bridesmaid revisited

I did a double-take when saw the cover of this book yesterday,
"You Can Wear it Again, A Celebration of Bridesmaids' Dresses",

for I was a bridesmaid in a tacky mauve-taffetta-pseudo-can-can dress once:

A small miracle I am smiling in above picture (click it for higher res); I was the most miserable, uncooperative, stingy bridesmaid ever.  

The dress, hat, shoes cost well over $100, not to mention the necessary $20+ strapless brassiere (which I still have 26 years later thankyouverymuch).
  I was already a seasoned thrift-shopper at age 21, so these were astronomical amounts of money to me.

To make matters worse, I caused a mini-scandal when I showed up at the wedding with all my thick, luscious, hippie-chick armpit hair, despite urgent pleas from everyone that I shave it off for the wedding. 

So- I promised not raise my arms any higher than this:

Hideous as it was, I held onto that dress for more years than Heather and Les were married, clinging to some hope I'd figure out a way to use it again someday (yeah, Halloween...) but of course that day never came.