I thought carefully about what to wear (to the wedding) and decided on a midnight-blue velvet dress. The stuff, as always, came from John Lewis, and Gladys, my mother's retired maid who ran up our clothes, did her best. The dress was to have a fur collar made from an unknown creature with jaws that snapped on to its tail to fasten it. It had been given to me by an aunt and I thought it most glamourous. I proudly showed it to Nancy a few days before the wedding. "Oh," she said, "I see you've got a mouse's skin at last." Down went self-esteem once more and furs were 'mouse's skins' thereafter.
I reminds me of Rachel Downing's unfortunate rabbit scrap in "Off With the Old Love".
So sad, really, when someone bursts your bubble. Thank you for remembering Rachel.
ReplyDeleteShe gave a good deal of thought to what she was going to wear. She was off duty at six, which gave her ample time in which to change her mind half a dozen times. The women would be smart; more than that, they would be fashionable and expensively dressed and she mustn't let Melville down. She decided on a long black skirt, a vividly patterned silk top which had cost the earth and a wide black satin sash of Lucy's. Not bad, she considered, inspecting her reflection and admiring the black satin slippers she had bought for their last evening out. She had a long black evening cloak which seemed too dramatic for the occasion and Lucy came to the rescue once more with the offer of her short fur jacket: rabbit, and a little on the small side, but it lent a certain cachet to the outfit.
I just lost myself in the whole sorry affair with Melville Schmellville. I felt soooooo bad for Rachel. Not just because of the rabbit.
That party was most illuminating... And I don’t mean the hair colours (1980s, you can tell).
You should have listened more to what his friends had to say about him, girlfriend!