(IMO) Tickle Trunks

I was going through old photos today, and it was with an almost irrational degree of happiness that I came across this picture:

my baby sister styled from Nana's tickle trunk circa 1990

My sister and I used to spend endless hours playing around in an old trunk filled with my Nana's cast away clothing. We would emerge from the basement around the cocktail hour - just as the evening's guests were arriving - invariably dressed in outdated, oversized designer goods that were held up with safety pins and the creative use of knots... I think we even beat the Olsen twins on this trend! I am sure there was also the not so subtle touch of blue eye shadow, and perhaps a little rouge on the lips - applied, of course, directly from my barbie make-up kit.

We would mingle with guests, chat about the latest barbie accessory to hit the market, and sip sparkling apple juice from brightly colored plastic cups. [In our minds] we were the picture of class and maturity... we looked like fools - but awfully cute little curly haired blond fools.

I had no idea how good we had it - most of that stuff was nicer than what I have in my closet today. We had all the necessities at our finger tips: 70s print tops, a wide range of leather accessories, major shoulder pads from the 80s (hello FW09 runways), dozens of pairs of vintage heels, and, my personal favorite, silk evening dresses galore.

Looking back, my little sister was an awfully good sport. I don't think she ever got to choose her own outfit, and I am sure that she rarely, if ever, got to wear the best stuff. But even then I took great care and pride in dressing her up. Now a days she is a little more resistant to letting me "influence" her personal style... but I still take great pleasure in the moments that she does invite me to be her stylist. Of course, this has been a more common request since I actually started working in the industry, and my suit case is more often filled with designer goods on loan.

Sadly, we don't have my Nana's tickle trunk anymore. Like so many of life's treasures, it seemed to disappear when we grew up and turned our backs on such silly nonsense. But life always comes full circle, and now I fondly miss those brilliant silk evening gowns.