Dad gets lesson in dress attire

Dressed in a green dress with a huge bow in the back, Becca looked like a million dollars.

I could only hope it didn't cost that much.

Actually, it was pretty reasonable even with the fake pearls and the stylish heels. Becca even had to get her nails done. After all, she was going to the winter ball at Central High School.

For teenage girls, it's all about the look when it comes to such social occasions. Just any old dress wouldn't do.

Becca and her friends chatted frequently in advance of the big dance. No one wanted to show up in matching dresses.

From what I can tell, teenage girls spend more time selecting their attire than most college coaches spend mapping out plays for the big game.

On Saturday, I hauled Becca and one of her friends to a local manicure place to get their nails done. I didn't stay. I just dropped them off. I would have felt out of place among all those finely groomed nails.

As I was dropping them off, I commented that most teenage boys likely wouldn't appreciate their efforts to get just the right dresses and stylish looks for the dance.

They told me not to worry. They were dressing up to be seen by their girl friends. They knew better than to expect boys to understand.

They had a point. It takes a female mind to appreciate the finer points of prom-style dresses and accessories, and the clever ways to style hair with bobby pins.

"Doesn't she look great?" Joni asked me as our daughter stood in the dining room Saturday night prior to heading out to the big dance.

I replied in the affirmative. But I admit I was little alarmed. She looked too grown up.

What happened to my child? What had that dress done to her?

One minute they seem so young and the next they're heading off to a winter ball looking far more mature than you could have imagined.

This was Becca's first big school dance. And, of course, it won't be her last. I figure she could wear this dress to the next school dance.

Becca looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

The bottom line: Different dance, different dress. Wearing the same dress would be a fashion disaster, I learned.

Thankfully guys don't have to give that much thought to what they wear except perhaps when they have to stand on a float in a Mardi Gras parade.

For guys, it boils down to a clean shirt, a pair of pants and a good pair of shoes.

For Becca and her fashion-conscious friends, Saturday's winter ball was a great success.

Of course, she didn't have much to say about the dance after it was over. She probably figured there was no point in describing all the fashionable attire to me.

She was probably right. It took me years to learn the color mauve.

Our younger daughter, Bailey, is in the fifth grade. She's too young to have to worry about such formal attire. She prefers to wear shorts and T-shirts anyway. She looks good in cleated soccer shoes.

That's the kind of fashion a dad like me can understand.

Still, I do understand that fashion counts when it comes to a high school dance. The right dress can be a defining moment, at least until the next dance rolls around.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.