The Bobby Brooks Maxi Dress
Fashion is more than clothing, more than style and more than a price tag; every thread tells a story from our lives of a memory, a person or even an emotion.
This particular 1972 Vintage Bobby Brooks pleated maxi skirt with matching vest and orange blouse tells a very special story that drastically changed my own mother's life forever. Here is her life-changing "fashion memory".
Elizabeth: "It was the first piece of clothing bought for me by Mildred, my future mother-in-law, during my first visit to Akron, Ohio to meet my boyfriend's family. I had made all my own dresses for college because I could never afford a store bought dress. All my other clothes were used clothing sent to my parents and my eight brothers and sisters in missionary barrels to Mexico and South Texas where we lived as missionaries.
My boyfriend's mother, Mildred, took me shopping at Polsky's Department store downtown Akron at Christmas one day. It was like a fairy tale movie to me--like nothing I had ever experienced growing up. As I looked in awe at all the beautiful dresses, I saw the beautiful orange plaid outfit on a mannequin. I admired it out loud. The vintage Bobby Brooks Maxi Skirt outfit was a stunning ray of orange and brown plaid with a beautiful, solid orange blouse to match the plaid vest and skirt. I had never seen anything like it.
As I continued admiring the beautiful outfit on the mannequin, Mildred came over and asked if I liked it. I said, "Oh, it's the most beautiful outfit I have ever seen!"
She asked if I wanted to try it on, but I said, "It's too expensive."
She insisted, "Just try it on for the fun of it."
My eyes gleamed with a big smile, "Okay, I'll try it on for fun."
I tried it on and it was too big. There were no other smaller sizes on the rack. I said, "That's okay, I don't need it."
Mildred left me in the dressing room and walked out to the clerk and asked her to check the size of the outfit on the mannequin in the front display window. She had the sales clerk take the outfit off of the mannequin and bring it to the dressing room. It was exactly my size and fit perfectly.
Mildred beamed with joy, "You look so nice! You just have to keep it!"
It was my favorite winter outfit. I always felt wrapped in love when I wore it and I could never give it away. Mildred soon became my mother-in-law after I married her son and I knew that she really loved me. She spoiled me with many more beautiful dresses for many years after that day and she became my best friend for life. I will never forget her kindness. That dress not only became a fashion favorite in my wardrobe, but still holds one of my dearest memories within each colorful thread."
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