Baltimore, Thursday Afternoon

[soniaroadsqueen]

With no classes on Thursdays, Ringo had decided to take her morning AT run in the city, so she'd left early. And it had been a great run, even if she'd had to be careful not to do anything too visible. No need to draw any official attention, after all. In fact, she'd gotten so caught up in the joy of riding in an actual city that she'd lost track of time and almost forgotten about her deal with Kathy.

Ringo and Kathy had been talking about a shopping trip for quite a while, but just this week they'd handwavily made plans to actually do one. A flurry of text messages had them agreeing to meet up at one of the stores Kathy knew in Baltimore.

She probably still could have made it on time if she hadn't gotten turned around once or twice trying to find the right address. American addresses didn't really make any sense, and she didn't know Baltimore that well, and thank goodness for GPS in phones.

So she arrived a couple of minutes late, face flushed from the rush, with a ripped pair of jeans and a tshirt that were a lot better suited for an AT ride than convincing anyone that she had a real fashion sense.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, already apologizing for making Kathy wait.

[NFB for distance]

Comments

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Sounds like something I probably couldn't pull off," Ringo said, shaking her head. Which was okay with her. She'd never really gotten into high heels.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I can run in them," Kathy admitted. "For me, they're pretty much the same as wearing sneakers. I'm sure with a bit of practice, you could pull off something similar."

She was raising a brow at Ringo, as there was no other good way to signal, I'm talking about stuff that non-Fandom folk won't understand, like our unnatural grace and agility.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Well, maybe," Ringo admitted thoughtfully. She turned to Letty. "Should I do that? I mean, I don't have legs anything like Kathy's." Would heels do anything for her?

Sorry for asking, Letty.

[spin_kick_snap]

Pffft, that was what Letty was here for, young one!

"Heels make pretty much anyone's legs look good," Letty said. "And there are heels of various sizes and widths, so you don't immediately have to dive into six inch stilettos. Here, let me show you what a good set of heels can do for someone's leg."

Letty pulled out her phone and queued up a video.

"Should I be concerned you have a song all about hating you job immediately available?" Kathy asked, with a laugh.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo was laughing, too, but part of that was in surprise at the video. "I think I see what you mean, even if Kathy's question has me worried that you're just putting up with me today."

She was mostly kidding when she said that last bit. Mostly.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Weren't you listening to the lyrics?" Letty asked. "It says, 'I hate my boss, I hate my coworkers.' Nothing about adorable customers."

"Wait, there were lyrics?" Kathy teased. "Sorry, I was distracted."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Letty's tone relaxed Ringo again, and she laughed, shaking her head. "I didn't hear anything in there about you particularly liking your customers, either," she pointed out with a grin.

"But like Kathy, I may have just missed it. But I see what you mean about heels."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Of course you didn't hear that," Letty said. "Not every customer can be you and Kathy!"

She put her phone away when the video ended and then clapped her hands. "All right, you two. Homecoming is, well, coming. I want you to find four dresses you think you'd like to wear to it. Grab them and bring them back here, got it?"

"Homecoming is semi-formal," Kathy said. "Do you know what that means, fashion-wise?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo shook her head, looking sheepish. "You should probably assume that when it comes to fashion, I don't know anything."

"But it sounds like it's, um, kind of formal?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Only semi," Letty said, smiling. "Usually a knee-length cocktail dress or your nicest LBD. Something flirty or sexy, but not too casual. But it doesn't have to be formal, either."

She nodded at Kathy. "Go find sometime to show her?"

Kathy slipped away for a minute, coming back with a dress over her arm. A quick duck into the changing room and she was coming back out again in something appropriately semi-formal. "See?" she said. "Not something you'd wear everyday, but not super-formal, either."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"That's really cute!" Ringo exclaimed.

Which was not the point, Ringo.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Think this should be my dress?" Kathy asked, grinning.

"Hey now! What's the rule?" Letty objected.

"Never make up your mind without trying on at least three dresses," Kathy recited dutifully.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Is that a real rule?" Ringo asked, looking suspicious. "Or are you just making that up?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's a rule," Letty said firmly. "You're allowed to fall in love with your first dress, but you should always try on at least three, just to give you power of choice."

"I really adored my first prom dress I tried on," Kathy nodded. "But it's not the one I ended up going with."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I suppose that makes sense," Ringo allowed with a nod. "Make sure that you really like it."

"So, Letty, what kind of dresses should I be looking at? I mean, in general." After all, advice was what Ringo was here for!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Clean lines," Letty said immediately. "You've got curves, sweetie, you don't need extra fabric to accentuate them. No peplums, no frills around your bust and hips and ass, nothing like that. That'll make them seem bigger. No, you want snug and tailored, with dresses that show off your trim waist. If you want to downplay your curves, vertical stripes and dark colors. No horizontal stripes, no big patterns. Knits, clingy fabrics, low necklines. Try a wrap dress."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo nodded, eyes ranging across some of the racks. "Something like this then?" she asked, holding up an olive green dress in a style she'd never tried before.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Ooooh!" Kathy said. "Oh, Ringo, that's lovely."

"Good eye," Letty said, approving. "Yes, just like that."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"So the rule is that I need to find two others to try on, too?" Ringo asked, wondering what else she might find.

This was actually kind of fun!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Yup!" Kathy said. "And they have to differ from one other pretty significantly. You can't just find, like, the same dress in three different colors. Look for different cuts, lengths, fabrics, styles, all the stuff. It's like trying to find the right, uhh, rollerblading style. You don't do that by trying variations on the same one. You look to see what's out there."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Good analogy, Kathy!

Ringo nodded. "That makes sense! So this one is really too close, and I should find a couple of others that are more different. Something like this, maybe?" Look, Ringo really liked the bold colors on that one.

[spin_kick_snap]

"That one's definitely too close," Kathy agreed. "But wow, that neckline."

Letty considered the second option and then reluctantly shook her head. "Cute, but I think you can find something a bit less conservative in cut."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Less conservative?" Ringo repeated, looking thoughtful. "What does that mean, exactly?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"See the neckline and how high it is?" Letty asked. "No. You've got an excellent chest. Show it off. The waistline doesn't tuck in far enough, the skirt doesn't bell out. Go for something more exciting, more adventurous. Sexy. If it looks like it can be worn by a member of the PTA, we're not even considering it."

"Parent-Teacher Association," Kathy explained before Ringo needed to ask. "Like, middle aged women named Helen who fuss over things."

"Precisely," Letty sniffed. "You're how old? Live a little, sweetheart."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo let out a little giggle at that. "Okay. No dressing as a woman named Helen. I, um, think I can probably manage that, at least."