October 1st, 2004, My First Female Job Interview
By Joyce Devries, joyce_devries@hotmail.com MSN Chat ID: joyce_devries@hotmail.com Yahoo Chat ID: joyce_devriestv@yahoo.com
Note, this a true story, some of the names have been changed, but certainly not the events of the days!, this is taken right from my diary entry of the time.
My (email) name is Joyce Devries and it was a real life adventure, no this was not a TV/TG event. My spouse knows about and totally supports me as "Joyce"; she is an incredible woman, as you will see. I am 5'0", TV, live near Toronto, Ont., Canada, pass quite well as a woman and have done tons of "real life" things as a woman, this was a chance of a lifetime, a chance to work as a GG female in a Bridal Salon, and not even the owner knows my true sex.
I got an email one Monday evening in September, I got an email Monday September 27th, 2004, from my husband Sharon, and she said that she wanted to get together to go out to celebrate my birthday evening. It was odd, as Sharon and I typically stay in and get both getting all dolled up formally and have a candlelight dinner for my birthday, but the times of us getting together like that were getting few and far between, so I jumped at the opportunity to get out and about dressed in public. Sharon told me that the next night she would be picking me up after work and we would be going to dinner, and that I should be dressed and ready for her by 6pm. I answered her back and told her that I would be ready and then immediately started thinking what was I going to be wearing.
Thanks to "Indian summer" and the fact it was projected to be in the mid 70's to 80's the next day when she wanted to get together for dinner, I knew about 90% of my wardrobe was out for choices. I knew it had to be light and comfortable and more appropriate for summer wear. Since Sharon was going to be coming from the office to pick me up, I knew that I was going to have to be in something close to what she was wearing to match her. I had numerous blouse and skirt combinations I was considering, but I remembered that Sharon on Tuesday's always wore business formal as she had a weekly meeting with her head office people, and I knew that she was going to be in "business formal", jacket, blouse and skirt, hose and heels. I went through my closet that has all of my work clothes and found two skirt suits that have for early fall and spring wear for work and pulled them out, both were short sleeved, one in powder blue and the other khaki green, now the khaki green skirt suit, I had the skirt shortened to make it business sexy (Sharon actually was sent home once from work when she wore it into the office to change due to the skirt length). I looked over the two and decided on the sage skirt suit and pulled it out, I then was thinking what to wear under the jacket, as I could have gone with nothing and allowed my cleavage to show, but grabbed for a custom made white camisole and after looking it over, knew that it was exactly what I was going to be wearing. I then started thinking about my hose, and definitely did not want to wear pantyhose as it was going to be rather warm, and was hoping to wear stay ups.
That evening I decided to have a "dry run" of my outfit, I put everything on, the skirt suit and the snow white camisole and was really surprised, the ultra sheer nude stay ups did not show, even though the skirt was very short. However, they slightly did show when I sat down, but figured "what the heck", and decided over comfort more than fashion style, and maybe I would give some woman or man a thrill while out to dinner. Then I thought about the heels I was going to be wearing and immediately thought about my 4 1/2" black patent heels, I slipped them on and really liked the whole look, feminine and sexy and the heels really showed off my legs. Then I got thinking, I bought a pair of snow white 3 ½" heels a few years back and never had really worn them in public and since the "no white after labour day" rule is long gone, I pulled them out and put them on. I loved the look, and even at that point decided for the first time to pull out a white purse Sharon got me years back and was going to use it as well, as I have really never had a chance to use it, the white purse is almost identical to the black purse I usually use, but due to the fact I do not usually go out in the summer months, it has never been used. I was satisfied with the look and sat down and transferred all of the necessary items from my usual black purse to the white purse.
I booked the afternoon off work and when I came home, the house was clear and I headed right to the shower and took a long one and got "squeaky clean", I then went down to my bedroom and started to get ready, the house was warm so I did not need my usual house coat for putting on my makeup. I had already laid out all of my clothes for the day, I grabbed for a favourite pair of powder blue lace and satin bikini panties and slipped them on and then went for the matching push up bra and put that on as well. Next, I pulled out my short white satin gloves and grabbed for a brand new pair of ultra sheer nude stay ups and carefully put them on, and loved the way they felt as I smoothed them out down my legs. I decided that instead of putting my makeup first, I would put on my clothes for the day and slipped on my snow white lace and silk camisole and then the short skirt of the outfit, I loved how it felt as a I glided it up my legs, the skirt is lined and it felt wonderful. I tucked in my camisole and then put on the jacket and then slipped on the 3 ½" snow white heels and started parading around and looked at myself in the mirror and liked the look, I then hiked the skirt up as far as I could and loved the look that I was seeing.
I then moved to my bathroom and started putting on my makeup. The decision for what it was going to be was easy, light work eyeliner application, purple eye shadow on the lower lids, and pink on the upper, and a health application of mascara. I then put on a light coat of blush and pulled out one of Sharon and I's matching lipsticks and put it on, I was not sure what she was going to be wearing, but took a guess at which one. I was really happy at how my makeup looked and checked the clock and saw I still had an hour to go before Sharon was going to be home to pick me up. As I left the bathroom, I checked out my complete look and was really pleased, I thought for a few seconds about doing my nails, but decided not to. I sat down and grabbed for the jewellery I was going to be wearing and pulled out my pair of favourite long gold dangly earrings and did not put on my Wedding rings but Bridesmaid ring and slipped it on, and finished the look off with my gold anklet on my right ankle and casual watch on my left wrist. I grabbed my white purse and then pulled out the Curious perfume and put on a healthy dose on my wrists, and behind my ears, and then put it back in my purse and then was double checking everything, and just as I was doing it, the phone rang, and it was Sharon and she was just getting off the highway, and told me she would be home in a couple of minutes, she was early, which was a bonus, and I grabbed my purse and headed upstairs to meet her.
Well she must have hit all the traffic lights from the highway to home, as she was coming through the back door as I got to the top of the stairs, and quickly put down her purse and told me that she needed to use the bathroom and rushed by me, leaving me in the kitchen. As Sharon walked past, I looked her outfit over and it was definitely business and I was dressed right, she was in a knee length black a-line skirt, black jacket, red silk blouse, ultra sheer black hose and 2" black patent "clunky" heels. I decided to take the opportunity to check out my purse and made sure I had everything, and it was only a couple of minutes and Sharon came out of the bathroom and into the kitchen and I could see that she had touched up her makeup and was indeed wearing the same lipstick as I had chose of our two matching ones. She looked me over and jokingly said, "white after labour day?", I smiled and told her she knew that myth was long gone and then she said, "I still remember the day I wore that outfit to the office", and we both chuckled as she got sent home wearing it as the skirt was "not appropriate". She asked if I was ready to go and I told her I was, and we headed out to the car.
When we got in, Sharon asked me where I wanted to go for dinner and I told her I thought she knew, and she said no, but asked if I wanted to go to "the usual", and I told her sure, and that was a Kelsey's restaurant we always go to after our shopping trips to Square One. As we drove she asked me how the summer was, as we had not seen one another since my last day of my season, and that was in late April, and I told her that I had missed her and she patted my hand and told me that she had missed me too. We got to Kelsey's and both got out of the car and started walking to the entrance, and I loved the sound of our heels clicking along the pavement as we walked. We got to the entrance, and I took the lead and were greeted by a hostess that said, "good evening ladies, just the two of you?", I said yes, and asked for a booth and she said it would not be a problem. As we followed her to the booth, I was a little disappointed, as I looked around the place was not that busy, and I was hoping to get more people to see my outfit. We slid in and the hostess put down our menus and said, "enjoy your meal ladies", and I of course was smiling and looked back and Sharon and she gave me a knowing smile, that I liked the "ladies" reference. As we were looking over the menu's our waitress came up and introduced herself, and I thought I was going to hear the usual words, "anything to drink to start?", instead we heard, "coming from the office ladies?", to which we both replied "yes", and then she said, "well you both look fantastic!, can I start you with anything to drink?". I went ahead and ordered a cooler and Sharon order a beer, and as she walked away, I was smiling from ear to ear and Sharon just said, "bet you liked that comment?", and I told her I definitely did.
As I usually do, whether I have to go to the ladies room or not, I grabbed my purse and told Sharon I had to use the ladies room, but this time I did have to use it, and not for makeup. I grabbed my purse and slid out and walked to the very familiar ladies room, and of course it was empty, but went to the middle of 3 stalls and hung up my purse on the door and then hiked up my skirt, and sat down and loved the fact I was in stay ups and did not have to worry about putting a run in my pantyhose. After I did my business, I wiped up, hiked down my skirt and then after leaving the stall, checked myself at the lighted vanity mirror, and loved the fact a bouquet of silk flowers was on it, a very feminine touch. I saw that my lips were still fine and just lightly fluffed up my hair, and then one last check in the full length mirror to ensure my skirt was hiked up the way I wanted it and I left the ladies room. As I walked back, Sharon was looking at me and I did not notice it, but I walked by a table of about 6 guys, that had just came in and as I got to the booth and slid in, Sharon was smiling and said, "you should be in theatre, that was quite the show you put on". I was confused, but she said, "don't turn around, but there is a bunch of guys you walked past that certainly loved the 'legs and heels show', as you walked by", I told her my skirt was not that short, but she said, "dear, you know why I got sent home from work, that skirt shows as much leg as you can legally get away with and those CFM's you are wearing does not help". I smiled and said, well I hope they enjoyed the show, ad my heels were not CFM's and she said that "I am sure they did and there was probably a few of them with a little straining in their crotch, and yes, anything above 3" is considered CFM's", and I just rolled my eyes and said they were not.
Our waitress had came and brought our drinks, and then just after we talked, she came and asked if we were ready to order, and I was, and I ordered the soup and salad combination and Sharon ordered a chicken pita wrap. As we sipped on our drinks, I casually looked around and managed to discreetly look back and see what Sharon was talking about and there was a group of guys, probably mid 20's to early 30's at one of the tables, right on the path of our booth to the ladies room, and I was hoping that we would be done first so I could give them another show, and this time, I would make eye contact with some of them. Sharon and I chatted and then our food came, and the topic of conversation was the summer, and she asked, "so any new Ebay Bridesmaid dresses this summer", I smiled back and told her one, and she rolled her eyes and said, "another trip to Maria's I take it", I told her yes, and that we could combine that with another "girls day out", and Sharon just laughed and said we would have to do it in October.
Then Sharon grabbed for her purse and opened it and, handed me an envelope and said, "happy birthday". I smiled and took the envelope with the name "Joyce" on it and opened it, and was prepared for the usual birthday card, well it was, with the expression on the front, "to my darling wife and her special day", however when I opened it, there was a small piece of a newspaper clipping taped on the inside, and I was confused, but read it. It was an employment ad, and it read:
"Prominent Bridal Salon, looking for occasional seasonal part time bridal consultant, flexible hours, please call Mary (905) XXX-XXXX".
I was more confused and I asked Sharon what this was all about and she gently reached over and grabbed my hands and looked me in the eyes and smiled, and said, "this is your chance for the 'ultimate feminine adventure'", and I said I was not sure what she was talking about and she went on to explain that one of her co-worker's daughter works at a Bridal Salon in Oakville, and she over heard her talking about how the owner of the Salon was complaining that she wished she had help during the busy Bridal periods, and that she was going to be putting an ad in the paper to find someone that might fill the roll, but was sceptical, as no one would only want to work occasional part time, except for a retired woman, and she wanted someone younger. When she overheard the conversation, she told her co-worker that she might know someone that would be perfect, and then the conversation was all about me, and she told her everything about myself (except for the fact I was not a GG) and my Bridal experience and knowledge then she said she would talk to her daughter. Two days later her co-worker told her that the owner definitely wanted to talk to me and was very interested as I sounded like I was the girl she was looking for, so Sharon called and pretended it was me and arranged for a job interview, the coming Friday night at 6pm at the Bridal Salon, and I was going too be meeting the owner Mary.
Then it hit me, and stared at her and said, "you cannot be serious, you applied me for this job?". She sipped on her drink and had a wicked grin and said:
"dear, you have been a Bride once, a Bridesmaid 4 times, and let's be serious, you know more about Bridal and Bridesmaid fashions that more than half of the female population do, you have been through the Salon drill with your fantasy Bridal shopping trips, more than 10 times, probably tried on more Wedding gowns than the entire female population had to do in their lifetime as a Bride to be, you are a natural".
It then gently protested more, saying things like, what if they find out about my true sex?, what about a resume?, I do not have a social insurance number, or valid ID. Sharon then said:
"mmmm, you have been going out and passing without incident for 19 years, and trust me dear, I keep and eye out and in all that time have never seen anyone look at you twice, you have fooled about 800 people in total for the Weddings you were a Bridesmaid in. As for the resume, I asked, it is not required, and SIN, well just so happens she wants to pay this person in cash under the table, so that will not be necessary".
I must admit it was a tempting proposal, and all sorts of thoughts went through my mind and I asked her what if I got caught or the Bridal Salon, I would be exposed, and she told me she already checked, the laws in Ontario are very vague when it came to this employment situation, so it was not going to ever happen. She then looked at me and said, "well?", I was about to tell her that I was going to have to think about it, but then said, "what the heck, let's see where it goes". Sharon sipped on her drink and smiled and said, "thought so". As we ate Sharon and I started talking and she was so excited, as we talked about planning for the interview and the inevitable question came up, "what to wear?". Apparently Sharon had already thought it all through, and since she dresses for work every day, she said, "you are definitely wearing your red blazer, it is a 'power colour', and one of your white silk blouses or your black shell and definitely a knee length black skirt, definitely a skirt longer than the miniskirt you are wearing tonight". She suggested before I went to the Bridal Salon for the interview that I try on the outfit and we would decide on the final look, either the blouse or the shell, hosiery colour and heels.
As we finished up lunch, I asked which Bridal Salon it was and she told me it was "Forever Yours", and that was one that I had never been to, I thought I had gone to all of them in the Burlington and Oakville area fantasy Bridal dress shopping, I kind of knew where it was, but never had been to it. Sharon told me it was more of a "high end" of the area Bridal Salons and told me that she was sure I would be just fine. Our waitress came and gave us the bill and Sharon settled it up and she told me she had to use the ladies room, and I did as well, and we both grabbed our purses slung them over our shoulders and headed to it, and I was in luck, the guys were still at the table from the first time I went to the ladies room, and I told Sharon to let me go first, and walked behind me, and this time I deliberately took smaller steps and let my hips swing as I walked in the high heels, and never looked at the guys as I walked by them and into the ladies room. When we got in we realized were alone, Sharon said, "oh you little cock tease, they were staring at your legs and looking you up and down, and I could tell you were walking deliberately". I laughed a little and told her I could feel the eyes staring at me as I walked by, and then we both went into a stall, I of course took the middle of the three and put my purse on the hanger on the door and then hiked up my skirt and sat down and did my business and could hear Sharon in the stall next door doing the same. I finished up and stood up and tugged down my skirt and grabbed my purse and actually beat Sharon out of the stall and to the mirror, I figured it was she had to fuss with her pantyhose, but when I heard the familiar metallic "clunk" sound coming from the stall, I knew she was on her period and had just changed her tampon. I was just touching up my lipstick when she joined me and started fluffing out her hair and when I was done, I handed her the lipstick and she smiled at me in the mirror and rolled her eyes and put on a fresh coat while I fluffed out my hair, she handed me the lipstick back and I packed it on my purse and she said, "ready", I told her almost and went to the full length mirror and made sure my skirt was right, and she came up behind me and said, "yes dear, hike it up a little more, give the boys a real show", I smiled at her as I looked back at her in the mirror and said, it was fine and we both slung our purses over our shoulders. I lead the way out of the ladies room to the front of the restaurant, and the guys were still sitting there and I never looked at them and stared right ahead, but I knew they were waiting for me, and were checking me out. As we left the restaurant, the hostess said, "enjoy your afternoon ladies", we both said thank you, and as our heels clicked across the pavement Sharon said she overheard one of the guys saying to another, "man she is so fucking hot, look at those legs", I looked over at her smiled, and savoured the moment thinking "if they only knew".
We got into the car and started for home and she held my hand and at one of the stoplights, leaned over and gave me a long kiss, not caring who saw two women kissing, and said, "happy birthday", I thanked her and we continued home. When we got home, Sharon grabbed the camera and took pictures of me out in our backyard and then asked me what I wanted to do. I told her I wanted to get into one of our matching Alfred Angelo Bridesmaid dresses, and she smiled and said it was the perfect suggestion for the theme of the evening and asked which one (as we have three matching dresses and dyed to match heels) and I told her the purple ones that we wore for real back in 1994, and she said she would meet me after we got changed. Sharon also asked what I wanted to see for a movie and I told her "my best friend's Wedding", she also said it was perfect. She told me to take my time as she wanted to cut up some cheese and crackers and stuff for munchies before she got into her dress. I went and got my dress and light crinoline and the 2" black suede heels we wore and the low backed bra and stripped down and slipped everything on. It was a thrill to see myself in the dress and remember all of the memories of when Sharon was Matron of Honour and I was a Bridesmaid at an Italian Wedding with over 300 guests in 1994. I heard her heels clicking upstairs and knew she was probably in her dress, and quickly put on the matching pearls and earrings we wore the day of the Wedding and touched up my lipstick and headed upstairs. I loved seeing Sharon again in the matching Alfred Angelo dress, suede heels and jewellery and met her in the living room and gave her a little kiss and saw that she had too touched up her lipstick. We both sat down on the couch, adjusting our skirts and crinolines, like we did almost 10 years earlier and she reached down and handed me a gift bag and said, "one last present". I opened the gift bag and in it was four fall 2004 Bridal magazines, and she said, "better get studying", I smiled and told her I was already up on the current fashions, but appreciated it, and as we thumbed through them and noted the strapless dress style that was all the rage, I had to make the comment, "thank God we got married when we did and had to do our Bridesmaid 'tour of duties', when we did, I could never pull off a dress like that, it is so not 'us'", and Sharon agreed she could not pull it off either with the size of her breasts and hips, but reminded me, "you will be selling what is in style". I told her I knew, but would research what the shop sold as far as manufacturers, I pretty much knew all of the names and the style and quality of gowns/dresses that they made. Sharon then grabbed my hand and said, "enough shop talk, let's watch the movie". We watched the movie and then after both changed into our matching long peignoirs and met each other in Sharon's bedroom, and snuggled up in bed and fell asleep, and I was dreaming of what the Friday night ahead would bring.
It was hard to concentrate on the next few days at my "regular" job, as all I kept on thinking about was the Friday night, but I managed, and the next two evenings, I did nothing but went on line and researched everything I could about the Bridal shop "Forever Yours", and was surprised at what I found. Sharon was indeed right, this was a high end Bridal Salon, they only carried the higher end designers, and I made a note of which ones they carried and went through all the bridal magazines and took careful notice of the styles they were promoting, which of course were the strapless styles that were very popular. I also researched the price of some of the designers gowns and was floored!, some of the gowns were as high as $3000!, the cheapest I could find was around $900!, WOW and to think, when I got married my gown was $450, and it was a top designer back in 1989!.
Thursday night came and it was the only time Sharon was able to get together with me due to work and other family situations, so we decided to meet at 9pm for me to model the outfit for the interview and we would decide on the perfect "first impression outfit" for it. So I pulled out my red single breasted jacket, with moderate shoulder pads, a black silk shell, one of my knee length A-line black skirts, two styles of pantyhose, "nearly black", and ultra sheer nude, and 4 sets of heels, everything from 4" black patent to 2" kid heels, then finally two different white silk blouses. The time came and I heard Sharon moving around upstairs and started to get ready, I put on a little eyeliner and a casual shade of lipstick, that was all for makeup and started to get dressed. I put on my favourite lace white front closure bra, and red silk lace panties and then carefully slipped on a pair of ultra sheer "nearly black" black pantyhose. I decided that I would put on the first of two white silk blouses and then slipped on the knee length lined black skirt, then the red jacket, then I started looking over the heels and knew that the 4" black patent heels were not appropriate at all and then went for the 2" black kid heels and put them on.
Just as I slipped on the heels, I heard Sharon call out that she was ready for me in the downstairs den and I took one final look and went out and she was sitting in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, reading her book and sipping on a cup of tea. I walked in the room, she looked me over and then had me stand in the middle of the room and looking me up and down and had me turn around and I could see her thinking. She smiled and said, "well, the skirt is definitely right and so is the jacket and blouse, but I am not sure of the hose and heels, something is not right, the blouse is perfect, but you need to get the collar outside of the jacket for a more professional look, put on nude coloured hose, and leave the rest the same".
I went back to my bedroom and slipped out the black pantyhose and decided to pull out a pair of ultra sheer nude stay ups and put them on, after carefully putting them on, hiked down my skirt and put the 2" black kid heels on, went back into the downstairs den, and Sharon put down her book and had me parade around a bit and said, "the nude hose is the way to go, black is so 'special occasion', but there is something not right about your whole look, try changing your heels, something like black patent, but not CFM's". I rolled my eyes and told her I would and went back to my bedroom and pulled out a pair of 2 ½" black patent heels and slipped them on and went back into the room, and Sharon looked me over and said, "very appropriate and professional, but it really is 'not you', you need something higher in the heels, what about those heels you wore out the last time we went shopping?", I asked her, "you mean the 3" suede heels?", she said, "yes, exactly those". I went back to my bedroom and pulled out my favourite black suede 3" heels, ones I never would have thought would have been right and slipped them on. I looked myself in the mirror and thought, "WOW I have never looked this good" and went back into the room, Sharon looked me over and said, "my dear, you have got yourself a job!". She told me I looked perfect and that even though I had been doing my makeup for 19 years, she would do the final inspection and touch ups for the job interview the following night when I was done. Sharon told me that she would be taking off early from work, and that for Friday evening that I should be ready to go for 4pm, so that she could drive me to the job interview on time. I was about to leave the den to get changed and as I turned, Sharon said, "wait, hold on!, I can see your bra when you turned, are you not wearing a camisole?". I told her I was not and she told me to go and put one on as I should not be wearing a white blouse without one. I told her I had never before and she told me, "dear, you ALWAYS wear a camisole under a white blouse, even if you are wearing a jacket over top, especially for work". I rolled my eyes and went back to my bedroom and pulled out a custom made pure white silk and lace camisole and slipped it on, then put the blouse and jacket back on and went back into the den and Sharon looked me over and had me walk around and turn and such, and said, "now you are perfect, and showing a bit of lace, classy and a touch of sexy". I walked up to her and gave her a hug and kiss on the lips and thanked her. She told me that I should get to bed early so that I would be all ready for the job interview. She also asked if I had all of the "stories" straight that I was probably going to be asked about my life and my employment history, etc., and I told her I did. She stood up and gave me one last long kiss and said, "my darling wife, soon to be a Bridal consultant, who would have thought it?", I told her it was not a done deal, but she was insistent that it was going to happen. I went back to my bedroom, and carefully laid everything out for the job interview, and the started going through my makeup, I knew Sharon was going to be doing the final check, but I wanted to put on colours and such that knew was going to be "me". I then slipped into my lingerie for the evening which was a peach "baby doll" and wrap and slipped into bed, and fell asleep thinking of the day ahead.
Friday morning came, and I had the day off from work and was nervous from the second I woke up. I decided to wait until the very last moment to shower and shave and get "squeaky clean". I spent the day thumbing through the Bridal magazines and going through the manufacturer's web sites. It was around 3pm when I decided "it was time", and went and took a long shower and shaved very close everywhere. I went to my room and started getting dressed, the first thing I put on was a pair of red satin and lace bikini panties, a present from my first girlfriend many years back, and thought they would bring me luck. Next was a pair of ultra sheer nude stay ups, and for putting them on, I grabbed a pair of white satin gloves and carefully slipped them on. The weather was warm, and I did not need my comfy terri cloth robe and simply put on the 3" black suede heels and pulled out my favourite white front closure lace bra and slipped it on, and then moved to the bathroom to start on my makeup.
I was very careful on how I put on my foundation and made sure it was perfect and then moved to my eyes, I really thought long and hard about what I was going to do, as I knew it was critical to look perfect. I decided on business application of eyeliner, not too dark and not too light. Next was my eye shadow, and for that I went with purples on the upper lids and pink on the lower lids, pink, a perfect look. I then finished off with a thick application of mascara. Blush was a healthy application, not formal, but definitely highlighted my cheeks. The last was my lips and this I took the most amount of time on, and I was very, very carefully applied my lipstick to ensure it was perfect. When I was done I looked in the mirror and thought, "this is perfect".
I then moved to my clothes and started getting dressed, first was the snow white lace and satin camisole and carefully slipped it on so that I was not going to get any makeup on it. Next was the white silk blouse and I did it all the way up, then I grabbed for the knee length line black skirt and slipped it on and loved the way it felt as I pulled it up into place, and tucked in my blouse. I then grabbed the jacket and slipped it on and remembered what Sharon said and made sure the collar was on the outside of the jacket. I was about to grab all of my "usual" jewellery then paused and remembered what my "story" was going to be and that was I was a divorced single female, and grabbed only for my casual watch and put it on my right wrist and then put my Bridesmaid ring on my right hand. I went with my favourite long dangly gold earrings and a gold anklet on my right ankle. I was just about to finish the entire look off with a healthy spritz of perfume, but decided that I better not, as I remembered that at a number of Bridal Salons I have been in are, "fragrance free", and was not sure about this one I was going to. I checked the time and saw that it was just a little after 4pm, and Sharon called me and told me that she was running a little late and would be home soon. I took the time to triple check my look and then made sure my purse was packed and then headed upstairs with the bridal magazines and sat down on the couch and started thumbing through them. It was around 5pm and I was getting a little nervous and Sharon called and said that she would be home in a few minutes. Sharon came home and apologized and said she got delayed at work, she ran right to the bathroom, and then a few minutes alter came out with her makeup bag and sat down next to me and said, "ok, let's see how you look, walk around for me". I did and she looked me up and down and I asked her about perfume and she said, "no way, never, you should know what after all of the Bridal Salons you have been in". I agreed, then she said, "sit down, you need some touch ups", she pulled out her black eyeliner and said, "your eyes need to be more defined", I did not think so, but she did, and put more on me, then she pulled out her blush and brushed it over my face, and then sat back and looked at me and said, "your lips are perfect, now you are all set, time to go, wait!, your nails, they should be done", I reached into my purse and pulled out the polish that matched my lipstick and sat down as Sharon carefully did my nails.
As I waited for my nails to dry, the words "time to go" echoed in my head over and over and eventually Sharon stood up and went and grabbed her purse, and I must have been lost in thought and she said, "Joyce, time to go!, do not want to keep Mary waiting". I grabbed my black purse and followed Sharon out the door to the car and carefully slid in and was a little worried as my skirt rode up high and she saw my concern and said, "no worries dear, your skirt length is fine". As we drove, Sharon saw how nervous I was and grabbed my hand and told me that I was going to be fine, she then told me that there was only street parking available and that she was going to be dropping me off out front and that I could call her on her cell when I was ready to be picked up, and I asked her if she was going to be waiting for me, and she told me that she had no idea how long I would be and she was going to be going to Tim Horton's for a coffee and would wait for my call.
Well, we pulled up to the front of the Salon, and except for two times in my life, the one that I told Sharon all about Joyce, and the time I walked down the isle for real, I had never been more scared. Sharon leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the lips and said, "knock 'em dead girl", and I opened the door and slid out gracefully with my skirt and heels and looked back at Sharon, who smiled and blew me one last kiss. I turned around and there it was the stairs and the sign, "Forever Yours", I think I can remember each and every click of my heels as I walked up to the front door, I never heard Sharon drive away. I took a deep breath and opened the door and walked in, and was immediately greeted by a "30 something" female, about my age, in a brown tweed skirt suit, in nude hose and about 2" black heels, and was very well made up, I knew this was not the owner and she looked me up and down and said, "Joyce?". I was floored and said, "yes" and she held out her hand and said, "my name is Jessica, we have been expecting you, let me get Mary", we shook hands and she went off to the back area and left me in the front of the store.
After being in about 10 or more different Bridal Salon's over the years, I knew how they were laid out and this was no different, the main area at the front was reserved for fittings and Bride's to showcase their gowns, the back area was well lighted and obviously were the bulk of the Bridal gowns were, this was where the Brides go to choose their gowns, off to the side was a separate room that featured the Bridesmaid and Mother of the Bride dresses. I walked around and saw the usual podiums and lighted areas and was thumbing through some of the last year gowns, when a "50 something" woman came in, she was in a skirt and blouse and a sweater in browns and earth tones and said, "Joyce I presume?". I smiled and told her I was and she smiled and offered her hand and we shook hands and told me how it was her pleasure to meet me and I could see that she was looking me up and down. She then said, "let's go into that room dear and talk", she lead me over to the Bridesmaid dress room, and we sat down on two the large couches in the area, and I was very careful on how I sat down and crossed my legs and made sure I tugged down my skirt. I was nervous as hell and I am sure that she knew it as well, but she made me feel very comfortable, I was not 100% sure what Sharon had told her when she called and pretended it was me. Mary definitely was down to earth and started things off with, "so tell me about yourself dear", well, I pretty much was anticipating that question, and went on and on with the times as a Bridesmaid, my Wedding, and such, and my keen interest in Bridesmaid and Bridal fashions. She then told me all about the Bridal Salon and how she likes to cater to the higher end Bridal customer, and that she has a reputation for doing that. She asked at least 3 times that if I was aware that she was only looking for a woman for the busy Bridal Seasons, Mid September to early December and then mid February to early May, and only on Friday nights and Saturdays. I told her that would be perfect as my regular job is flexible enough for that, then the best part, was when she made sure that I was good for "cash only", as she did not want me on her payroll, and I told her that it was fine with me, as well she told me that it was going to be $14.50 an hour, and I told her that was fine with me as well. She then went on to explain that due to the nature of the Salon, that she expected the women that worked at the salon be "properly attired", which meant "no pants, no bare legs, which meant nylons of some kind, dress shoes and well made up". I had never heard that before and asked her if I was wearing what was appropriate and she said, "definitely".
I was just about to ask her a bunch more questions when I heard the bell at the main door chime, we were just about to continue talking when Jessica came into the Bridesmaid room and said, "sorry Mary, your 6:15pm appointment arrived", Mary said, "6:15pm appointment?, I don't have an appointment?", Jessica said, "yes, it is in the book and they are here, all of them, and I am working on the "Debarg Wedding party". Mary excused herself and rushed into the main area, and my oh my, "all of them" were the Bride, 6 Bridesmaid's, and the mother of the Bride. From a quiet store, all of a sudden there was women everywhere, I saw Jessica moving around working with the Bridal party she was with, and then Mary hopping all over the place with the 8 women of the party she forgot was coming. I LOVED the scene, there was wall to wall females, and it was all romantic, and the sights and sounds would make any TV weak at the knees. Then the ultimate challenge happened, a "walk in" came in, a mother and her daughter walked in and I was standing there, and as they came in, they started looking around, well Jessica was busy and Mary was running all over the place, and I was left standing there watching. Mary walked by me and said something to this day I will never forget and that was, "Joyce, please take care of the walk in Bride, you can put your purse in the big drawer behind the counter".
It was like I was in outer space, thinking "is this really happening?". Well, I went for it, put my purse away and walked up and introduced myself to the Bride and her mother and smiled at me and said, "nice to meet you Joyce", and shook my hand, her name was Ann. She was about 24, very, very cute, about 5'5", blonde hair and was wearing jeans and a white blouse, maybe 100 pounds soaking wet. I went into "work mode" and started asking the "usual questions", one thing for sure, this Bride wanted only one manufacturer and that was "Moonlight Bridal", she showed me a picture from a magazine. Well, after being in so many Bridal Salons I knew that gowns were organized according to manufacturers, but I had no clue where they were laid out in this store. I walked up to Jessica and asked her "Moonlight Bridal?", and she told me, "the end of the line", in the dressing room. I went and told the mother and Ann to follow me and we went into the dressing room where all of the Wedding gowns were and I started thumbing through the "Moonlight Bridal" gowns and found one that was close in the bodice of the picture she showed me and pulled it out, it was a size 9/10 and the only size in that style, and showed it to the mother and daughter and I was not ready for it, but Ann "squealed", and said, "that is it!, that is it!", I did not have the heart to tell her that it was not the exact same, but she was excited all the same. I took the gown and walked her to one of the very spacious change rooms and pulled open the curtain and did what I have always have done to me in the past and hung up the gown and pulled it out of its plastic garment bag, and she followed me in and told her to ask if she needed any help, and closed the curtain. I waited outside of the change room with the mother and she kept on looking around, Jessica and Mary were running around, the front of the store in the fitting area, and I quite literally was on my own at the back dressing room.
The mother and I started talking and she was asking about alterations and such and I had to go with my gut and told her that they were available, but I would have to talk to the owner about the exact alteration costs. Then the defining moment happened, I heard, "Joyce, can I get some help here?", I knew I was going to be crossing a line that probably no TV has ever done, and opened the curtain slightly and went into the large change room and there she was, in her conventional bra, straps showing in this strapless gorgeous gown, and attempting to zip it up. Now, I have been in this situation in the past as a female trying on a gown and know that all Bridal Salons have a stash of appropriate bras for Brides to use for trying on gowns. I asked her what her bra size was, and she told me that she was a 36A (I had to laugh as I am a 38B natural), and told her that I would be right back. I then left the dressing area and found Jessica and asked her were the stash of strapless bras was, and she "as a matter of factly" said, in the box behind the cash. I walked behind the cash and started thumbing through a box of bras and the best I could do was a 34A strapless bra and I pulled it out and then went back to the change area and stuck my hand into the change room and Ann said "thanks" and grabbed the bra. I was talking to the mother and I looked over near the front of the store and I could see the owner Mary from time to time looking over at me, seeing what I was doing, but kept up the job at hand working with Ann. Again I heard, "Joyce, can you come in and help again", well, I opened the curtain and there was Ann, the dress she was trying to put on, piled around her knees and she was struggling with the bra, obviously she had never worn a strapless bra before. I was shocked as she was standing there in her white cotton panties and except for the dress and bra, nothing else, her breasts fully exposed. I asked her what I could do to help and she asked me to do up the bra, I walked up behind her and did up the three snaps and then she turned around, and I nearly died, a very cute young woman attempting to adjust her breasts in the bra. I knew what to do, and stayed professional and asked if she needed any help, she looked at me and was flush and said, "I have never worn one of these before", I then told her to gently push the flesh of her breasts around until it was comfortable, and she did and then turned to me and said, "how is this", I told her it was perfect. She then asked if there was a crinoline available to see how it would look, and again, I left the dressing room and area and this time ran into Mary and asked where the crinolines were. She told me that they were in the very back room of the dressing area hanging up. I went there and there was about 5 hanging up, and grabbed one and loved the feeling of it in my hands, all of the organza and taffeta, and then went back into the change room with Ann, and told her to step out of the dress and into the crinoline. I had her turn around and I did up the drawstring, and then grabbed the Wedding gown and fluffed it out and then told Ann to bend towards me and gently worked the gown over her body and then zipped her up. The gown did not quite fit, but I assured Ann that with alterations, it would fit her perfectly. I told her that I would adjust the gown when we got out of the room.
I opened the curtain and Ann's mother, all she could say was "oh my God". I then grabbed the train of the Gown and had Ann stand on one of the well lit podiums, and just like the many, many times I had it done to me, I walked around and fluffed out the dress and stretched the train. The best part is when Bride gets on the podium and sees herself in a Wedding gown for the first time, and this was Ann's first time and she was speechless. About this time, the owner Mary came in and introduced herself and started talking about the gown, and the crinoline rental, and about alteration schedules, etc. Mary then said she had to run, but wanted to stop and say hello and introduce herself and said, "you are in good hands with Joyce", and smiled at me as she left the room. I went and grabbed a mirror that was sitting on one of the leather chairs and went behind Ann to show her what the back of the dress looked like (quite frankly there was nothing special about it). Ann kept on going on about how she thought she was never going to find the dress she fell in love with. I asked if she wanted to try on another dress and her and her mother said in unison, "definitely not". They wanted to take pictures, so instead of letting them, knowing full well some Bridal Salons do not allow you to take any pictures until the gown is sold, I went and checked with Jessica, and this was indeed the policy at this Bridal Salon, and they were a little disappointed, but told them that when they come back for the fittings after they bought the gown, she could take as many pictures that they wanted. I then helped Ann off the podium and gathered her train and followed her into the change stall. I had her turn around and unzipped the gown and told her that she could leave everything in the change room, but before I left, I memorized the model number and the price of the gown and went to the front and grabbed a pen and copied it down on a business card from the store, and walked back into the dressing area and handed it to Ann. I knew from research that "Moonlight Bridal" gowns require 6 to 8 months for ordering and she would have to come back in for a proper fitting when she finally decided and that required an appointment.
After Ann and her mother left, Jessica's Bridal party left, leaving only the one Mary was looking after, and I went back into the dressing area and put the dress back into the bag and hung it back up on the rack, and I was just hanging up the crinoline and Mary came and apologized for not making time for me and I told her "these things happen". She told me that she was very, very impressed on my ability to manoeuvre around a Bridal Salon, and I definitely had the job if I wanted it, and I told her I did. The big Bridal party all left and the store was quiet again, and Mary asked me to join her in the bridesmaid room, and I told her I would join her as soon as I put away the strapless bra. I did and joined her and she was smiling and invited me to sit down and said, "congratulations on selling your first Wedding gown", I told her they had not 100% made up their mind, but she said, "dear I have been selling Wedding gowns for 30 years, when you get that kind of reaction, you know the sale is a done deal". She then said, "where was I before we got interrupted?", I told her she was explaining about the expected attire. She said, "yes, and from time to time when we have a very "special" Wedding party", yea, I knew the ones, they are the kids of the richy rich that live down on the lakeshore and have multi-million dollar homes and have at least 10 Bridesmaid's at their Wedding. She went on to explain she opens on a Sunday for those occasions and it is "all hands on deck", and for that, "I expect you to go all out when dressing for work, very business professional", I knew what that meant, dark hose, 4" black patent heels and jewellery and makeup special. We then got up and walked around the store and she went on to explain the different sections, but said with a smile, "really I don't need to explain those to you". She told me that she did not carry any special Bridal lingerie or Flower girl dresses, but did have a limited selection of Bridal heels, but could order in if the customer knew what they wanted. She showed me where the washrooms were, and already told me where to put my purse, and if I had to change from boots to shoes, she would prefer it to be done in the washroom. The hours for me were simple, 5pm to 10pm on Friday nights and 9am to 7pm on Saturdays, and she had the right to cancel a shift if there was not enough business, which I was fine with. She also made it very clear that none of the "bridal consultants" were allowed to make the final transaction on any merchandise in the store, we can write is up and get ready for her, but she would make the exchange of purchase, which I was perfectly fine with.
She then said, "well that is about it, can you start tomorrow?, we have a full house, 6 Wedding parties, two first fittings and 4 first time Wedding parties, and I need all of the girls here, including you", I told her I would be there at 9am, "good see you then", and she walked away to the back of the store, then Jessica came introduced herself again and said, "if you need anything, just ask", I told her I would and pulled out my cell phone and called Sharon and told her I was ready. As I was waiting, I took the quiet time and asked Jessica how all of the Wedding gowns were laid out, and she smiled and then took me behind the counter and sitting taped up under the counter so that no one could see was the exact layout of the three dressing rooms, Wedding gowns, Bridesmaid dresses and mother of the Bride, how they were placed on the racks according to manufacturers. I smiled and said, "ah gotcha", smart system, she also told me that parties that were coming for fittings, that Mary takes the gowns from the back storage and put them in the fitting rooms ahead of time and writes down what fitting room is for what party. I thanked her and looked out the window and there was Sharon waiting for me outside of the shop, I thanked her and told her I would see her in the morning and she said, "yup, going to be a busy crazy day, but all the days are from now to December on the weekends will be.
I said one final good bye and left the store and opened the car door and slid in and Sharon said, "what happened?, I was going to send in a search party". As we drove home I told her the whole story and she said, "my what a way to make a good first impression", so?, and I smiled at her and said, "so what?". She grabbed my hand and asked me if I got the job and I told her I did and at a stoplight, she leaned over and gave me a long kiss on the lips and said, "congratulations, when do you start?", I told her the next day and she said, "well, looks like we know what we are doing when we get home, finding you something to wear on your first big day". When we got home, Sharon had a special evening planned, out on the table was candles and she made my favourite, French Onion soup and Cesar salad, and on the table was a cake that said, "Congratulations Joyce".
I gave her a long "thank you kiss" and when I told Sharon about the dress code at the Bridal Salon, she thought that might be the case, and suggested that I start taking the money I am making at the Salon and start to build a business wardrobe, as I had some outfits, but not the quantity I was going to need. I was thinking about my first day and what I had in my wardrobe and Sharon as well, and decided to go with my knee length black suede skirt, and a red silk floral blouse that I had borrowed from Sharon, actually it is in my closet now, and told Sharon about it, she said it sounded good and after our dinner I would try it on to see how it worked. Well, it worked perfectly, and I left on the ultra sheer nude hose and 3" black patent heels. After that was decided, we put on our matching peignoirs and snuggled in to watch television.
Epilogue:
- That was 9 years ago and I still work seasonal part time and have not been made yet by the owner, coworkers or any of the people I have taken care of. - There are so many stories/events to tell over the years, I could write a couple of books about them. - I now own 14 skirt suits, and skirts suits are pretty much what I wear every time to the shop. - My "standard" work heels are 3", and 4" for special customers. - I do own 5 Wedding gowns, but none came from "Forever Yours" - One perk of the job is getting invited to Weddings and I have been to 14 over the years as a female guest.