My grandmother had an armoire in the corner of her lilac purple bedroom at her farmhouse. She and my grandfather inherited it as part of a five piece bedroom set from Great Aunt Goldie. I'm not sure if my great aunt bought the bedroom set as a wedding present for my grandparents or if Aunt Goldie bought it for herself and her husband and then later passed it on to my grandparents.
Either way, my grandmother stashed vintage prom dresses--a blue one and a pink one-- among other dress up clothes in there for me and my cousins to play with. Much like the magical armoire in the Chronicles of Narnia series, my grandparents' armoire transformed us into ballerinas or princesses in flowing tulle in whatever magical world we concocted, using our imagination. (Do you remember that old fashioned thing: imagination?)
I've no idea where my grandmother got those two dresses; I think they were circa 1950s like these pictures I've found on Pinterest. Check out my Vintage Prom Dress Pinterest Board here. Nor do I know whatever happened to them either.
I have inherited most of my grandparents' five piece bedroom set, including the armoire, which is stashed in the corner of my bedroom. No prom dresses are closeted away inside, but more practical things like socks and bras and t-shirts. I wish I had those old prom dresses; I would use them for decoration. Perhaps one day, I will buy one from ebay.
I encourage my kids to play, creating imaginary worlds, and I hope you encourage your kids to do likewise. I often wonder if playing dress up with my cousins, pretending to be princesses or witches (another story for another day) helped shape me as a writer. By cultivating imagination in my kids where will it lead them?
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