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| The rich texture and color of my dress was exactly as this |
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| Ingres painted the Princess of Broglie with a blue satin dress the same shade of mine! But a different style of course |
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| My dress was A Line, short, sleeveless, similar to this but much prettier |
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| Mannequin satin high heels satin shoes were very popular in the 50's |
El Vestido de Raso Azul
Living in communist Cuba at age 14 -and wondering how our lives would turn out in that sad & cruel regime- my mother found a beautiful piece of blue satin -exactly this color!- and had the neighborhood dressmaker whip me up a short evening dress.
So young -yet so sophisticated. And it was gorgeous!
Miraculously she found a pair of American “Mannequin” (made in Italy) white satin heels & had them dyed the exact hue! (The old store owner even wrapped them in blue tissue paper I remember!) and The Blue Satin dress just hung there, ready to be used one day. I did rehearsed wearing it at home twirling around our living room, once in a while and feeling beautiful -wondering when the invitation would come, or the occasion to wear it!
When we finally were allowed to leave for exile 5 years had passed -and we were only permitted by the Government to take out of the country a suitcase with 3 dresses, 1 coat, 2 pairs of shoes and 1 nightgown. So I tried to “pass” my blue satin dress as a nightgown! We even took out the zipper of the “princess style” dress and put little bows to tie it! The Mannequin shoes were too extravagant (my mother said) when we were only allowed only 2 pairs (we would need more practical shoes) -and had to stay in my soon-to-be-confiscated (and full of all our possessions) apartment -inside of its blue tissued box. (I have always wondered what happened to them!)
But at least I was taking to Mexico my beautiful dress, which had become my symbol of hope for a new & happy life. I was 19 and so many dreams to fulfill!
But at Havana Airport the woman officer who checked our bags & counted one by one “the permitted items” was no fool. And she immediately got very upset & “confiscated” my dress. “No soy idiota compañerita” -she spewed. Terrified of being denied our departure (as it was a common thing) my mother told her to please keep it, since my daughter “made a mistake”. And my Vestido de Raso Azul stayed behind.
And now I found this photo of the exact same material & color -and it felt just right to share with you this little story. This picture has brought back to my memory a zillion feelings. Both sad & happy! And the phrase “recuerda El Vestido de Raso Azul” would become part of our vocabulary between mami & I, as a symbol of so many things. Mainly hope!
