Have you ever been ‘properly measured?’ If you grew up as a female geek, a tomboy (my childhood), or in a house full of men, it’s possible that you haven’t gone through this process.
Proper? Hell, I didn’t even know there was a ‘proper way’ to be measured until sister Robyn informs me that she’s getting married and wants me to wear this dress. How cool is that? It will match my honey colored skin I’m thinking. But I’ll need a tan — a basic one anyway.
If you grew up around sisters, or women who ‘threw you’ into such rites of passage, perhaps you’ve been measured ‘properly’ several times. For me, it was a first. The waist, the but, the shoulder-to-shoulder width, the bust – everything. It’s hard to believe I actually competed in state and national sewing competitions as a teenager. It’s as foreign to me today as reading a newspaper in Korean.
I’m thinking of all the things I need to do before embarking on a 3 week East Coast walkabout, one which must keep me ‘still working,’ but perhaps 8/7 rather than 24/7. The continous make clients happy (all the time), dealing with new insurance companies, accountants, lawyers — all the stuff pertinent to new city living and now – time to get ‘properly’ measured. Surely, ‘getting properly measured’ would only take ten minutes like the dress designer in New York told me it would.
It is remarkable how difficult it was to find someone to ‘properly’ measure me unless I was ordering a custom-dress from their boutique. I finally discovered a quaint antique dress shop in Palo Alto, which is going out of business…………….alas, I had the experience that most women had when they were 16.
What is also remarkable is how long it took me to find out my ‘proper’ size. Yeah, that means the bust and the waist for those who care and for those who ‘look.’ How funny that I’ve been buying the wrong bra size for the last decade. Or is it? If you grew up in any of those circumstances (surrounded by men, tomboy, or simply didn’t care), I would encourage you to get ‘properly’ measured, if for nothing else, the experience alone.
I still have to go through altering. It’s part of the process of getting ‘properly measured.’ And all I want to do is get away from my computer and go for a hike. Alas, some obligations in life remain. And these too, can be a blast if you let them be.
