Fashion Stories

Pre-school Sweethearts
Evan and I were best friends in elementary school. We did everything together. We even pretended to get married. At our schoolyard wedding ceremony in 4th grade, Evan presented me with one of those cheap rings that you get in those plastic eggs for a quarter outside of Walmart. It was made of a red chord and small metal circle. We each had one - they were our wedding rings. In fifth grade my family moved to a different state. I eventually got over losing my best friend, grew up, went to high school and college, and found a job. 15 years after our 'wedding' I bumped into Evan while on a business trip. We talked for a while and went out to eat. We kept up correspondance, and it didn't take long for our romantic interest in each other to be rekindled. One night, as we were walking through a park after dinner, Evan dropped down on one knee and proposed - with a little ring made of a red chord and small metal circle! He had kept his ring all those years! Yes, we are now married, living happily ever after.

Earrings from my Mother-in-Law
When I first got married, I did not know my mother-in-law very well. She lived in a different city, so I didn't see her much. After my father-in-law died, we invited her to come live with us until she could get her life back together. When she arrived, she presented me with a pair of earrings - 2 little rolls of toilet paper meant to hang from my ears! I didn't know what to say or think... was she for real? Should I be insulted? Did I have to wear them?

As it turned out, my father-in-law had given those earrings to her at the beginning of their marriage as an apology after they had had an argument over not replacing empty toilet paper rolls in the bathroom. She was sure I had heard the story from her son, and that I would appreciate the gift, and cherish the earrings as much as she did. Do I wear them in public? No. Cherish them? Yes.

Mancala Memorial
My sister Amanda and I were very close. Ever since we were little kids we did everything together. One of our favorite Saturday morning activities was to play Mancala. We played so much that we knew each other's moves by heart, and there was really no point in playing anymore. But we played anyway just because. One day Mandy did not come home from Soccer practice. She was killed by a drunk driver as she crossed the street. I won't go in to detail about how devestated I was, but needless to say, I could never bring myself to play Mancala again. A year after she died, I finally pulled the game out of the closet. I had holes made in the pieces, and strung them together into a necklace. It's my favorite necklace.

Thank You
I had it all. I had a beautiful wife, a great job, a quaint little house with a white picket fence, and a dog. We had a savings account to send the kids to college. But then I turned to gambling. Don't ask me why, but I got sucked into that black hole and almost didn't get out. First the savings account disappeared - my wife didn't know about that. Then I took a second mortgage on the house. My wife didn't know about that either. Our relationship became quite strained. Then I lost my job. Next came foreclosure. My wife caught on. She could have left me. Many people would say that she should have left me. But she gave me a hug and sent me to therapy. She stood by me the whole way. It took a long time. I got a new job. I slowly paid back all of my debts. With the first money I was able to save, I bought her this watch, to thank her for saving me.

Bee Catcher
My boss was hosting a spring party for the company and clients on his estate. It was going to be formal affair attended by important people - so I spent a lot of time deciding what to wear. I finally settled on a cute little dress with matching jacket. Next I had to choose accessories. I had a beautiful multi-colored pearl bracelet, necklace and earring set, so I was just in search of a ring. I found this rose ring which matched perfectly. So although it was a bit of a courageous fashion step, I decided to just do it. Well it turned out to be a mistake. Not because of the fashion statement. But because I was a bee magnet the whole party!