Jill and Toni's Excellent Adventure

Jill and Toni’s Excellent Adventure

It must be habit-forming, this going to Bellevue thing. For years I’ve rejected it: too glitzy and materialistic, boring and superficial. Where did I gather all that and why was I incredibly rude to a classmate’s wife at the reunion? They live in Bellevue and I made comments intended to be funny, which actually were not, about my recent trip to the Bravern. I’ve repressed what I said to avoid embarrassing myself again. And did penance in the form of dragging Jill over the water and through the bridge. She went over 2 actual bodies of water to come from Bainbridge Island.
It was my birthday eve last Saturday and we were celebrating by going to Fashion Week, to a real fashion show at the Bellevue Hyatt.
The last serious fashion show I attended was in Madrid Spain, 1962.
I was living in the home of a formerly grand widow, who took in students like me to make ends meet. It was my first of 3 years there, studying at the University of Madrid via NYU. With money my brother had given undeserving me, saying “buy a Balenciaga”, I had a suit made by the Senora’s dressmaker, probably comparable in cost to buying one at Macy's today. To celebrate, she took me to a show, where we sat in the front row. I felt like a hippie invader, but those were the days when a double breasted suit and a hairdo brought comments about my resemblance to Jackie O. Near that time, I was cornered in the restroom of Frames, a frumpy old Detroit restaurant, by 2 crazy women. Imagine their disappointment when they got a close look. Back to the Madrid show, all I remember is an icky woman repeating “I’ve lost my Paris address book. What will I do?”
Jill and I were gleeful as we shared our most recent secrets on the drive over Lake Washington. Reminds me of the cartoon: kid at blackboard where he’s written a fancy theorem or maybe it’s Einstein’s E=mc2. Teacher says: you know too much. I will have to shoot you. But Jill and I both know too much, so it’s safe.
Parking and show were at the Bellevue Hyatt, which is connected to Bellevue Square by a long sequence of labyrinthine passageways. I needed bread crumbs to find my way back later, but fortunately I had Jill and her built-in compass.
We had our pick of drinks served on trays, stuck to red wine because I did not see the Cosmos first nor do I much like champagne. We made a full course meal out of the hors d’s which we weren’t shy about getting: ahi tuna, baked brie, Kobe beef (only one I rejected), many others I don’t recall, all nestled in rich little pastry cups. Signs requested we not take food or drink into the show itself. When I noticed that virtually everyone had a drink, I snuck back out to get us some. Still
in high school mode. I finally secured one, white wine to be prudent, but got cut off at every pass. Like my mother, they did not accept “everyone’s doing it” as an excuse.
We were happily squished in the front row, eyeing the fashionable (skinny young women in little black dresses) and the less fashionable (women in fur coats, fortunately far enough away so we couldn’t smell them.) Maybe I’m unfair and they were faux furs. But they had that OLD FUR, been in the family for years look.
And we had what I’d come for: my first ever “swag bag”, full of samples and offers and even actual stuff. The used headband (was a return?) did not look appetizing, but a full foot care kit is good enough to use or regift. Well, I won’t say more in case someone is reading this and is a future recipient of some swag. Not exactly the Oscars, but tons of fun. The show was too short. I loved every second, with the loud music and flashing lights and ever changing photo montage up on the screens. The beautiful models all had hips smaller than my thighs and I’ve been practicing their walk ever since. Hips forward (such as they are), face noncommittal, slight swagger and a race walk. Come back! I didn’t get to see enough. Jill and I used the slender pencils and the booklet to make circles and checkmarks. We know how to behave in meetings. No prices, but since the stores included Macy’s and a few other regular people venues, presumably we might afford something. I hated it ending, yet we had more on the agenda: DESSERT! For that, we had to trudge over the labyrinth to Bellevue Square, lugging our heavy bags. I really should have ditched the Nordstrom giant water bottle, but it’s so pretty. Maybe you will get it for Christmas.
We scored BIG at the desserts center and even brought some back for the guys. Chocolate chip cookies, lemon tarts, chocolate covered strawberries, petit four style pastries, chocolate truffles…
It was all good. We did a little shopping, armed with gift certificates. I copycatted Jill and got the exact same Merrill boots. I tried on the brown, available in my size, but NO, I wanted to copy completely, so the black ones are being mailed and I really would have had to jettison the water bottle. We shopped some more with less enthusiasm, buying nothing, not realizing that we had coupons for a free haircut from Marisa at Obadiah and a free manicure by someone else in another store. They are still good through October, but it would necessitate another trip over the water.
We made it back to the Hyatt before 10pm and had to find someone to open the coat check. We were the last ones and they’d closed early.
The real adventure was yet to come. Almost to WA-520 bridge and in plenty of time for Jill’s ferry, traffic stopped cold. For 20 minutes. It wasn’t till later I noticed that it stopped on both sides, more ominous than an accident on the bridge. Loud yelling behind us and flashing lights of several police vehicles: GET DOWN ON THE GROUND…GET DOWN ON THE GROUND.
I opened the window, wondering how the police could get through the mass of cars to an accident. And the cars were already on the ground. Jill, wiser, said,
yikes, get down! They are apprehending people and it’s very close. Blair Witch of Cedar, MI vibes.
The car in front of us had crept onto the carpool-3 person-lane, but was hanging back to catch the excitement. We took her place, got to distance ourselves a bit, figuring it was not a major crime compared to what was happening in the rear. They’d closed the bridge. Cars coming East were in a real mess as the Mariners game had let out in time for the closure.
Jill raced out of the car at the ferry terminal with 5 minutes to spare. I hope she made it as we haven’t talked since.
It was an excellent adventure and I’m ready for more.

Note: photo is from an earlier adventure.