Covetworthy

It’s not about the price of the dress. When you amortize (yes, children, that does say amortize) the cost over number of wears, that’s when you get the real value. And while I’ve used this formula many times to justify purchases in a price range way north of reasonable, it is with particular joy that I can do so with an item that needs no such vindication.

I have happily happened upon the Rachel Rachel Roy collection. I Besot You. Really.

Well done, Miss Roy, well done.

Let me describe what I love about the line: I’m thinking of every little cute dress / funky top / distressed pair of jeans / boyfriend blazer / jumpsuit / studded piece / younameit I’m feeling this fall.  Now I’m thinking of it available in sizes beyond 0, 2, 4. Now I’m thinking of it for less than HALF what I imagined. And finally I’m thinking, where the hell’s my Visa?

I find a new favorite every time I look at the site – and since most of the pieces aren’t available for another month, looking’s all I can do for now. Come October and the falling leaves, I want to ROCK this Transfourmer Coat in all four of its glorious manifestations – long coat, cropped jacket, cropped vest, long vest. And there’s a cross front LBD that also does double duty. I envision myself swathed in it by day with gladiators and aviators, by night with studs and Sergio Rossis.

See for yourself by clicking here, or by visiting Macys.com.

I had a fantastic dinner a while back that ended with the host showing us his latest purchase: a Ferrari. I’m no car girl but I had to admit it was breathtaking. (And what I do know is Husband looked at, and subsequently rubbed on, said vehicle in a way that made me avert my eyes.) A girlfriend there asked, so what’s the equivalent of a dream car for us? The dream closet. I readily agree.

Think about the parallels. The currency of the dream closet is not horsepower, but square footage. No need for speed here–I want space, preferably something with double zeros at the end. Oh, and I’ll take climate control over cruise control any day.

To me, the real value in the dream car or closet is being able to live out the Fantasy. It’s what offered behind the wheel, behind the door, albeit briefly. In my dream closet, all my once and future purchases reside, those items to adorn me while I fulfill every dream I ever had for myself. That book I’ve yet to write? Still a loose outline, but here’s the D&G skinny suit I’m wearing to the launch party. And while I patiently await that CFDA Awards invitation, I already chose my Choos.

I’ve been in this mode for a long time. Before “The Secret.” Before manifesting anything, I have been a firm believer in “in order to be it, you gotta see it.” So much of that Fantasy life is rooted in my Realife, just with more fantastical settings and ripped-from-the-headlines personalities mingling alongside my Real friends. Example? A quick grab-and-dash at Quizno’s becomes brunch with the girls at Cipriani’s, and by girlfriends, I mean my college bfs plus Diane von Furstenberg, Ms. O and Mrs. O.

Simply put, the dream closet serves a vital purpose in my life. It begets more dreams. I am limitless there. I’m never someone else, I’m always me, just more sure-footed and secure in all those fabulous threads. And sometimes, just sometimes, those outfits step out of my imagination and inspire ensembles that make appearances in my reality. And I’m the only one who knows they first started as a dream.

Surely, I’m not the only girl living the dream. Have you ever made the dream attire a reality? Share your story here. Names and identifying details will be altered to protect the innocent (most likely from 1980s fashion crimes…)