DOWNEY - Dresses are a delicate topic. Delicate because of the events the customers wear them to but also because of how 75% spandex and 25% Lycra invade every space of a female's body.
Women don't wear dresses to any old gathering, but to weddings, proms, sweet sixteens; all life-altering events that Elizabeth Sandoval must groom her customers for at Doxa Couture Tuesdays-Sundays after dropping off James, her son, at her mother-in-law's.
Customers sometimes arrive before Liz, but today there were no lingering, anxious mothers with daughters peeking inside the dark boutique through the window--she has time to choose today's playlist. She turns on her laptop and DJ Esco is the backdrop sound.
"Yeah, smokin' that gas got me high like a kite
Yeah, yeah, too much sauce, yeah, yeah"
Andrea, a Downey High student, nods and mouths the lyrics of the song as she enters past the mannequins lined up in beaded dresses--Liz puts the bright ones at the entrance.
Approaching the delicate topic of dress-wearing, Liz starts out by asking Andrea's size. She doesn't know, no one ever knows, so Liz is forced to do the unthinkable and guess.
She'll throw out a number or two then move on to the style the high schooler had in mind. Andrea whips out her iPhone 7 to show her a photo of a scrawny Instagram model wearing a beautiful dress.
Doxa sometimes has similar styles, other times they don't. Liz shows Andrea a similar style that she tries on and bashfully exhibits for her mother to see. She smiles, mom smiles, Liz smiles and says, "wow, you have a badass body."
Migos is next on the playlist.
"Bitches call me papi, 'sace, that's my hobby
Scotty on the molly, pocket rocket from O'Reilly"
The backdrop for the transaction of Andrea's new dress.
Writers note: Inspired by Brady Dennis’ 300 word articles of everyday life that often go unnoticed.
