Floral dresses can kill you.

When we were first dating, Dill told me emphatically that he did not like floral prints. On anything. Beds, curtains, pillows, and clothing. They just weren't his cup of herbal tea, I guess.

This one time (also before we were married) we went to Dillard's so I could find a new dress or skirt. I saw this floral dress hanging on a rack: collared, ankle-length, short-sleeved with a few buttons down the bodice and it tied in the back. You know the style I'm talking about, right? It was pretty popular amongst LDS girls for a while, back when sleeved dresses were a rarity. Anyway, I had never tried on a dress like this so I figured that was as good a time as any. Dill wasn't thrilled about it, primarily because it was constructed of floral fabric. But I'm a firm believer that you can't knock something until you try it, so off the rack and into the fitting room with me it went.

One thing you should know about this particular style of dress is that it doesn't come off easily (which I guess adds to the modesty factor). After trying it on and deciding it wasn't for me, I untied the back, undid the buttons and attempted to remove it from my body. I could NOT. Get. It. Off. I tried sliding it off my shoulders and shimmying it down my legs -- no such luck. The fabric was stubborn and wouldn't stretch even slightly. This dress would have to go over my head. But I couldn't get it off that way, either! Every time I tried lifting my arms to shrug it off, I heard the threads loosen and I freaked out. My heart started pounding -- I was stuck in a dress at Dillard's and my boyfriend was going to have to help me out of it. Or I was going to have to buy it, and (surprisingly) it wasn't cheap. Both rather unfavorable situations, if you ask me.

I decided it'd be less embarrassing to ask Dill for help rather than call a store employee. Thankfully, I had left my camisole on underneath the dress. Then, I had the genius idea of putting my pants back on so at least he wouldn't get to see my underoos. Once I was sufficiently decent, I called Dill into the fitting room and told him of my plight. Mind you, we were still new at this dating thing and I was beyond humiliated. I wondered if a knack for getting tangled up in bad clothing was a deal-breaker for him. But he was a good sport (duh) and helped me out of that strangling dress. And we got married anyway, despite the fact I have gotten stuck in several more shirts and dresses since then.

But I learned my lesson: floral prints can be dangerous.

Recently, they've made a comeback and I'm totally on board (as you can see by the pictures). And for the most part, so is Dill -- as long as it's "the right kind of floral" (whatever that means). But I always make sure every article of clothing has an easy escape route before trying it on. ALWAYS. Because few things are scarier than being strangled by a dress at a store. I would know.

Question of the Day: Have you ever gotten stuck in an article of clothing?