised, I found this to be a marvelous occasion to witness that unique and special feminine attire and behavior that has been all but lost in today’s contentious and cynical, rough-and-ready world of political extremism, unrestrained individualism, and community health uncertainty. Our PAC has displayed the courage to enact a mandatory vaccination and masking policy for all patrons, staff, and volunteers.  And, while there may be some who resent these policies, most patrons have cooperated with poise and grace, making the screening and ticket-taking mechanism seemingly flawless.

Shortly after we began our matinee experience, I began to observe some very fit youthful, middle-aged, and senior women who had taken meticulous care in dressing for the occasion. It was reminiscent of the period during which I’d discovered a high-end thrift store in a Chicago area suburb that offered high-quality women’s gowns, suits, and assorted professional and evening wear.  I still have some of those Ann Taylor, Talbots, Brooks Brothers, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Peruvian Connection outfits in various storage bins. If I could wear them to the Symphony next week, I’d pull them out and freshen them up. Many of them are timeless!

One younger woman at the event wore a luxurious black knit dress with brilliant though minimal gold braided trim, just above knee length; could have been Peruvian Connection. She wore black leather over-the-calf boots with four-inch stiletto heels and black opaque tights. Another late-middle-aged woman, who appeared very slender and fit, wore a black sheath just above the knee with lace across the bust line. She added a waist-length patterned jacket, which she wore open. She walked in four-inch black leather pumps over black smoked pantyhose.

So, yesterday, I dug to the back of my closet to pull out one of my old favorites from my more elegant period. It is a sleeveless black sheath, above the knee, with a modest fringe at the hemline. This outfit includes a waist-length black jacket with a multicolored Rorschach appearing decoration around the lower bodice and at the cuffs. I tried it on for old times’ sake over sheer black pantyhose with a lace-designed control panty built-in. I wore no bra or inserts. If I’d had time, I’d have worn my sheer black body-briefer with “B” size inserts as well.  Notwithstanding, the dress and jacket together, because of tailoring, simulate a modest bust line that appears very feminine without any help. I tried it with my favorite black leather pumps with 4 ½ inch heels. With some light makeup, no facial hair, and my best brunette wig, I could be ready for the Symphony.

One can dream!