The Sporty Sister

Dress the Part

Christi obviously had been under a spell. That has to be it. As she looked around the bridal shop. She felt as if she walked on the soccer field solo against a team full of her worst enemies. 

The owner, the attendants and even the dressmaker himself were there. They were there for her. This little shop was the height of exclusivity. The shop consisted of one large showroom with a raised platform in the center. There were gray high-backed chairs and sofas facing the platform. Dresses were arranged around the room in alcoves carved in the white brick wall. There was  only one dressing room. Imogen Park was a shop that only opened by appointment. It was a shop that catered to the celebrities who wanted to shop in peace and quiet. This policy won over Fiona when she looked for her dress. Christi hoped it would help her. 

"Ms.Delafield, we are so grateful for your business. I've picked out some dresses for you," said her attendant Lara. "I have picked out the dresses that are trending. Don't worry your wedding will be the talk of the season."

Christi looked at her sisters Fiona and Amelia. Christi followed Lara as she lead her to the dressing room. 

"Here is the first set." Lara carried three dresses over and hung them on a rack. Lara expertly helped Christi into the first dress. In her opinion, it was atrocious. She felt like a giant turkey with feathers layering over the skintight skirt. 

"No." That was it. She didn't think her body would even let her move her foot forward. Lara's eyes blinked quickly in surprise. 

"Really? It is supposed to be romantic."

"I feel like a trussed up turkey, so no."  Lara shook her head in confusion, but helped take off the dress anyway. That set the precedent for the rest of the visit. 

She tried on a dress made entirely of lace flowers sewn together. She felt exposed and awkward. Lara tried to dress her in a pink dress. 

"I see you as being bold enough to forget tradition." Christi had to admit she liked that sentiment. She had always liked to be described as bold, take-charge or anything that describe her as a go-getter. However, this dress looked like a pepto-bismal reject. It was prom queen little princess pink. 

After two completely rejected outfits, Lara didn't even take out the third choice. She threw the three dresses she brought over her shoulder and faced her client.

"What styles appeal to you?"

This was probably both the most logical and worst question she could have asked. Society made it seem as if girls had to pass some initiation into womanhood by planning their dream wedding by the time they were 12 or something. If so, Christi had somehow skated by that. She had no clue. When she went dress shopping for prom, she just picked up the first thing that looked halfway decent on her. 

"Umm. . .how about a ball gown?" That was an actual dress type, right?

"Okay. You want something classic. I can do that." Lara seemed refreshed with new purpose as she left.  Christi sat on a bench and waited. She knew this was not a good start. She knew she was supposed to feel excited, but she didn't feel it. She only seemed to feel it when she was out with Andrew. She remember what he said about seeing her in a wedding dress. It was one of the sweetest things he had ever said to her. 

She pulled out her phone and called him. The phone rang three times before he answered. 

"Hello!" said Andrew with cheer in his voice. 

"Hey, Andrew. It's Chris."

"Hey babe. What's up?"  There were shouts and yells in the background as they talked. He must be out with his teammates. 

"Well, I  . . .um. . .thought about you. I am picking out dresses today."

"For the wedding. Great! I want something sexy, but classic. We will have a lot of people watching," he said. 

Christi smiled that he at least seemed to take an interest. 

"I'll try."

"Good. Our wedding is going to be the biggest thing since the royal wedding. Your dress needs to be grand. Don't worry about the cost. Just get something that photographs well. My agent is already getting calls about which tabloid will get the exclusive."

Christi frowned a little at that. That hadn't even picked a date. Really, this was the only thing wedding related that they even started on.

"Still, with your beauty, you are sure to be a hit in anything you pick. Babe, I've got to go. Practice."

Christi sat up and said, "Right. Bye." Then, he hug up. Before Christi could think too deeply, Lara came in with more outfits. 

Christi tried on the ball gowns all four of them.

 There was the peach with ruffles that made Christi cringed . The diamond-encrusted one that sparkled and stabbed her. The corset ballgown helped Christi remember why they let this style fade away. There was another ballgown that looked simple and elegant. Then, Christi put it on and watched herself disappear.

 She tried to remain optimistic when Lara suggested that they switch to mermaid style. Christi rarely wore heels so the added tightness of the dress had her on the ground before she even made to the door. Last thing she needed was to have pictures of her falling down the aisle. She tried to stay optimistic when they tried on a drop waist dress, but she felt like a boy. She seemed to try everything. Finally, Lara suggested strapless dresses. Christi smiled, ready to give it a try. She wanted to have her dress. She was counting on it to get her into the wedding spirit. 

She only needed to try the first dress to realize that this style would not be the picture ready dress that Christi wanted. She felt like a mutant. Maybe she was being overly critical of herself, but all she saw in the mirror were huge gorilla arms. That was the finally straw. She dropped her head in embarrassment. 

"I need a moment, Lara."

"Ms.Delafield, it takes some women time to . . ."

"Lara, leave." Lara finally realized Christi was seriously and left the room. Christi sat down and covered her head. She took three deep breaths. She had been in worse situation than this. She gave her self a second and then stood up. She quickly got out of the offending dress and put her clothes back on. She didn't say anything as she returned to her family. Her sisters saw her look and said their thanks to the shop. They followed without asking her a word.