I, of course, must pay homage to the dress that made Judd Waddell one of my favorite designers:
The story behind this is something of an epiphany as I am preparing this blog. I have long praised any designer for simplicity and classic design, as I am not a trendy nor frilly critic. But this dress wins my praise and adoration for something that Judd Waddell could never control, sentimental value.
Imagine walking into your beloved grandmother's home. When I do this much practiced visualization, I enter through her backdoor, which opens to a narrow kitchen; I see an apple crisp cooling on the counter and hear a Pittsburgh Pirates game droning on in the background. As I bypass the kitchen and walk through the "piano room", I pass four sets of wedding portraits. One portrait is of my mother and the other 3 are my aunts. And this is where the realization hit me; I adore the above dress because it mirrors the dress my maternal Aunt Mary Edith wore in her wedding during the 1950's.
Not only is the dress and shape very similar, it's the models pose and backdrop complete with monochromatic chairs that instill love of this dress in my mind.
In conclusion to this little epiphany, I have to praise not only the designer for this dress, but the art director and photographer, who understand the long standing classic style of this particular dress collection. To be so spot on with their understanding of the woman that would see herself in this dress, speaks to the experience and excellence of all involved.
