I’ve been complaining for over a week now that I have to
destroy a beautiful peach dress in my current WIP, and I love the dress too much
to ruin it. It’s a shame I’m not an artist, because, in my head, this gown is
as clear as one of Godey’s fashion plates. It’s slightly off the shoulder, with
sleeves that stop above the elbow. There’s a wide band of glass beads around
the neckline and at the cuff of the sleeves. And if my heroine shrugs her
shoulders, just so, the dress will slip from her shoulders, offering her
companion an ample view of what could be his. Did I mention it was peach in
color? Not pink. Peach.
I’ve cried on the shoulders of my friends and critique
partners, and when I explain that my character is okay with the thought of
getting rid of it, but I’m the one having trouble coming to grips with its
destruction, they look at me as if I’m crazy. But it was to be her engagement
dress, and events didn’t quite unfold as she had anticipated. So the dress had
to go. I spent all day Friday working on it, and finally, with a few tears,
said goodbye to the peach perfection.
And then, yesterday, during a lake-effect snowstorm, I drove
to the other side of the city for a field trip with my chapter of the Romance
Writers of America. We were to view a series of wedding gowns from the 1830s up
to the 1990s. The crown jewel of the exhibit was a gown created by French
designer Charles Frederick Worth in 1879. Worth was the Vera Wang of his day.
Everyone who had the necessary wealth to own one of his creations lined up
around the block for the privilege of wearing his gowns. And to have one of his
gowns in any historical collection of textiles is truly a gift that keeps on
giving. The entire collection of gowns sparked a plethora of ideas among our
group, as we fashioned our own stories about what truly happened to the women
these gowns belonged to.
The Worth gown was a confection in ivory silk satin, and had
all the bells and whistles. It had ruching, beads, pinched pleats, lace cuffs,
seed pearls, a cutaway skirt—everything my heroine would want in a wedding
gown. Eureka! Suddenly the engagement dress gave way to a wedding gown, complete with a lace veil. I can’t wait
to sit down this afternoon and begin to construct Jasmine’s perfect gown for
her walk down the aisle. Because, as we all know, romance books must have a
Happily Ever After.
