Last minute, I got invited to attend an evening to remember Bud Collins, the sports and travel writer for the Boston Globe. He was a familiar face on the national and international tennis circuits. 
When he was in Boston, he played tennis on the grass as the Longwood Cricket Club where he always played barefoot.
He was known for his outlandish wardrobe, wearing pinks and oranges way before Lily Pulitzer became a familiar name. The invitation said to dress in the style of Bud and so I decided to hit the only store I could think of to find something to wear last minute, and I mean really last minute, as I only had two hours to find something. 
Walking into “In The Pink”, I felt like I was stepping back in time to Palm Beach and the days of pink and green. The store is Lily Pulitzer and it is a delightfully colorful shop full of pinks and greens and blues, and combinations in wild patterns. The young sales staff was adorable and dressed in Pulitzer print shorts and tops. I think I was the oldest person by maybe thirty years at least.
I find the dress that will work, and tell the young sales girl that I want to wear it now as I am going to a memorial tribute to someone who loved brightly colored clothing. She said she hoped when she died that she would be wearing Pulitzer and that all of her friends would wear the same at her funeral. Really? She was at the most 22.
Then she told me that my blue sweater, which was all that I had, worked perfectly with the pink and orange dress that I was now wearing and about to buy. Thank you, my dear. I walked out of the shop, onto Newbury Street, and then on to a CVS where I bought pantyhose(legs too pale) and some foundation and mascara to get me through the event.
I went, I didn’t look half bad and the dress worked, even if I have no other place to wear it. I had a good laugh, enjoyed being there with old friends, and I think Bud would have liked my outfit.
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