It's Time for A Change In Fashion

It’s Time For A Change in Fashion          Camille Alfred

I have spent the last three years working in the back room of the store.  I have sewn hems until I can’t see anymore and I have done alterations for too many people who just don’t care enough. This week my apprenticeship is over and I get to move to the front of the sewing department. 

“Madeline! Madeline? Are you still here?” I hear my friend, Sarah, calling me. It is the end of our week and we are going to celebrate.

“I am here, just cleaning up the room for the next person.”

“I heard that Sally from our building has passed the test to become an apprentice.” Sarah says with a grin.

I roll my eyes and grin, Sally is not what you  would call a “fashionista.” “I suppose it’s better than nothing for her, she is going to struggle with Miss Sharp.”

Sarah and I head out to celebrate, arm in arm and laughing. We feel silly and relieved at the same time. 

When we have reached our apartment, we both change into our fanciest dresses and head over to the pub. We are meeting our friends there and then we will decide where we are going. I would just like a quiet dinner, but our friends have something else in mind. Emma has planned the evening, she says that we will hit several pubs then get some dinner. Afterwards she wants to go to the social hall where there is a dance. Maybe we will meet some boys. 

I am excited in spite of myself. We get a decent dinner, but I am already feeling light headed before we get to the dance. Sarah is holding my arm, she is too excited to see how I am feeling.

“Maddie, look, there’s Jacob and his brother, David!” I look over toward the end of the room, Jacob looks dashing in his suit, but his brother looks bored. They see us and head over. 

“I hear congratulations are in order for the both of you. What do you plan to do next?” Jacob asks.

“ I am going to dress the wealthiest women in the city!” says Sarah. “I already have a few in mind.”

“I’ll be happy if they are just grateful when I make a dress,” I sigh and look for a place to sit.

“You need to have a greater goal,” Says David, “ I know you are a good seamstress, why don’t you want more?”

I am tired now, “Sarah, let’s go home please. I am tired.”

Sarah looks at me, she sighs and looks over at Jacob. “I’ll be back in a bit, let me take Maddie home and I’ll meet you out front.”

David steps up and offers his arm. “I can take her home, you two stay and enjoy yourselves.”

Sarah smiles and grabs Jacob’s arm and drags him away to the dance floor.

David and I head out the door. I am feeling ill, but I think I’ll be ok. 

I wake up when the sun hits my face. I blink sleepily and stretch my arms. I begin to  look around, I am not in my room! Where am I? What happened last night?

 ”Sarah? Sarah, Where are you?” I called out.

I look again, my arms are covered in pink silk, I don’t own anything this fancy.  I sit up on the bed and swing my legs over. Pink satin slippers are by the bed and I slide my feet in. 

“Ma’am, are you ready to get up?” A sweet voice asks. 

“Who, who are you? Where am I?” I am confused.

“I’m Lucy, ma’am, you know me, I've worked here for many years.”

I get up and look around the room, nothing is familiar, then I walk over to the mirror.  I’m shocked. My hair is dark and curly, my skin fair and my eyes are brown. Not the blonde hair and blue eyes I remember.

  I feel faint, a headache is coming on and I remember how much I drank last night. David walked me home, but I don’t remember getting to my apartment. This must be a dream. 

Lucy walks toward the closet on the other side of the room. She pulls out a blue dress with a lace collar. I remember that dress, I hemmed it just last week. 

None of this makes any sense. “Lucy, when did I get home last night?” 

“Ma’am? You were here all night, you said you didn’t feel well and went to bed early.”

“I see, I have a bit of a headache, can you bring me some willow bark tea?” I am stalling for time, I don’t know what is going on, but I think some sort of switch has happened. 

“Yes, Ma’am.” Lucy says and she leaves the room. 

I go to the desk and start rifling through it. Something must be in here with my name on it! I am scared and confused, but I must keep up appearances. AHA! A letter to me from a friend.

“My dear, Alice,

“How are you? I have just arrived at our summer house by the sea. It is cool and foggy today so we are at home. I hope you feel well enough to come………….”

No! It can’t be! Alice? She is one of the reasons I was jaded by the end of my apprenticeship. She was never pleased with my work, always finding fault with my stitches. I am truly confused now, how can I be here? Why??

“Miss Alice? Ma’am? I have your tea, where would you like it?”

“Please place it on the table, I will drink it here.”

“Yes, miss.”

I drink my tea and my headache slowly fades. Maybe there is something I can do to get back to my life. I don’t want to be Alice Adams. She is a spoiled rich girl, always unhappy with everything and everybody. 

“Lucy, please come in and help me dress. I will go downstairs now.”

Lucy is pleased to see me up and about, I wonder what this is about. I wear a blue dress, the lace collar is itchy and the hem just comes to the tops of my shoes. It is fitted around the waist and the bodice is pointed at the bottom. It feels hard and uncomfortable, the boning is stiff and doesn’t let me breathe fully. How do women dress like this? I know it’s the latest fashion, but it’s rather dreadful. 

Downstairs Alice’s mother is in the parlor, she is surprised to see me. I smile and sit on the little chair by the sofa. My dress poofs up then settles. 

“Darling, I am so glad you are feeling better. I see the tea helped.”

“I’m ok, I think. My headache is gone.” I say.

“We were worried about you, you were feeling ill for so long.” Says mother. 

“Mother, do you know David? Jacob Andrew's brother?”

“Yes, a nice young man. He stopped by the other day, looking to talk to you, but you were too ill to see him.”

“Can you send him a note? I would like to see him today if I can.”

“Oh yes, are you sure you are ready for company?”

“I am sure, mother.”

It feels odd to call someone “mother.” My mother passed away several years ago. I have taken care of myself since I was quite young. My father only outlived my mother by a short year, then I was left alone. He arranged my apprenticeship with the dressmaker, then died shortly after. I was then considered an adult and I lived with Sarah. We shared everything, it was the only way we could survive.

David arrives after tea. He is dressed for visiting. He looks at me carefully, then sits down.

“How are you, Alice?” There is more than a question in his eyes. Does he know something?

“David, shall we take a turn around the garden?” He takes my hand and helps me up from the chair. My blue dress has been replaced with a pale green chiffon. It is light and airy, the bodice is lower across my bosom, but the corset is still tight and uncomfortable. 

“I heard you were better, I am glad you sent your message. I have been worried about you.” He looks at me carefully again.

“Did you go to the dance last night?”  I ask.

He looks at me again, “how did you know about the dance? It was for the working class.”

“I know more than you can imagine.” I replied.

My head spins for a moment and I remember feeling ill and going home early. I am dizzy and I need a place to sit. 

David seems to realize that something is off. He leads me over to a bench and sits beside me. “I think I need to go inside, my headache has returned.”

David calls for a servant to bring a sedan chair with wheels. I didn’t know that we had one. It seems that there is more to Alice than just being spoiled and mean.

I go back to my room and remove the corset so I can rest. My breathing seems to be more normal and I go to sleep. When I awaken it is dark out and I call for Lucy. 

Sarah responds with, “who is Lucy?”

I have returned to my apartment and Sarah is in the room preparing tea. 

“You have slept all day,” she says. “I was worried about you.”

“I had too much to drink last night and I had the strangest dream.”

We have tea and I tell Sarah about the “dream.” 

“What does David have to do with this?” She wonders. 

“I’m not sure, but I need to talk to him. I will send him a note and see if he can come by.” 

When David arrives, he is dressed in a simple suit, not like the one he wore to visit Alice. I ask him about the dance and the walk home. He is evasive at best. I have to narrow down the question. “When did I get home last night? What happened?”

He looks at me carefully, “did you know Alice Stewart?”

“Did? As in past tense?”

“She passed away today, she had a good morning for a change and asked me to come see her. She was lovely in a green chiffon dress and she seemed well. She felt dizzy in the garden and I helped her inside with her rolling chair. She went in to take a nap and she never woke up.”

I am sitting up straight, and I can tell that my face is frozen in place. I am in shock.

“Wha..What was wrong with her?” I stammer.

“She was never strong, she was lovely, but always in pain. She didn’t complain much, but she tended to be unkind to people she felt were below her. The last encounter she had was with you when you hemmed her dress last week. After that she was unable to get out of bed until just today. Her body was just worn out.” He sighs softly, “I am glad that I was able to see her when she felt well, and I am sad that she is gone.”

I am stunned, Alice always seemed to be healthy and happy, except when she was being angry and petty toward me and others. Did I dream that I was her? Or was I her on her last day? Her sense of fashion seemed perfect, she always wore what was new and in style, or at least as new as we could find for her. Pink silk pajamas and green chiffon dresses seemed perfect for her and her coloring, 

“David, what did she say to you today?” I ask quietly.

“It was strange, she asked about the dance I met you at last night. She seemed to know about it when it was something she would never have gone to.”

“David, why were you there last night? It doesn’t seem the kind of thing you would normally go to either.”

“I was there for Jacob, he has fallen for your friend, Sarah. I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do either, but he insisted that I go and meet her. When you felt ill, I thought it was a good way to leave them together for a while.”

“What did I say on the way home last night? I don’t remember getting home and nothing until I woke up this evening.”

“Ah, that’s where it gets strange. One minute you were fainting on my arm after I asked for your address. Then you were wide awake and talking to me like we had known each other for years. I know that I only met you last night. When we got to your door, you looked confused , but I thought it was just the drink. You asked me to come in but I knew it wasn’t proper, so I left you there and as far as I know you went in alone.”

There was no reason not to believe him, but somehow I woke up as Alice in her room and I wondered if we had traded places. The only connection we had were her dresses that I had worked on and her irritation with my workmanship. I know that the blue dress was uncomfortable when I was wearing it and I began to understand why she didn’t like it. I felt that I could have done something to make it better, but that was out of my hands now. 

David looked at me again. “You are deep in thought, is there something I did?”

“No, just remembering the last time Alice came into the shop. I could have been kinder to her, but she always seemed angry.”

He stared at me, “You could not have done anything different.”

My sense of purpose has changed. I want to be a better person and work well with my clients. I have a good fashion sense, but there is something more to clothes than how they look. They must fit well and be comfortable too. I want to change how women see themselves in my dresses. A looser fit would make them better, their figures wouldn’t suffer as much and they would be happier. My designs could make a world of difference to all women.

I have started sketching what I know to be controversial designs, shorter skirts, looser bodices and freer lines. Soft silhouettes, instead of firm corsets. Get rid of the S curve, release the bosom and hips, straighten the lines so that women can move and enjoy themselves. I won’t be able to do my designs until I have my own clientele, but that day will come and I will change fashion forever.