Hostess Pajamas: Enchantedly Eccentric

1. Gone with the Wind
2. Tom Tierney's Grace Kelly paper dolls
3. Lucretia Ann on the Oregon Trail (see page 15)

The above are my first indelible interactions with fashion. Gowns of satin, brocade and velvet weren't just costumes or tailor-made treasures, they were like department store windows framing my future wardrobe. It was only a matter of time before turgid, tortured adolescence was past and my suspended sartorial intentions would premiere! I've combated, surmounted, and yet still surrender to a lot of insecurities. But none of them have ever extinguished my ardor for outlandish, irresistible fashions. 

The Oscars were tonight, and it reminded me of another first moment of fashion inspiration. This look has held pull position in every "Oscar's Worst Fashion" list for the past twenty years. In 1993, Whoopi Goldberg wore this:

A much more becoming ensemble when not assaulted by flash bulbs.

And I loved it. And I was seven.

Why does this appeal to a seven year old? Loud? Costumey? Ugh, no! It appealed to me because it was so obviously an homage to the most delightful, glamorous women to give definition to either word:

Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn:

Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950)

Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie:

Laura Petrie in season two, episode 2 of the Dick Van Dyke Show, "The Two Faces of Rob"

Ida Lupino as Barbara Jean Trenton:

Ida Lupino in season one, episode four of the Twilight Zone, "The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine." It's impossible to tell, but she's wearing pineapple print hostess pajamas, and they are perfection.

Barbie:

Barbie's "Dinner at Eight" outfit. I require this in a to-scale size four, please.

Lucy:

If you wear hostess pajamas, men like William Holden will line up to kiss you. From "LA at Last."

So, I'll never understand why Whoopi's Oscar ensemble is so enduringly despised. What has Oscar night become, if not the most glamorous parade of pretties? No look could be more eccentrically glamorous.  So, long live technicolor brocade hostess pajamas! May the dissenters languish from their deficit of fun and good humor!

My initial act of fashion defiance happened long ago. Entranced by silver screen elegance and opulence, I made a pact with my future self -- don any design that suited my particular sense of loveliness. Any era, any hue, any pattern: wear it! I have been very successfully and happily dedicated to that agreement.

Sometime early next week, a package will arrive at my door. And I'll tear and rip and scissor it opened to reveal something beautiful, inspired by Lucy, Laura, Ida, Judy, Barbie and the overt glamour of my favorite Oscars evening wear.