Going out in formal attire
There is something about beautiful clothes that makes me happy. Note that I don’t say expensive clothes. I don’t care what the clothes cost, but I love when the lines and the colors work together to complement the wearer. When I was a teen I spent significant amounts of energy selecting clothes so that they were both useful for their intended purpose and were aesthetically pleasing. Then I got married and started having kids. I had less disposable time and energy. I selected clothing for comfort and washability, since trying to maintain any other clothing criteria seemed an exercise in frustration. But I retained the longing for beautiful clothing. I had this buried dream of Howard and I dressing up in formal clothes and going somewhere together. Going to a fancy restaurant did not fit the bill because I could not justify the expenditure of time, energy, and money for and event I created alone, particularly when I knew that I’d only get Howard to dress up because he was humoring me. So the dream languished and I more or less gave it up.
But then Howard became a cartoonist. And then he decided to discard his hawaiian shirts and t-shirts for sharp dress shirts. And I love the change. And then he got nominated for a Hugo award. And suddenly here was a ready made occasion for which Howard wants to dress up and which we can attend together.
Strictly speaking, formal wear is not required for the Hugo awards. I attended last year and there were far more people in t-shirts and jeans than in fancy clothing. But I looked at those who were wearing ball gowns and tuxedos and I wished that I were more dressed up. I wanted to be one of the beautifully dressed people with an escort to match. Howard and I do not have to dress up, but we want to. I want to, just for the sheer pleasure of wearing beautiful clothing to an occasion where other people are also wearing beautiful clothing. We also want to dress up because it is a way to honor all those efforts which made the Hugo awards possible. It is a way to honor those who were nominated. We make the effort to dress up because the occasion is special and may be singular in our lives. The category for which Howard is nominated is not a permanent category. Even if it is made permanent, there is no guarantee that Howard would be nominated again. So we intend to dress beautifully.
Howard and I went Tuxedo shopping today. I loved being part of that process. He picked out a sharp tuxedo that looks really good on him. It is nicer than the suit he wore to our wedding. I am really looking forward to dressing up and going out together. Just thinking ahead to it makes me happy.