October 1985 

Delicate to touch, soft and silky; it felt just right.

There were no other words to describe the feel of the material. It was her mother’s favorite dress, the dress she wore only on special occasions. Her mother would say, “Get you a dress that makes you feel alive, special and cared for, and when you strut, make sure to do it right.” And that special laugh of hers, she could hear it now.

It hurt to be apart from her.

“Mama, I miss you. I miss you so much.” 

Letting the tears fall, she held the picture of her mother to her chest. In front of her laid several pictures of the woman who’d taught her so much, who’d sacrificed for her sake; Mother, she was indeed lucky to have her.

“Now don’t you start cutting, you don’t want to ruin your mascara.”

Lara laughed; it was something her Mom had said even as she wiped the lone tear on her own face.

“I did it Mama, I got in.” 

The designer from Florida, now in a suite overlooking the bright lights of Paris. It was a heady feeling, it still felt like a dream.

“Everyone wants to know the inspiration behind my collection, they say they’ve never seen anything like it, Mama. It’s all you and you are not here to see it.” 

She’d lost her mother a year ago to breast cancer, a huge loss as it had always been just the two of them, all her life. 

She’d watched her struggle with the pain, everyday in the last few months before she passed. Her beautiful hair gone, her memory shaken; but she’d always had a smile for Lara, and when she’d speak about her glory days, her eyes lit up. Mama wasn’t old but after several chemotherapy treatments, she became tired all the time, her skin lost its usual glow, it seemed like she’d started to fade away. 

It was on that deathbed Lara knew the significance of her mother’s favorite dress, the Pink Dress as she called it, despite having other dresses in that color. It was the dress her mother had gotten when she realized her pregnancy journey would be lonely, she’d wanted to feel brave and strong for her unborn child. To convince herself she’d be okay. 

“The right dress brings out the best feeling in you.” 

That was the Pink Dress. 

She swore it on that day to be everything that Lara needed; a provider, a companion, her cheerleader, her biggest supporter. And every time she felt insecure, unsure of their future, she would wear that dress and remind herself of all the things she could do. 

And she did all those things and more, even in death, her impact was still so strong. 

It was why Lara designed her collection in honor of her mother; her resilience, her femininity and the laughs in-between. It was her gift to women all over the world, old and young, to be brazen about life.