gowns, sashes and more

whenever i get too deep in the prism of lackadaisical lulls, i usually check out a few romantic comedies in the dvd shelf. one romcom i've been drawn into over and over again in the past six months has been the katherine heigl starrer, 27 dresses. in all likelihood, i can now memorize every scene, every line. i was never really a bridesmaid or a maid of honor in my lifetime except once i was a bridesmaid of my mom's cousin in iloilo like 16 years ago. i'm not even sure liberty (the bride's name) had a clue who i was. the dress was attacked by rats as did my junior bridesmaid (some concept added to pad a wedding entourage) yellow gown and those three flower girl gossamer satins and laces.

the plot of 27 dresses is highly improbable. jane (heigl) is a career woman who works as an assistant for an outdoor equipment mogul ( george) played by edward burns and devotes her free time revelling in her role as a bridesmaid to her wide variety of friends. she's not only bridesmaid but she's sweet friend, the dependable confidante who assists the brides with their choices -- the gown, the cake, the registry, the rehearsal dinner. she's almost the wedding planner but not quite. in the opening scenes, jane's shuffles back and forth between two weddings in one night. who among us had two friends getting hitched in exactly the same time frame and in different venues and milieus? and who the hell gets asked to be a bridesmaid 27 times? unless of course you're a character in a fairy tale. "but fairy tales do come true it could happen to you,"  damn i'm now humming frank sinatra.

jane's younger sister tess, the flirtatious blonde epitome of every guy's affection, comes back into town and boom, george, jane's long time crush is smitten and another wedding is to be planned and conceptualized. however cyclops ( james marsden as wedding columnist kevin), is also in the picture offering a sprinkle of sparks, sparrings and conflict with his career-defining bridesmaid story. twists and complications are perpetually dealt very lightly and unfurl handily in romantic comedies. heigle shines as the bedraggled sister whilst judy greer's ebullient turn as best friend elicit applause. malin akerman (tess) is a revelation. but mostly i enjoy gazing at the dresses and i'm a bit enamored with feathery silk.