STYLE WARS

I will always remember that night that I saw her. I was in the midst of a spectacular party, with the decadence flowing and spirits electric. In a starched suit and polished shoes, I was ready. I remember the colours of the walls were warm tones of burgundy and amber that filled the rooms with a seductive quality. I first caught glimpses of her, as she stood shielded by the silhouette of another man.

He shifted as he told his animated anecdote and I snatched clips of her face, her dress and the outline of her body. She was intently listening to a conversation, smiling occasionally in a relaxed way. As she listened, she would touch her earlobe, or push a straying hair away from her face. Her dress, a deep velvety blue, flowed like a river down and behind her onto the mahogany floor. Her style eclipsed anything I had ever seen before and I was entranced.

As the waiter moved to fill my drink, I glanced down to hold my glass steady. When my eyes eagerly returned to her, she was no longer there. I held my breath and searched the room with my eyes. Like a whisper she passed out of my life and forever into my heart.