A Proper Wardrobe at Last

       With that matter settled, Aunt Patricia then turned brightly to Sabrina. “Well, I think that will do it, dear,” she said with satisfaction. She added jovially, “at least for today!” She continued, “please total everything up for us and put it all on my card.” As Aunt Patricia reached into her purse and handed over a sleek black credit card with silver trim, she exclaimed, “What a successful afternoon!”

       Next, Aunt Patricia nudged Edward forward slightly and kept one hand lightly between his shoulder blades as she spoke, “I know my nephew is just dying to wear his adorable new outfits, so why wait?” Edward’s stomach jumped as Aunt Patricia tapped a finger against her chin in thought. Then, having made up her mind, she turned to Sabrina and instructed, “please be a dear and put him back into that first charming blue dress—the one with the lace trim. The matching Mary Janes with it, I think, and a pair of the white anklets… and, oh yes, his delightful new petticoat. Our little ‘petticoat princess’ will wear all that home.” She smiled and concluded, “please box everything else up for us.”

       Edward cringed at being called a “petticoat princess,” but it seemed the sissyish nickname was growing on his aunt.

       A little later, as they prepared to depart Morgan & Tate’s, Edward stood near the fitting-room mirrors fetchingly attired in his new baby blue dress with the delicately embroidered lace trim. After pocketing a very substantial commission, Sabrina and Skye had taken pains over every detail to ensure he was picture perfect for his aunt! The white sash and bow complemented the vintage-inspired style of the dress, and his new petticoat rustled and swished gaily with each step. The lace at the hem of his skirt brushed his knees whenever he shifted his weight. A darling pair of white frilly anklets and his new pastel blue Mary Janes adorned his feet. He delicately clutched his dainty white purse because Aunt Patricia had told him not to let it dangle “like a sack.”

       Edward was taken off guard again when Skye said, “Please indulge me, but I’ve been wanting to add a darling last touch to your look.” Before he could react, she produced a small tube of pink gloss from beside the register.

       Belatedly, Edward drew back, “No, please, I don’t need—”

       “Hush sweetie… let’s just try a little,” she interrupted, smiling at him in the mirror, “Be still for me.” She twisted the cap free and dabbed the delicate shine across his lower lip, then the upper, quick and careful as if she were finishing a display. Aunt Patricia and Sabrina watched this little exchange with charmed smiles. “There,” Skye said, “Adorable!”

       Edward reluctantly pressed his lips together and tasted the sweet, waxy lip gloss with chagrin. Looking in the mirror, he saw the prominent shimmer it left behind.

       Skye slipped the tube into his new purse and patted the clasp shut. “My treat,” she said brightly.

       Aunt Patricia beamed. “How thoughtful.” Then, she urged her nephew, “What do we say, dear?”

       Edward’s cheeks warmed to pair sweetly with the fresh shine on his lips. “Uh… thanks,” he murmured.

       Aunt Patricia’s smile sharpened pleasantly. “Oh, darling you can do better than that, I’m sure! A proper thank-you is more than simply mouthing the words,” she prompted. “Tell Miss Skye what you are thankful for.”

       Edward swallowed and glanced toward the little purse. “Thank you for the… my… pretty lip gloss... Miss Skye,” he said, his voice small and sheepish.

       Sabrina then piped in. “Do you know what would make it absolutely perfect?” she asked, already reaching for the charming straw boater hat with its pretty chiffon bow. A moment later, it was settled daintily atop Edward’s curls, completing a fetching little picture.

       By then, word of the spectacle in the girls’ department had traveled farther than Edward realized. Clerks from other departments found excuses to linger near the main aisle. Even a few shoppers slowed with bags tucked against their elbows. A couple of college-aged boys from the men’s department came to gawk and snicker as well. As Edward emerged, the ordinary store noises thinned around him. Conversations dipped, then resumed in hushed little bursts.

       “Oh, isn’t he precious,” one clerk said, loudly enough that the words carried down the aisle.

       “Just like a little doll,” another called out. The tittering compliment drew a quick ripple of laughter from two women near the makeup counter. “I heard his aunt bought half the department!” she added.

       As he walked timidly beside his glowing Aunt Patricia, Sabrina pushed a cart behind them overflowing with ribboned boxes, shoe cartons, tissue-wrapped parcels, and shopping bags. Skye followed with a chrome luggage cart, its rail crowded with white hanging garment bags containing all his lovely new dresses.

       When they reached the car, Aunt Patricia turned to Sabrina and Skye and spoke to them gaily. “You girls have been marvelous with getting my little nephew into a much more appropriate wardrobe. We will certainly remember your help.”

       Sabrina and Skye chuckled gaily as they realized what a generous commission they had both just earned.

       “I can’t wait for you to come back for some more nice outfits, honey,” Sabrina gushed to Edward.

       “Thank you so much for letting us help you and this little sweetie pie today,” Skye added enthusiastically, patting Edward fondly on his shoulder, “See you next time!”

       Edward squirmed in embarrassment. “Next time…?” he thought dejectedly.

       When they finally returned home, Aunt Patricia looked more triumphant than ever, with Edward beside her in his baby blue dress and the car emptied of a startling number of boxes, bags, and garment sleeves. Edward’s mother stopped short at the sight of him, then at the parcels being carried in. Her eyebrows arched as she took in just how much Aunt Patricia had bought. For a moment she seemed ready to say something about the extravagance of it all, but the remark never came. Instead, she let her gaze settle on Edward’s straw boater and said, “What a precious little hat, dear.”

       Aunt Patricia smiled jauntily and said, “Now our little darling will have a proper wardrobe to choose from at last.”

       One by one, Aunt Patricia excitedly opened the packages in the den like treasure from a voyage Edward had not agreed to take. She relished describing them and holding them up against her nephew to show them off to her sister. His mother had an air of silent acceptance as she lifted the pink floral sundress, then the lavender one. She gave a barely audible gasp when she saw the elaborately girlish cream and apricot party dress. Her expression looked more thoughtful than surprised when the matching pink and purple satin party dresses were unveiled. She seemed to really like the sage green chiffon creation. Despite herself, she giggled quietly when she saw the rhumba tights with the pink hearts.

       Edward stood powerlessly in his dainty blue dress, wanting to recoil as each new garment was revealed. Everything felt so much more permanent now.

       Before his Aunty left for the evening, she took great pleasure in making sure all his pretty new things were hung prominently in his bedroom closet or folded daintily in his dresser drawers. She moved through his room with pleased authority, opening drawers, shifting stacks, making little decisions in a tone that invited no discussion. Hairbows were laid in careful rows like prizes; lace anklets were paired and folded; panties and bralettes were tucked into his top drawer where his ordinary underwear had always been.

       Aunt Patricia then cleaned out space for his new footwear, “Shoes do so much to finish a look.” The black Mary Janes were set side by side beneath the dresses, followed by the white summer pair, the ivory ballet flats, the T-strap sandals with silver buckles, the strappy white peep-toes with their tiny bowknots, the black penny loafers, and his glitter-pink “princess shoes.”

       To his chagrin, most of his boys’ clothes were unceremoniously shoved into large garbage bags and stored in the guest room closet to “save space.” Tee shirts, shorts, old sneakers, and loose pajamas disappeared with a sad rustle of plastic. Aunt Patricia smiled all the while, saying how much neater and organized everything would be now, but Edward felt as though his room had been quietly conquered. His closet door now opened on a girlish new wardrobe of frilly dresses and darling shoes. Everything in his room seemed to retreat behind satin, lace, ribbons, and the steady certainty of Aunt Patricia’s voice.

Accessories and More

       Then, Aunt Patricia began to focus more on accessories. She selected extra hair bows in pink, blue, yellow, and white, holding each one near his curls to envision the look. She chose a few pairs of white anklets edged with frilly lace, plus several more in lavender, pink, baby blue and yellow. A whimsical pair of pastel blue patent Mary Janes was set aside to match the blue dress, along with a white pair “for summer strolls.” Ribboned barrettes followed, then a dainty straw boater hat with a white chiffon bow. Aunt Patricia placed it carefully on his head and was immediately enamored with it. She also picked up a packet of dainty embroidered lace handkerchiefs. In addition to the new pairs of Mary Janes and the ivory ballet flats, she chose a delicate pair of white T-strap sandals with tiny silver buckles. She also got him a darling pair of strappy, white leather, peep-toe shoes with a low heel and the cutest bowknots over the buckles. Each addition to the growing pile made him feel more helplessly girlish.

       Aunt Patricia was particularly taken with an oversize green hair bow with long organza tails. “It will go wonderfully with the green lawn dress,” she said, holding it against his hair while the Sabrina nodded in agreement. Edward stared at himself in the mirror with the huge translucent bow trembling beside his curls and felt his throat tighten. Of course, Aunt Patricia also made sure to include several packets of dainty satin panties in various pastel colors with adorable lace trim and a few matching bralettes, speaking of them in the same practical tone she might use for socks.

       When Skye showed her a pair of white rhumba tights with little pink hearts and several delightful layers of ruffles across the seat, Aunt Patricia could not resist. “Oh, those are too darling,” she said. “Edward, imagine how sweet they will look under your fuller skirts.”

       Edward did imagine it, unwillingly, and his face burned. Then she insisted he try on a pair of precious glitter-pink platform shoes that sparkled with faux pearl embellishments. Sabrina called them “princess shoes,” kindly but with a playful little smile. Aunt Patricia simply had to have them.

       Sabrina, noticing the direction of Aunt Patricia’s choices, glanced back toward the casual racks they had passed earlier. Then she exchanged a quick look with Skye.

       “Of course, ma’am,” Skye offered brightly, “perhaps it might be wise to include a couple of everyday items—things perfect for helping you or his mother with little household chores, for example.”

       Sabrina nodded at once. “Something washable and sweet. Just the sort of thing a little helper needs around the house.”

       Aunt Patricia paused, as her gaze drifted from the satin, ribbons, and formal little shoes back to the other racks near the aisle. “Of course, you may be right dear,” she said thoughtfully. “We mustn’t think only of portrait sittings and appointments. Edward will need some proper attire to be useful around the house.” Edward looked up sharply, but she was already moving toward a row of short-sleeved play dresses with pleased discovery. “Nothing too plain, you understand,” she told Sabrina and Skye. “Just darling little things he can wear while helping his mother and his Aunty.”

       Edward felt his stomach tighten. “A few everyday dresses,” Aunt Patricia had said, as if she were discussing dish towels. The casualness of it gave him pause. The boundaries around this whole ordeal were vanishing faster than he could understand them. He had been trying to think of the portrait as a strange assignment with a beginning and an end, but Aunt Patricia’s bright certainty made it sound more like a new reality. Edward looked toward the dress racks with a helpless, embarrassed dread, already imagining little hems brushing his knees while he carried laundry or set plates on the table.

       She chose the first one at once: a sweet, short-sleeved dress with darling pink and white horizontal stripes, crisp and bright in a way that made it look ready for a schoolroom art project or an afternoon of dusting shelves. The second was light blue, scattered with an adorable, dainty flower pattern that looked even more innocent. They were not formal, but that somehow made them worse to Edward. They looked like something prissy little girls might wear to elementary school on an ordinary weekday, cheerful and neat and meant for being seen often rather than saved for special occasions.

       “These will be perfect,” Aunt Patricia declared, holding the striped one against him and then the blue floral one, measuring the effect with bright satisfaction. “Short sleeves, sweet without being too dressy. Just the thing for setting the table or helping your mother and me in the kitchen.”

       Edward’s mouth went dry. These suggested a daily life Aunt Patricia could imagine for him, one in which he padded about the house in darling little play dresses as if that were simply what he wore. Edward’s embarrassment deepened as he looked from one dress to the other. The thought settled over him with a slow weight. His dresses were not going to remain a temporary nuisance gathered around the portrait. They were spreading outward, quietly claiming more and more of his life.

       Then Aunt Patricia’s eye caught a neatly arranged school-uniform display, and her face brightened with fresh inspiration. “Oh, and this,” she said, lifting down a red, black, and white plaid jumper with crisp pleats and a proper little bodice. “It has such a smart, polished look.” Sabrina brought him a white blouse to go beneath it, snowy and crisp, with short sleeves and a darling Peter Pan collar that made the whole outfit look even more prim. Aunt Patricia held the pieces together against Edward and sighed with satisfaction. “Yes. For lessons or errands.”

       Edward stared at the plaid jumper and the little white collar, mortified by how plainly schoolgirlish it looked. It was not frilly in the same way as the party dresses, but it was almost worse: tidy, disciplined, and unmistakably meant for a prissy little girl who knew how to stand in line and speak politely.

       Once his everyday dresses and plaid jumper had been picked out, Aunt Patricia selected several pairs of white bobby socks and a neat pair of black penny loafers to go with the play dresses and the schoolgirl jumper alike. She set them beside the striped dresses and said, “There. Now you will have something a little more practical as well as pretty. These are sensible, sweet, and perfectly darling.”

Hi how you today? In your Terry Nappies and Rubbers??? Steve

Finishing Touches

       As Edward stared glumly at his girlish image, Sabrina and Skye began fussing over his outfit to make him picture perfect. Each small adjustment made Edward feel more unsettled. Their voices were cheerful, but Edward immediately grew skittish beneath all that focused attention, very conscious of his petticoat’s sensual whisper and the way his dress slid over his skin.

       Skye crouched to tug gently at the layers of his skirt and petticoat, coaxing the layers into a a fluffy, even bell shape. Each touch sent a crisp rustle through the layers of organza and tulle. Then she giggled softly as she straightened his tights.

       Sabrina, meanwhile, smoothed his bodice with light, repeated strokes to get it aligned perfectly. “Hold still, sweetheart,” she said with a teasing warmth. Then she spoke to Skye as if were just a display model, “Isn’t he just the most adorable little thing?”

       Skye laughed softly from where she was arranging the petticoat. “Oh, my goodness yes! He looks sweet enough to eat!” then, she addressed Edward, “Don’t you worry, you look just like a little angel! I can’t wait for your Aunty to see you in this one!”

       At this, Edward’s face burned so fiercely that he could hardly bring himself to look up. He gave a tiny, jerky nod, his daintily gloved fingers curling helplessly against the sides of his skirt. Edward felt another unwelcome stirring in his panties, and he desperately tried to hide his rising embarrassment by staying very still. He stood rigid while their hands fluttered all around him. Their perfume assailed his nostrils, and he felt his pulse quicken. He pressed his lips together, lowered his eyes and tried to look at the carpet instead of his reflection in the mirror. They repeatedly fluffed the layers of his organza skirt, straightened his bodice and adjusted his huge hair bow. The tulle petticoat continued to rustle ceaselessly against his sheer floral tights. They practically swarmed him until every inch of him felt inspected and prodded into prettiness.

       Their calm efficiency left him little room to be anything but compliant. Every adjustment seemed small by itself, but together they made the fitting feel inescapable, as though this outfit were being fastened into place around his whole summer.

        Skye tugged at his tights on the back of his thigh a few times which pulled them unexpectedly across his panties in a tingly way. He flinched as Sabrina finished with his bodice and gently rested her hand on his shoulder from behind. She gazed admiringly over his shoulder into the mirror with him, “Look how pretty you are, sweetie!” He could feel her warmth behind him. He gulped nervously as he looked at his frilly skirt, delicate bodice and satiny slippers. His curly hair, fresh from the appointment with Mrs. Bell, still had a trace of the loose ringlets she had practiced with earlier that morning.

        Skye, now done with his skirt, stood on the opposite side just behind him. She gripped his upper arm loosely and gave it a gentle squeeze, “That gorgeous hair bow, those darling gloves… you’re a little doll!”

        Sabrina asked him eagerly, “What do you think sweetheart… Don’t you feel pretty?

        Edward tried to take a deep breath, but his ever-present corset restricted him. He did, however, inhale more of their delicately floral perfume in the process. Staring at his girlish image in the mirror, Edward managed to stammer, “I… I… I feel…” That was all he could get out.

        Both girls giggled at their skittish little charge. Then Sabrina said, “Time to show your Aunty!”

        A few moments later, he timidly walked out of the dressing room, flanked by the smiling girls. He stood sheepishly next to another large mirror as the girls presented him to his Aunt Patricia in the gorgeously girly apricot delight!

        “Oh, Edward, darling, look at yourself,” Aunt Patricia gushed when she saw him. She was almost breathless with delight. Edward dared to look at his reflection once more and blushed furiously as Aunt Patricia took in every fussy little detail: the rosettes, the apricot shimmer, the cream lace, and the careful silhouette of the skirt. She practically glowed.

        Edward wanted to disappear, but the mirror would not let him get away. The satin slippers made his feet look so delicate, and the rosettes scattered over him like tiny decorations. For one miserable moment he searched the reflection for anything boyish, but nothing was there. It unsettled him that the reflection did not look like a joke or a mistake. It looked careful. It looked intentional. It looked like the Edward Aunt Patricia kept describing—dainty, pretty and obedient.

        “This may be my favorite one yet,” Aunt Patricia declared. “And that ivory hair bow is the crowning touch!” She gave a delighted giggle. “With that new petticoat, you can be a darling little petticoat princess anytime you like, dear.”

        Sabrina smiled kindly and added, “He really does carry it sweetly, doesn’t he?”

        Skye nodded, her tone warm but teasing around the edges. “So darling and cute. He looks as though he stepped right out of a little picture book!” Then, sensing that Aunt Patricia was fully invested in all the little finishing touches, she added helpfully, “Perhaps… he… might also need a small purse for a handkerchief or tissues as well.”

        Aunt Patricia laughed softly, delighted by the suggestion. “That would be precious!” she said. Then she directed, “See if you can find something suitable, please. Something dainty and petite.”

        “Of course, ma’am,” Skye replied, “I think we have just the thing!” 

        A few moments later, Skye brought Edward a small white leatherette clutch purse.  She smiled and said, “This will be perfect for a handkerchief, tissues, lip gloss and all the other little things a young lady needs.” She carefully placed the little clutch into his lace-gloved hands and stepped back to study the effect. “See?” she said brightly. “That looks darling with the apricot.” Edward stared down at the purse dejectedly as Skye only smiled and gently adjusted his fingers around it. “Only don’t grip it so tightly, sweetheart. Hold it lightly, with your wrists soft and your fingers together.” Edward’s face burned as she arranged him in the mirror.

        Aunt Patricia beamed, her expression brightening into outright triumph as she took in the finished effect. “Oh, that is perfect,” she declared, leaning forward with delighted attention. She gave a pleased little nod, as if the whole outfit was creating the exact picture she had been imagining.

        At this realization, Edward felt off balance, as if the entire room were beginning to tilt slightly around him. As he gingerly held the white clutch purse, the afternoon dragged on.

I find myself checking back multiple times a day for the next part, really loving this story and wear it goes next and am just dying to see how Edward looks in this dress!