Heidi 01 An Unusual Dress

HEIDI - 1

AN UNUSUAL DRESS

Heidi stopped and peered in the shop window. Work conferences were not her favourite way of spending time, but on this occasion there was one consolation. The venue was most of a day's drive from where she lived, which meant she'd driven up yesterday and was staying in a hotel for three nights. However, some delegates lived much closer, and the organisers had arranged an 11:00 start on the first day to facilitate those people driving up on the morning. So here she was, having arrived yesterday, with an hour or two to spare after breakfast before the business started.

Seaside towns in England are notoriously cold and draughty in the off season as the wind whistles in off the sea. Heidi hugged her coat tighter around her and moved closer to the window. It was one of those little back-street secondhand shops displaying an eclectic mix of jumbled stock; a little better than absolute junk, but not quite reaching antique. Probably acquired from a recent house clearance, or three. Most of the window display comprised old furniture and general household tat, but in the centre was something which stood out like a beacon. There, on a vintage dressmaker's dummy, was the most unusual wedding dress she'd ever seen. At least, she assumed it was a wedding dress; she couldn't think of any other occasion it would suit.

The shop was quite dim inside, but the door opened when she pushed it, and once inside it was definitely warmer than standing out on the street. She reached out and touched the dress with her fingertips. It seemed to be made of slub silk, in a colour which might be ivory in good daylight, and could only be from the 1980s. It was an off-the shoulder design with a tightly fitting corset style ruched bodice drawn to a point at the bottom front where it joined a very full gathered skirt, and with unusual sleeves made almost entirely from lace. But what set this garment aside from every other extravagant 1980s wedding gown was the embroidery. All over the bust area and extending down the front of the bodice almost into the groin area was a tracery of trailing stems with an abundance of delicate shaded leaves interspersed with flowers in blood red and sparkling white.

She first thought it was made from machine embroidered fabric, but on closer inspection it was clear that couldn't be. Not only did the design lay over the top of the ruching, but at the sides it extended over the hip area and onto the top edge of the skirts. This wasn't machine made embroidery mass produced in some far-off factory at all - this had been hand worked after the dress was sewn together. Her heart missed a beat. Without any shadow of doubt this was an exquisite garment.

"It's rather unusual, isn't it?" A silver haired man in a plaid waistcoat looked at her over the top of his gold-rimmed spectacles. "We do sometimes get clothing if we buy a mixed lot from a house clearance. Normally we'd just bag it up and send it off to a charity." He smiled. "But when I saw that I thought it might draw a little interest."

Heidi held her breath. She knew enough about buying and selling to try and hide any eagerness she might feel to own this aristocrat of gowns. She turned away from it and tried to inject nonchalance into her tone. "Has there been much interest in it?"

The man frowned. "Not as much as I'd hoped, if I'm honest. I suppose people looking for a dress wouldn't think of coming here, and I don't really have the right facilities for selling ladies clothing." He scratched his head. "No fitting room, for instance, or a proper mirror."

Heidi turned back to the dress, she hadn't actually thought about trying it on. It looked

roughly

her size, she pursed her lips, maybe a

little

on the snug side but it wasn't as if it was available in a range of sizes. If she liked it, this was the only one.

The man took a deep breath. "If you

were

at all interested?" He took off his glasses and smiled again. "I'm sure I could make the price very attractive for you."

She glanced at her watch. She couldn't take a big bag into the conference, so if she bought the dress she'd need to take it back to the hotel beforehand, and there wasn't much time for that. Once started, the conference timetable was pretty full-on, and there wouldn't be time to come back here later. It was now or never, and she needed to make a prompt decision.

She looked back at the dress, and reached out to put her hand on that oh-so-fabulous embroidery. She couldn't think of any occasion in the world where she'd be able to wear a dress like this, and it would be a crime just to hide it away in a wardrobe. But on the other hand it was

such

an unusual and exquisite thing, and she just

knew

she'd never forget it.

She licked her lips and looked at the man. "Just

how

attractive could you make the price?"

A broad smile lit up his face. "You know, I always say to customers... first instincts are rarely wrong." He looked from Heidi, to the dress, and back again. "I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to say this... but you will look absolutely stunning in that dress."

The conference was routine, and the day's proceedings didn't require much thinking on Heidi's part. Instead, her mind was fully occupied with her purchase. The shop man was right he hadn't got the facilities. He hadn't even got a suitable bag, so the great mass of the dress with all its layers of gathered skirts ended up bundled into a black bin liner which she'd had to run and drop in her hotel room before hurrying to arrive at the conference sweating and breathless. Not quite the start to the day she'd envisaged, but she certainly wasn't displeased.

Late in the afternoon, with business concluded for the day, Heidi returned to her hotel room. She stepped out of her high heeled shoes, pulled the big clip off the back of her head to shake her hair loose onto her shoulders, and climbed out of her business suit. She needed to unwind and find something to eat, but before all that she simply

had

to have a proper look at the dress she'd bought in such a hurry.

She laid the bin bag on the bed and pulled the dress gently from within, allowing it to unfurl and relax as it tumbled out of its confinement. Once free, she turned it over, undid the long zipper down the back and turned the edges of the bodice back. Her eyes widened as she noted it was fully lined, not in the usual polyester but in soft breathable silk. She chewed her lip as a little tingle ran down her spine. She had never owned such a beautifully made garment as this.

As if in a dream, she picked the unzipped dress up off the bed and stepped into it, feeling the soft caress of that silk lining as she lifted it over her bum and into place. She zipped up enough to rest the weight of the dress on her hips while she slipped her arms into those off-the-shoulder lace sleeves, and reached behind her back to tug the zip further.

It turned out her assessment of the size in the shop was exactly right. It

was

a little on the snug side. In fact, she had to breathe in and hold her breath to get the zipper done up, and even then it was a bit of a struggle. She ran her hands over the tightly stretched bodice and looked down. The seams were stretched almost to bursting point, and might not even hold together if she was to exert herself, but looking across the room to the long mirror the effect was dramatic.

Heidi gasped. The efficient business woman in her tailored suit who was there only a minute or two ago had gone. In her place was a princess in the most exquisite gown the world had ever seen. Wavy red hair tumbling onto naked shoulders. Rounded breasts nestling in a deep vee neck and contrasting with a trim waist, the whole encased in silk with a profusion of embroidered flowers. Long arms entwined with lace. Broad hips carrying a magnificent long and full skirt which swooshed deliciously as she twirled from side to side.

She stood with wide eyes, and swallowed. Never had she ever imagined she could be such a vision of delicate femininity. Not in a million years.

She looked down at herself. She always assumed she'd never marry. Far too much of a workaholic. Far too busy to devote time to pleasing a man or running a house. She looked back at the reflection. And yet here she was, owner of the most magnificent gown imaginable, which might burst apart if she wasn't careful, but which also clearly cried out for a suitable ceremony.

She chewed her lip. Of course, she'd also need some suitably magnificent undergarments to wear with it - whatever they might be. She held her breath and reached behind for the zipper. Time to release the pressure on her torso and the seams of the dress... but

so

much to think about and plan for!