As my mother is about to turn 100 this Sunday, I’m remembering roaming around her walk-in closet and exploring her wardrobe. And did she have a wardrobe! High heels, hats, coats, dresses, accessories and a fur stole--a silver fox with little snapping jaws. Then there were coats: princess coats with darts that tapered into a tightly fitted waist; car coats named for the suburban driving woman who demanded a ¾ length; swing coats that flared from the shoulder if you twirled on your heel; handmade coats she'd sewn herself from Butterick patterns; dark wool coats lined with bright silk and matching sheath dresses made of the same fabric. She had sundresses of coral, aqua, and emerald, cabana sets with terry-cloth linings, shorts with halter tops, and bathing suits. There were evening dresses in gold lamé that rippled like water.  High up, stacked and shelved in their original boxes, were stilettos in summer white, navy, beige, and pastel pink as sweet as colored Easter candy.  Spectator pumps, flats, sneakers, all lined up in marching order near the hat boxes--great, round, colored cardboard boxes with noisy zippers.  Unzip the tops and inside you'd find a pillbox, a cloche, or a turban-like piece that matched one of the dresses.  And in the corner of the closet, was a free-standing chest with plastic drawers, probably designed to store fishing tackle, nails, or other small pieces of hardware in a man's workshop.  In it she kept her leather gloves, scarves, extra buttons, and stockings, or as she called them, hose.  The hose were arranged by color:  rose, salmon, taupe, charcoal grey. When she shopped for them, she’d bring her matching shoes and handbag along to Macy's, and the salesgirl from Hosiery would fan her samples out on the glass-topped case, overlapping the colors, reaching her hand into each one, to demonstrate how sheer they'd look on the leg. Mom would deliberate before making her choice, crumpling the hose into her shoe, passing it over her bag, and reciting the colors: rose, salmon, taupe, and charcoal grey.

The photo is of my mother (second from right), my father, and my two aunts -- all in their prime.  They were probably at a wedding.