Personal Style Outfit-Princess Lulu

Lulu came into my life in the third grade. She was a fob in the truest sense of the word having just arrived in LA from Beijing. Her hair was perpetually in two lopsided pigtails and she didn't know a word of English and spoke Mandarin with a heavy Northern China accent. When Mrs. Martinez assigned me as her buddy and translator, I took on the role begrudgingly. After all, I myself had come to the US just a year earlier and was making big assimilation strides having just learned and applied the f-word and b-word properly. I didn't want Lulu to slow down my roll.

So, at school I mainly ignored her but my guilty conscience ushered me to her house after school. We learned to roller skate by each wearing just one roller skate to train our balance (it works!) She taught me how to microwave-cook poached eggs. We also picked a lot of limes and challenged each other to lime eating contests that always ended in sour faces. We frequently played dress up as she had a closet of beautiful white laced Victorian inspired dresses. We'd put on the dresses and sit in her kitchen eating poached eggs with our roller skates on dreaming of Prince Charming. Eventually, Lulu became my best friend. She was funny, smart, kind and had a huge quirky personality. Although we drifted apart after she moved away, on my wedding day she sent me a very thoughtful wedding present-one that made me gleam from ear to ear. She's now a doctor conducting life-saving cancer research at an ivy league school but I'll always remember her as my Lulu with the pigtails.

When I first put on my Sugarlips Indigo Ice Skate dress, it reminded me of my princess dress up days with Lulu. The vivid deep blue hue, high collar, pleated lace details and flouncy skate shape all connote a modern sense of Disney princess meets Alice in Wonderland. I wore this outfit to a friend's housewarming party and played up the princess theme with rich jewel-toned accessories.