Simple

We have two weddings to attend this summer. Even though I have no extra money for shopping, I get into the spirit, and buy a simple cotton red skirt and black blouse.

F explains to me that for an Iranian wedding, you need two outfits—one a bit conservative for the afternoon ceremony, and then something flashier for the evening party. K says that this a bourgeois custom, and that one outfit is fine. Though they both sound convincing, I’m pretty sure that F speaks the truth.

My simple outfit is a bit too simple, I realize, and it will probably elicit some pity when I wear the same thing to parts A and B of the two weddings. But it will have to do.

The Persian women know so much about fashion. The Italians all around us are extremely stylish too. With just a few accessories, young Italian women—ravishing, tan, and perfectly groomed—manage to make a humble T-shirt look glamorous.

My hippie-inspired, west-coast wardrobe clearly doesn’t work here. If I’m going to fit in, I'm going to need a lot of fashion consultation. So when Khanum G asks if she can pluck and shape my untouched eyebrows, I welcome her attempt to beautify me.