I needed to find a dress for Jane Austen’s birthday party. After a costume store failed, I found a dress hire place.
Things didn’t start out great. The internet told me Attire for Hire was in the Johnsonville Mall. It was not.
Eventually after circling the block, the directions pointed across the carpark where I spotted a sign. Unfortunately once I got there I couldn’t figure out how to get into the building as the most obvious entrance showed only two businesses, neither the one I was looking for.
After a panic attack on the stairs above the car park at the back of the building, I was rescued by Judy.
This is how you get into the building:
Thankfully Judy wasn’t annoyed and showed me into the space. Rows of gorgeous dresses line the walls, on a shelf many sparkly accessories rest, in the dressing area there are shoes that look supremely uncomfortable.
The first dress I tried on was exactly what I had envisioned; blue, ridiculously large skirt…but it didn’t fit. Considering the thin staps and how much I would have stumbled over that skirt, it’s a good thing the back wouldn’t do up.
Judy had pulled several sparkly dresses for me to try, the bronze one though not in my colour she’d intuited I’d like after our phone call. She was right, if only it had a lower back. Each of them was gorgeous! One would need the straps adjusted and two of them I’d need to wear a strapless bra, not really an option when you’re endowed like me (despite a reduction!). Additionally, they all would have been uncomfortable to wear for several hours, especially as I’d worry about catching the beading and/or sequins.
The dress I chose was the first I tried on. Judy hadn’t pulled it for me to try originally but she grabbed it the moment I walked in. She is a genius. It’s not the huge skirt, sparkly dress of my dreams but it felt right. Not only could I move with ease, I felt like me (at one point I had a dress with a similar skirt), I felt comfortable, would be able to run around organising all evening and it was still gorgeous. Bonus points for it matching my hair. Just look how happy I am trying it on.
Running events and being a “public face” (urgh hate that term) is difficult for someone like me who prefers to sit in the back row and listen intently. Getting my hair and makeup done professionally plus picking glorious outfits eases some of the stress – not only do I not have to do all that work myself, it gives me the confidence that even if I screw up, I look mighty fine doing it!
Audio throughout is myself and Judy talking plus The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift (I was in the top 0.01% of listeners in 2025)