1940’s Style.. Going Vintage in my Dotage..

I was invited to a 70th Birthday part last weekend and the ‘party theme’ was to dress in 1930’s or 40’s style. At first I was pushed out of my comfort zone and had a bit of a grumble.. “It would be so much easier if we could just choose to go in normal clothes….”.

So often, we stay with what has become our ‘normal’ because that’s what our minds prefer. The brain likes to remain in familiar territory which is why we feel uncomfortable when we have to do something different.

After my ‘grumble’, I had no choice but to throw myself into dressing up and decided on 1940’s Vintage Hollywood Glamour, which meant doing something different with my hair and thus a trip to the hairdressers.

The hairdressers recommended using the traditional ‘pin curling’ method and for those who read this from the UK, when you see the picture, you may recognise me as the Irish TV character –  ‘Mrs Brown’… My response when I saw myself in the mirror certainly echoed Mrs Brown… “What the feck…”

I was told to leave the ‘pin curls’ in situ overnight and only to remove them about an hour or so before the party. Yep – I was definitely out of my comfort zone and had visions of a ‘hair disaster’..

I’m pretty sure the drivers who pulled up alongside me on my way home from the hairdressers were also thinking “What the feck…” or words to that effect!

I certainly received some sideways glances.. you know the ones, when someone catches something ‘bizarre’ going on in the car next to them, has a look and then quickly turns away……

The strange looks continued when I got home – my hubby’s face was a picture – a look of panic crossed his face and I could see inside his mind – like an open book, as the thought rushed through his head… “What the F*ck!!!”

Yep – that look was my trigger, to get into my traditional ‘teasing territory’… a place I’m mightily comfortable in.

Really – you’d think after 40+ years that he’d learn not to believe anything I say …. But thankfully – he still falls for it.. hook, line and sinker, even though my ‘teasing’, has occasionally got us both into trouble in the past… (that’s another blog post for the future).

So when he saw me and that look of horror, followed by the look that says “crikey – she looks horrendous but I’ll have to pretend it looks ok”, meant there was only one thing for me to say:

“Hi sweetheart” (then I proudly patted my hair) ” it’s fab isn’t it, really glam 1940’s style… I love it”………”What do you think?”……

A few seconds silence as he digests my words – a bit like when we ask “Does my bum look big in this”…. I could see his brain whirring.. “Should I be honest with her or had I better be diplomatic”..

He opted for diplomacy.. “Mmm –  well it does look vintage…”

I managed to supress the snort of laughter that I could feel building inside… That was it, the tease was on and I continued relentlessly for the next 24 hours. I may have been out of my ‘clothing comfort zone’ but I was in comfortable ‘teasing territory’!

Me to hubby: “Oh I’m so excited – having my hair done in Vintage Style is perfect… What do you think?”

The discomfort on hubby’s face grew worse over the next 24 hours.. What a picture!

Hubby:…. “What… oh urm… Yes…it should look fine when you put your outfit on…”

After a slightly sleepless night, my hair looked even worse..  (how they slept in pin curls night after night I do not know – or maybe it was just me being paid back for being a mean teaser…)

Me: “Do you think I’ll be able to carry off the look – which Hollywood star do you think I’ll look like with my hair like this .. Rita Hayworth maybe?”

Hubby: “Mmm – yes well you do remind me of someone who had hair like that but I can’t think of their name…”      ……  and the look on his face of growing horror and realisation, that he was going to have to stand next to me looking like Mrs Brown, was a picture, that had me diving out of the room and round to my sister’s who lived next door, so I could release my ‘explosive laughter’ out of earshot!

Once I’d re-composed myself, I returned home…

Me – “I’d better go and get my glad rags and makeup on – I’m really looking forward to tonight – are you?”…..

Hubby – A weak and dubious smile and… “Oh em yes…can’t wait” …..trailing off….

An hour later, makeup and glad rags on, I returned downstairs and the look of relief on hubby’s face had me laughing so much I had to go and patch up my makeup to cover the ‘laughter tear lines’….

Hubby – “Oh thank goodness” …. “When you came back from the hairdressers, you looked just like Mrs Brown off the TV programme but you looked so pleased…… I didn’t have the heart to tell you that you looked a bugger!”  Ahh – he’s so sweet… or….

Hmmmm… maybe he has the last laugh then after all… so when I asked him “Does my bum look big in this” and he assures me it looks “fine”, maybe it’s me that should be wondering if he was telling the truth!!!

Anyway, all’s well that ends well – we had a great night of cocktails and fun (obviously when I recounted the ‘teasing tale’ and after a few ‘non alcoholic’ cocktails…) ….what did I tell you about not believing a word I say?

And – in the end, after some hilarity which spurred me on out of my comfort zone of ‘normal clothes’, I thoroughly enjoyed dressing up in true Hollywood  ‘Vintage in my Dotage Style! ‘…

And of course – yum.. the cocktails were ‘vintage classics’ too at ‘Tusk Bar’ in Heaton Moor…  Strangely, even though I’m sure they were ‘non alcoholic’, after a couple.. or maybe 3… or 4…., I didn’t seem to care whether my ‘bum looked big in this’… I can’t imagine why!