Adventures in ZCMI Center

"Hey there, I wanted to ask your advice," I said to my friend on the phone. "I'm buying a dress for the dance, and I needed to know what to look for." My current formal just didn't quite meet the groups standards. It was a hold-out from my single's ward days.
"Just be sure it's modest that's the most important thing. It needs to be to the ankle and at least to the elbow, with a high enough neckline. To the wrist would be nice."
"OK, well I'm in Salt Lkae City, Mormon capital of the world, so I shouldn't have too much trouble finding a modest formal, right?"
"Ummm, sure, Good luck with that. Let me know how it goes."
"Alright, I feel good about this." And I headed off to the local mall
...I entered the dress shop and looked around. After a short galnce, I decided I would just have to look harder. I walked around the entire store and then began to feel discouraged for the first time. Nothing in the whole store had sleeves. Most things didn't even have spaghetti straps. All of a sudden, a very helpful saleswoman descended on me. "What are you looking for, ma'am?"
"I was looking for a dress for a ball I'm going to, but I needed it to have sleeves."
"I can put sleaves on any of the dresses if you'd like, ma'am."
"Yes, but could you do it tonight?"
"Well no...I know, if you find something here, you can just go next door to Macey's and get a Bolero or a wrap for it in no time."
I thought it sounded like it was worth a shot. And I found the perfect spaghetti strapped ball gown. Perfect, that is, after I had the woman tailor the straps to make the neckline higher. And so, feeling good about shopping again, I went to Macey's. An hour later, I was on the phone with another friend in the group. "Umm, I've been at Macey's for two hours, I've got three sales people looking and I've been to three different floors two different times. I think I'm the only woman in Utah who wants to cover her arms. Is it OK if what I have over the top is sheer?"
"Well, it depends how sheer, but you should be OK."
"Alright thanks."
I was looking at what the saleswoman was holding out to me and, despite my friend's assurances, I knew I wouldn't be quite comfortable in that. So, it was on to the next store. And the next. And then across the street to another mall. Then two more stores, with time quickly running out on the evening.
And there, in the last store, was the perfect satin wrap to match the dress. Finally. It was the last opaque one of any color in the store. I caught a quick dinner in the food court and relfected on the difficulty of finding something modest in downtown Salt Lake City, of all places.
In a way, I was greatful for the standards of the priesthood that were there to protect me from within as well as from without. I had always been an advocate for individual expression and freedom to act, think, and even dress according to the dictates of one's own conscience. And yet, it sometimes seems that society is moving ahead a little too fast for me sometimes.
I caught the bus to go home, and sat across the aisle from a kind older woman.
"That's a beautiful dress," she said. " I'm glad to see you bought that wrap to keep it modest, as well."
I smiled and thanked her, and felt a little better about society on my way home.