Hello, everyone! Have you met the newest member of the MHC family? No? Well, allow me the pleasure of introducing you to Letitia. That middle syllable has a long e sound, by the way. Letitia, meet my friends.
Letitia is named after my favorite Aunt Lettie, my Dad’s sister, who died a few years ago.
She has a tiny waist, doesn’t she? Scarlett O’Hara would be jealous.
She’s missing her label, but I’m pretty sure she was made by Acme. I found her on eBay and the price was incredibly reasonable. She traveled north to MHC from New Jersey.
She has just the right amount of rust…
And her feet are ornate cast iron.
How should I dress her?
I love it, of course. However, she seemed a little unhappy. She’s not into baseball.
What about an autumnal Pendleton look?
Very attractive. Perhaps on another day?
Wait a minute! I have an idea. I have part of a costume I once wore. It was given to me at the end of the play’s run. My character was an oversexed older woman. (No comments from the peanut gallery.) She was chasing a younger man around a poof and as she fell backward in a sort of swoon, her hoop skirt flew up and these were revealed.
Hot pink, I might add. I think these will be perfect on my girl. I’ll add a touch of beauty at the neckline.
Et voila!
Sort of a Gigi-Colette-courtesan look.
Seriously, I am over-the-moon about my new girl. I spotted her on eBay, outbid a few other interested buyers and I got her! The shipping was very inexpensive, partly because she only lived one state away. That was deliberate on my part. She’s in great shape, has no musty smell (something you have to think about when you haven’t actually seen her in person) and she fits perfectly in the studio.
I didn’t tell husband about her until the day she was due to arrive. Then I thought I’d better confess. You see, my birthday is this Sunday. And I thought that perhaps the purchase might be a wee bit justified if I bought her for myself. As a present to me. From me. And she truly was a great deal.
Bless him, he didn’t blink an eye. He’s known about my obsessive need wish for a dress form for quite a while. He somehow expected her to be new, possibly because I had mentioned that I might buy a new one if I couldn’t find an old one in some long ago conversation. (I guess he actually does listen to my babbling once in a while.) When he saw her cast iron feet and the rest of her vintageness…well, he fell a little bit in love. He said she’s like a Barbie doll for an adult. And she is.
I’ve already dressed her up several times. She’s even worn my blue eyeglasses on a chain around her neck. And several scarves. And an old kimono.
My Aunt Lettie couldn’t care less about clothes when I knew her, though she was quite stylish in her younger days. I adored her. My sister Meredith’s middle name is Letitia. I like having a Letitia in my home. It feels right.
What do you think?
P.S. Don’t forget my book review, if you’re interested. I’m giving away a copy of the book. It’s the post just before this one.
