Mildred....Downtown

I was grazing the buffet at a reception when I spied this majestic woman and her dramatic dress. I was so taken by the sight, dear reader, that I spilled the contents of my plastic party plate onto the shoes of the lady next to me. Dashing from the scene of that crime, I made my way over to Mildred quickly and was rewarded with a tasty tidbit of information: her dress was from Cameroon and indeed, she'd worn it to a Cameroonian wedding.

At Cameroon weddings, each family wears its own distinctive pattern. Mildred has traveled much of Africa, I discovered, and owns quite a few lovely handmade items. I remarked on the smocking across the top of this dress; Mildred said it's amazing how quickly the artisans who sew these dresses can create smocking such as this.