In preparation for my super causal, super laid-back book signing to be held on Father’s Day afternoon, I encountered a moral dilemma: should I dress up for it?
If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, or if you actually know me in person, you know that I’m a dork, but I’m by all means a high maintenance dork. I love dressing up for occasions. Even if I don’t consider myself particularly dressed up, my friends often think the otherwise. I never show up in front of my friends without make up. It takes me tremendous courage to let any of my exes see my bare face.
The reason why I didn’t think I shouldn’t dress up for my book signing is that it will be attended by mostly just friends and family. It will be held at my friend’s computer store which has nothing to do with my book. I don’t even know how many people will show up. None of my friends will take it seriously anyway. Plus, I’ve been very careful with my budget because I’m taking expensive driving classes and saving for my potential PhD studies.
After some serious thinking (trust me! I thought for days!), I’ve realized I dress up for my birthday party even though it happens every year (just not the past one), but there’s a high chance that this would be the only book signing in my lifetime. Since I see no prospect of getting married soon, releasing this novel is the biggest deal of my life (so far). I deserve to be as happy as I can be for this biggest day of my life (the next would be my PhD graduation). If it takes a dress to make it perfect, so be it!
I spent three days hunting for the best dress. At first, I aimed to go for a red one. I think that will go well with the red theme of Florid Eyes: A Novel, and it will make me stand out in photos. I’ve been to like 50 shops and still couldn’t find a perfect red dress. Some looked good but don’t fit well. Some fit well but are too expensive. Some fit well and are not too expensive but are too similar to the other 500 cocktail dresses that I have at home.
I was pretty close to settling with just another knee-length form fitting cherry red dress that sort of flatters my body at one particular store after 3 hours of window shopping and changing, but as the perfectionist that I am, I decided to go to more shops first. At another store, I saw an array of full length party dresses. I don’t own any full length dresses because no occasions have been glamorous enough to really call for it. I looked through the rack anyway and saw this dress which is short in the front but drapes in the back. I didn’t like the color because I wasn’t looking for something dark. I tried on a different design in bright pink, but it didn’t look good on me, so the saleslady urged me to try that one on instead. I thought I was already going through all that changing, so i might as well try another one.
I don’t know know what you think, but I thought it looked really nice on me. It makes me look slim (I should totally send this picture to that ass who called me fat!) My friend even said he though it was something my heroine Violet would wear because he just didn’t see her as a pink or red person.
Case closed: I’m wearing this next Sunday!
