We were reading Maisie’s Fairy Tales and came to Little Red Riding Hood, and I remembered that I’d kept the little three-way Red Riding Hood/ Grandmother/ Wolf doll that my Memere Cis had given me when my blankie was trapped in her trunk on the night of a hapless all-girl-cousins sleepover. So I dug it out, and with it, some pretty great old dress-up duds.
Exhibit A: Flower girl dress worn 6/5/80 (yes, I can remember that, but I can’t remember to put kiddo shampoo on the grocery list) by me in my cousin Jeanne Perrault’s wedding. I was 5. Maggie is 3…
The Little Red Riding Hood doll is at bottom left in photo above right – poor thing was tossed aside at the sight of all those great dress-up outfits! Crown and purse credit: Auntie Erin (I think Maggie was aiming at “princess” here.)
Exhibit B: Dance recital outfit worn circa June 1985 (I was 9, nearly 10; Zoe here is 5). The dance was choreographed by teacher Cathy Landry (neighbor up on Sebbins Pond Rd with a dance school) and performed to Madonna’s Material Girl with childhood BF, Meredith Roy. To which I now say “really?” Nine year olds dressed up in sequins dancing to Madonna’s anything circa 1985?? eek. I do think Zoe looks kinda lovely here, though.
Exhibit C: Dance recital outfit worn also circa June 1985. This was for Footloose, again choreographed by Cathy and danced alongside Missy (er, Meredith). I explained to Zoe that these costumes were supposed to evoke the flapper-girl era (never mind the fish net stockings).
All this leads me to consider five things:
- I had better stay on top of the gems to be found at the back of our “dead body” closet if I want them to have any excuse for keeping these things at all;
- thank goodness I had girls (despite the fact that I consider myself open-minded enough to handle a little boy who want's to play dress-up in these sorts of costumes);
- my girls are TALL;
- I was a shrimp;
- the outfitting for any kiddo dance recital circa 1985 or 2012 seems questionable.
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