Mr. Wonderful and a Roberto Cavalli Dress

I was dancing in a Center City lounge when a handsome stranger seized my wrists with his thick, strong hands.  Instinctively, I growled at him. He grinned and furthered his caveman maneuver, pulling me onto his lap.

In one-hot-second I realized that I was seated on a rare genus of man - Mr. Wonderful.  The growling ceased. A date was planned.

Like many women do for a hot date, I went shopping for a jaw-dropping, make-him-want-me outfit.  I wandered into Second Time Around, a resale shop on Chestnut Street. There, among the frilly and the silky, the vintage and the designer, I found the ultimate thrift store find - a Roberto Cavalli dress. It was long, made of jersey fabric, and featured an animal print on the upper bodice. Flowers blossomed around the hips and hem. I made an excitable sound as my fingers touched that lovely, wild thing.

When I tried it on - to my dismay - I discovered that the dress from the knees down gave little ease when I stepped.  It had no flare. And it was a few inches too short. Then I had a vision.  The Roberto Cavalli dress needed some Ooh La Jena loving. I paid for the dress and carried it home.

Gently spreading it on the floor, I daringly cut four slits from the hem to the knees. Into each slit I sewed a tall triangle of black knit fabric that was the same weight as the dress fabric. The triangles created a mermaid flare. To lengthen the dress I added a 2-inch pleated hem.

On date night, Mr. Wonderful took me to an Italian restaurant.  His eyes followed my movements as I walked to our table. During dinner, he watched me eat. Later, at a jazz club, I tested the full effect of the re-design by sauntering slowly, in a hip swaying glide across the room. Oh-freakin'-yeah.  I captured his complete, stunned and smiling attention.

What more could a woman wearing an improved Roberto Cavalli dress want from a date with Mr. Wonderful?

A second date. At my place. Wearing ... less.

Why am I Doing This?

When I told my former boyfriend that I was going to start a blog he said,"Why? You don't have anything to say!"

Now you know why he is "former" boyfriend.

But his question is a good place to start - Why am I doing this?

I am blogging because:

- I need to get these words out of me and onto a page. There are stories in my head just wiggling around trying to get out.

- I need to start promoting this fashion that is my dream. If this business is going to make money it has to be online.

- I want to have a job that allows me full freedom. It seems the only way I can do that is to make my own job. Promote! Market! Do it!

- I hate networking. I mean, I really hate it. If I had the money to hire someone to do it for me I would. But the beauty of a blog is that it allows me to keep my taciturn personality and just "put it out there". People can choose to read it or not based on their interest.  And I won't have any crazy men approaching me and have to urgently exit with graceful strategies.

- A blog is a great way to tell the world what I'm doing and may get people interested in me and the vision and could even generate sales!

- I DO have something to say.  I've started a fashion business that has a socially responsible vision. I'm building this business on a shoe-string budget without credit cards, loans, or start-up capital. I've traveled to India (by myself) to source fabric and work with a womens' non profit organization. (Talk about adventurous!) I've journeyed to Peru to develop relationships with artists and sell their work. I've had three years of sales experience working directly with customers. I've had a business partnership that didn't work out. ALL of these topics could be of interest to somebody.

Now that we're all clear, let's publish.

It's time to do this.