Thoughts From the Moon and Other Stories

By: Sapphire Tsuki

That's the Fugliest Dress I've Ever Seen.

“We don’t do prom queen; that’s for suburban high schools and the lame romantic comedies that are set at them”
Blair Waldorf

June. Prom season.I recently did alterations on a prom dress, and it reminded me of my own prom dress. I still have it, it’s sitting in my closet right now.Strapless, ruched, with a mermaid silhouette, the dress is yellow, splashed with various colours. When I first saw it I thought it was a monstrosity.I remember shopping with my mom for prom dresses. We walked into a bridal store and on display was this yellow, hideous mess. I turned to my mom and with a laugh said, “Wow that’s the fugliest dress I’ve ever seen!”We must’ve spent hours browsing the selection of dresses, trying on a multitude of them. The entire time I was in the dressing room I kept making remarks about how much I hated that one dress from the front. “Mom, I can't believe how ugly that thing is!” on repeat. My teenage pea brain just could not believe anyone would wear it, let alone make it!But nothing I was trying on was working. I can’t remember what any of the other dresses looked like. All I do remember is that by the end of trying on so many, I was upset that I didn’t find “the one”. I was SO over it. Cue a mother’s worst nightmare: the grumpy, hormonal teenage daughter with no prospects for a prom dress!My mom, I’m sure rightfully exhausted from the situation, said, “Hey, why not try that dress on, if not just for a laugh?” I was in! There’s nothing I love more than a good laugh, and wearing a hideous-ass dress, after a day of duds, just to see the absurdity of it? Why not?I’ve never been more wrong about something in my entire life!That dress fit me like a glove. I felt more beautiful than ever. With a single zip of the zipper, it suddenly became the dress of my dreams.“Okay, but like, it kinda looks good on me!?” I was in shock - how could I possibly all of a sudden love this dress.“You’re right, it does look good on you. Sometimes dresses don’t look good on the rack but they come to life when someone wears them.” And to this day, this is a rule I live by when looking at fashion. Don’t judge a garment by its “curb” appeal. This is how I function when I’m looking for pieces to upcycle. I see the potential of the item, what it could be. What second life can I give this thing?I don’t know if my mom knew that dress would look good on me. Maybe she was doing the “mom thing” of letting her daughter exhaust all her options of what she thought she wanted before coming forward with something that would actually work.The day of prom came and went. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much about the actual event. I remember going with my best friends and having a blast. The memory of how that dress made me feel is something I do think about fondly. I felt beautiful from head to toe. As a teenager that had a shit time in high school and always felt like an ugly duckling, I’m happy that I got to leave feeling the best I ever did.To this day I’m still not a fan of yellow. I don’t think I own a single article of clothing in that colour. But that dress! I will make an exception any day to my no-yellow-clothes rule for that dress.Maybe one day I’ll get to pass it down to someone. Maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll be buried with it (this is my preferred option). Bury me with all my fancy dresses, I’m going to need something in the afterlife. Maybe one day it’ll end up as a museum piece, on display under the banner “What People Wore to Prom in the 2000’s” (I hope I’m long gone when that happens. That thought makes me feel OLD!) But for now, to me, it's an archival piece. It's a piece that holds sentimental value and a fond memory of my mom and I.Later days!Xoxo S. Tsuki

Me at prom! (2011)