Anna had me over to her home in New York.
The house was very much like a London townhouse in layout and appearance.
She showed me into her master bedroom,
And hanging there was a dress that she had treated herself to for christmas.
It was a deep saturated YELLOW,
covered in embroidery-
the skirt of the dress especially was teeming with embroidered toucans, parrots, and flamingos.
The style was strapless; architectural; sculpted around the body in layers – like a creation of Galliano’s for the house of Dior.
She had shoes as well to match -
very high heeled stiletto pumps; a slim strap around the ankle, and a platform at the ball of the foot – covered in a deep, rich ANTIQUE ROSE raw silk.
The dress was made from double duchess satin.
The bedroom had a separate walk-in wardrobe and dressing room attached.
The dressing room had floor-to-ceiling mirrors.
The carpets were POWDER GREY-BLUE.
The walls were WHITE.
The ceiling was painted BLACK.
Anna told me to try the dress on, and the shoes as well – the whole ensemble.
I did.
It was the most glorious thing -
I felt like a human being again.
The dressing room had two large windows that faced onto the street outside.
I was up on the 1st floor.
The day outside was GREY and WHITE, the sky had been replaced with constant clouds.
The street was cobbled and a few BLACK cabs buzzed up and down.
I could have been a Sunday, or a lazy Thursday.
Just outside the windows – where bars or grates would have normally been -
there were winding coloured glass vines, with glass flowers growing from them. The flowers were a DUSTY PURPLE/MAUVE, and the vines were a DEEP BLUE-GREEN; a SEA GREEN – almost like a GREEN-TINTED MIDNIGHT BLUE.
I changed back, and met Anna and Colin downstairs on the street outside.
Anna was saying how it was a frivolous purchase, but tried to justify it at the same time by reiterating that it was her christmas present to herself.
I insisted to her that it was her responsibility, nay, her DUTY to invest in good fashion;
just as if she were investing in land or GOLD.
There was no reason whatsoever to feel guilty or shameful over the dress.
Colin agreed with me.
He was wearing a BLACK camera around his neck and was very slim – he had lost a lot of weight.
Anna was very sweet to me – she was very easy going – content, warm, generous.
It was a privilege to be keeping the company of such fine people.