Outfit options abound
HACKENSACK, N.J. — I don't remember a single thing about shopping for my First Communion outfit, but I'm certain I was hoping to get something that would miraculously make me look like my fashion idol back in 1962 — Barbie.
Instead, thanks to the special-occasion perm my mom considered a must for her child with the bristle-straight hair, I wound up looking more like Bozo the Clown — in a little-girl party dress.
My ensemble was probably purchased at a staidly elegant department store like B. Altman or Best & Co., one of perhaps three styles offered.
Cut to 2007:
Imagine my surprise — and retroactive envy — to discover that there's a stunning variety of gorgeous, stylish options available to those making their First Communion.
Yes, the dresses are still white — to symbolize purity — and some are plain and understated enough to suit even a tomboy. And yet, even these are chic.
The explosion of options is not the only change, I discovered. Anklets are out. Sheer white pantyhose are in. Crowns are yesterday, tiaras are today.
And, most strikingly, Communion dresses are now almost all tea-length — after decades when hemlines hovered around the knee.
I know this from studying my Catholic family's First Communion photos, which span four generations, from my mom's Aunt Jen (circa 1898), to my Aunt Kathleen (1928), to my own Communion (1962), to my niece Clare's (1986).
"Years ago, the dress was short. It was dotted Swiss or organdy, very simple," said Addie Carrino, who owns Young Fashions in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., and has been selling First Communion outfits for more than half a century.
"The Communion dresses are all tea-length now. And in the last six, seven years, they've gotten more and more embellished."
At Victoria's children's boutique in Ridgewood, N.J., one recent day, Cathy Schwartz marveled at how times and styles have changed, as her daughter, Ayden, tried on dresses for her April 29 Communion.
"Mine had short sleeves, but the dresses were not nearly as nice material back then. They were more like a cotton-linen," said Schwartz, who still has her Communion dress. "And my aunt knitted or crocheted me a shawl to go with it."
At Victoria's, the dresses (some of them from the store's own line) range from about $150 to almost $700, with headpieces — mostly little tiaras with veils attached, which can be custom-trimmed to match the dress — costing $88 to $168.
For another $100, a little girl can even get an American Girl doll-sized replica of her dress.
"They're wearing the dresses long this year, a little bit longer than tea-length," said Anne Marie Rawdon, who owns Victoria's with her sister-in-law, Tracy Sancilio. "The girls like the princess-y ones."
She pointed out a sleeveless number that's especially popular. Its thin straps are dotted with tiny rhinestones."The girls like the spaghetti straps, although the moms kind of stay away from that."At The Lollipop Tree in Westwood, N.J., owner Rosa Mroz has seen the same mother-daughter dynamic."They want to be like a little princess that day," said Mroz, who has been selling First Communion wear for girls for 10 of the 19 years she's been in business."Some of the kids like it with a little sequins or pearls, but the mothers want it simple, 'cause they don't want it to look like a bride."Apparently, some things never change. Many mothers still want their daughters to look like little girls — while their daughters want to look like pretty little women.The average Communion dress at The Lollipop Tree costs $150, with headpieces running $20 to $70, and little jackets — optional, of course — $50 to $60.These stores also carry little white bags (figure another $20) and gloves (short and long, sometimes embellished, $6.50 to $26). Many churches, however, discourage gloves because hands need to be free to accept the consecrated host.Mroz works with three companies, including Us Angels in California, which has a stunning selection of, well, angelic-looking choices. She says 80 percent of the dresses she sells in her store are sleeveless.At Carrino's shop, virtually all Communion dresses have short or cap sleeves."If I carry sleeveless, it has to have a jacket, 'cause I think in church they need that," Carrino said. "I don't like them going in like they're going to a dance, you know?"Her Communion dresses run $85 to about $180, with veils tacking on another $20 to $50.Carrino also carries First Communion outfits for boys at her adjoining store, The Squire Shop.Although many boys simply wear navy blazers with gray slacks or khakis, 95 percent of those whom Carrino outfits for Communion wear a white shirt, white tie and a navy blue tailored suit. (The suits, from Nicole Miller and Perry Ellis, are $140 and $150, alterations included.)
