A short time ago we were asked to a fund raiser for the neighborhood hospital. The event was a formal dinner, silent auction and dance and was held at a area country club. My husband wore his best suit and I wore an evening dress that was royal blue. As we were socializing among the guests I noticed that the majority of the women were in black gowns. There were lots of styles among the black gowns, but the major thing you noticed was the color because there were so many of them. At first I felt out of place in my blue frock. I was thinking to myself that I had two black gowns that I could have worn and wished I had pulled out one of them – I felt like the blue was an uneccessary xs. Then my husband asked me to dance. As we were dancing he told me how attractive I looked and that he was glad that I was wearing the blue frock. He said he gets tired of seeing ladies in black gowns all the time.

After he said this I started reflecting on the number of times that ladies hear that they have to have a little black frock to complete their wardrobe. They hire someone with a personal trainer certification just to make sure they fit into it! When you go shopping it is black dresses that are the most abundant on the racks. The styles differ, but as I had experienced at the fund raiser, when you see so many people in the same color the styles do not stand out. The two black dresses that I own are very distinctive from each other in fabric and cut, yet I am sure that when I wear them most people just notice that I have on a black frock.

When I was young I was asked to the high school prom. There were so many issues to think about – how to do my hair, how to get rid of cold sores, how to put on my make up, and also what to wear. My mother and I went shopping for a frock for me. There were many styles and colors, but the one I wanted was in black. My mother would not let me to get the dress. She said that women spend so many years wearing black dresses that I should wear a brighter color while I was young. I think my mother was ahead of her time in her way of thinking. I am sure that black dresses will continue to be the accepted norm for formal occasions, but ladies should not limit themselves to the one color.

Since the observation my husband made at the fund raising dinner, I am more elective in the colors that I choose for my special occasion clothing. I still want to dress tastefully for an occasion, but I am no longer limiting myself to black dresses. It made me feel nice that my husband thought I stood out from the other ladies in the room.