My Pink Dresses

If the color of pink is the color of womanhood and love, then I have a history of abuse of my womanhood and love. The pinkness in my life has been all or nothing. I grew up as a total tomboy – very physical: jumping off garages, skiing like a boy, loving fast vehicles, and barely owning a dress. I didn’t expect to hit the pink era (ever), but it did happen in my early 20’s. So much so, that every sheet, towel, and pillow in my apartment were pink. All my bath products and perfumes were in pink containers.

My pink era, however, didn’t last longer than 3 years – it went away when I overdosed on pink. I felt nauseous one day looking at my bedroom and seeing my man (at the time) lying on a pink-laced pillowcase on a pink-sheeted bed. I knew right then that I needed more masculine surroundings and I needed to activate both my yin and yang – I’d been active on one at a time. I had gone from Levi’s jeans (short-cut tomboy), to Lady Marmalade in Strawberry Shortcake’s world

When I hit my mid 20’s, I had hidden all the evidence of my Strawberry world and didn’t have a single pink item in my home or closet.

Once I was able to trust that my feminine and masculine sides were equally active, I slowly added a splash of pink back into my life. It came in dresses and some lingerie. Today my Scandinavian mid-century home décor is all white and brown with a splash of orange and red. Knowing that there isn’t pink in my home, I find it safe to add a bit more pink into my closet. I do love pink, but I don’t think in pink. And too much of the good stuff is never appealing to me – pink can creep me out a much as it can nourish me.

Having found a healthy way to use pink sans overdosing or doing a 12-step program – I don’t ever take pink for granted. This season, seeing the September fashion magazines and remembering what came down the runway last February for Fall 2010, there’s definitely pinkness on the horizon. On that note, I counted five LPD (Little Pink Dresses) in my walk-in.  That’s pink healthy, no?

Bottega Veneta - Bazaar

Couture Report spread in Bazaar