In 2011, I paired a pretty green dress I made from a Vogue pattern with a lime margarita.  When I showed it to my brother, Jeff, an idea was born.  Immediately we knew that “every dress deserves a cocktail, and every cocktail deserves a dress.”  So over the next few months, I worked away sewing dozens of dresses in various styles and matching them with cocktails.

Our plan was to mix fashion, celebration with travel and adventure.  Wearing my dresses to exciting locales in search of the drink to match the dress.  

Then suddenly, in January of 2012, I lost my bother.  He was my partner, my friend, my confidante, my “Buffie.”  

So with tears in my eyes, and darkness in my heart, I closed the page on Dress For Cocktails.  I felt lost without his brilliant mind and creative genius.  Not to mention his friendship and love. I felt I couldn’t do it without him.  

When I was born, my parents brought me home and handed me to my bother.  They said, “Buffie, this is your baby.”  And for the rest of his life, he gently lifted, guided and inspired the strings of my life.  A puppeteer, a writer, a creator, an artist, a gardener, a teacher, and big brother, he held my hand and tagged me along. I gladly followed his lead, taking me on whimsical rides to magical places.  And while this puppet now stands on her own, our strings will never be cut.  

So as time passed, I longed to open the page.  Having lost my way, I knew I would have to start from scratch.  So last May I set sail with Dress for Cocktails again.  I posted a photo, wrote a blog post, and decided I would let Dress for Cocktails unfold anew.  I would charter a flexible course, letting the winds of my creative spirit take me in whatever direction they blew.  

I opened the door to my heart and my home, sharing my life, my love of Mr. Dasch-ing, and delight in all things pretty through Dress for Cocktails.  It has brought me immense joy, new friends and a new collection of Cocktail Clutches.

To honor my brother Jeff, whom I called “Buffie,” I have named my first Cocktail Clutch bow, The Buffie Bow.  It is classic, elegant, and timeless…with a touch of whimsy.  

Not a day goes by where I don’t wish he was here.  I wonder would he have written it differently, would he have arranged it better, would he have been proud.  If you are reading this post, you have encouraged me and cheered for me, perhaps unknowingly.  And I am grateful to you all.  

While I miss him everyday, I celebrate him by continuing our dream…and I Dress For Cocktails, Cheers!