“That’s the secret of a perfect fit.” Genny says. “I’ve never seen anyone do that,” I say in wonderment. She drapes the calico around my body and starts cutting it, using my body as the outline of the design. I wait for her to take out a tape measure and a pad to scribble down my measurements but all I see is Genny walking towards me with a bolt of white calico and a pair of scissors. Genny beckons me to follow her into the fitting room. I just nod my head, enchanted by the lovely cloth. “We’ll follow the line of your body to give you height,” I hear Genny saying. The material is exquisite – dark, chocolate brown Thai silk with scattered, gold, hand-embroidered roses. “There is only enough material for one dress. “I have something that will be perfect for you.” She leaves the room and returns almost immediately, holding a small bolt of material. She looks at me for a minute, eyeing a not too tall, curvaceous young woman. "So you would like a dress for your friend’s wedding,” she says in her French accented voice. On the appointed day we are greeted by a surprisingly young Genny. We ring her salon and are told our consultation will be in four week's time. She learned the secrets of creating beautiful clothes from the master himself. Her clothes breathe haute couture which is not surprising as she had once been an apprentice to Dior.
Clients wait for weeks just for the initial appointment. It is a great privilege to have a dress made by Genny Kay. “Would you like a dress from Genny Kay for the occasion?” she asks. When my best friend Barbara gets engaged my mother thinks it’s time for me to start looking a little more sophisticated.
Every few weeks I get a wedding invitation. Floral party dresses with layers of petticoats. In my Haifa apartment I stop spring cleaning for a moment and allow my memories to float back more than 50 years to a different time and to a far off country.Īustralia, 1960s.Well groomed girls with bouffant hairdos, kept together by clouds of hairspray. As I touch the rustling silk a faint hint of Ma Griffe perfume reaches my nostrils.
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