End of Season

With a heavy heart, I would like to acknowledge the end of dressing season for me...until fall comes around. However, the most recent dressing opportunity brought along with it a couple of firsts for me:

The trip began with the museum about a couple of hours away from home. I dressed in the same tunic that I wore for a test a couple of weeks ago but with a new pair of pants and a new duster cardigan. Other than my first trip to the museum enfemme, it was the first time when I included some jewelry, earrings and a pendant, and eyeliner. I made the trip to see a particular artist's work on display at the gallery but it turned out there was a special exhibit on Kimono. How relevant! There were about 7 or 8 other visitors to this gallery including a few teenagers. I felt at ease with myself after a moment of nervousness. When I asked the staff who was manning this exhibition if I could take a picture, she thought I was asking for the directions to the bathroom and gave me the directions for the ladies room. I asked her again if I could take a picture and she said yes but without using the flash. The exhibit itself was very interesting with hand-drawings and paintings dating back three centuries depicting several styles. A few paintings also showed men dressed in kimono and wearing makeup for arts and theater in those times. It was an unusually windy day and while walking back to the car, I struggled with managing my cardigan which just wanted to become a kite and fly away, the handbag which kept sliding down from my shoulders and the paper bag which contained a gift for someone from the museum shop. I also made small talk with the women at the reception both on my way in and out and although they knew I was not a woman, they did not let it out and were very respectful. The cashier at the museum shop who has some interesting reviews online for being rude was not just courteous and pleasant but also patient when my credit card decided to not work three times in a row. The magnetic stripe finally won.

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