Lady in Red │Vintage '90s Jessica McClintock Gunne Sax Dress

There was a song in 1986 called "Lady in Red" by singer Chris de Burgh.

It has a haunting melody, though the subject matter is a touch hokey (and romantic) at the same time.

He's describing this lady in red "and the highlights in her hair" and how he'll never forget how she looked and the way he felt when he saw her. More specifically, he was shocked that this lady in red was dancing with him.

To be clear, my ten-year-old self loved this song. De Burgh single-handedly - with his one-hit wonder - inspired a concept of romanticism that millions of people loved.

Now, I roll my eyes at the song. My only love about it today is the nostalgia it brings - taking me back to my ten-year-old person.

Yes, age creates disillusionment. Experience evokes cynicism. But... every girl yearns to be a princess to someone. And this dress, ladies, this dress would do it. Maybe de Burgh actually understood that a red dress was spectacular for drawing attention.

Perhaps he knew this all along. (He did write this after seeing his wife in a red dress, so there's that...)

I don't know. What I do know is this song is both cute and cringe at the same time. And I love what one journalist wrote about this song years ago saying, " What it [the song] does boast, however, is the kind of gushing sentiment women love to hear from men — but seldom do."

That's for sure.

Regardless of the cheesiness of it all, I swear this song was the inspiration for this dress. She's a beautiful '90s Jessica McClintock Gunne Sax dress. Slim, with rhinestones as well as a fun side slit, and halter neck. This thing is a beauty.

As if that's not good enough, even better is the back story: I purchased this dress (and another) from a friend of mine whom I went to grade school with.

Amazing that we're still friends (living in the same city.) Amazing that she found out I sold vintage and wanted me to have these. And amazing that she kept these dresses for about 30 years!

This beauty lives on to live another life. And while I wasn't going to try on the dress, I had to. She fits like a dream. She's a perfect dress.

I think, other than the Little Black Dress (LBD) every woman needs, the Lady in Red Dress is quite possibly the other dress every woman should have in her closet.

This Lady in Red dress is in the shop and ready to take center stage on the dance floor where you can dance "cheek to cheek" with someone special.