The Party Line, by Julia Reed, was originally published in the December 1996 issue ofVogue.
It means that I have a wardrobe for which I have no immediate plans.
And I really wish someone I know would have a Christmas party.
Nobody has these anymore, but they used to.
They laughed more and talked faster.
Their cheeks were flushed and their senses heightened.
They’ve become sets, and the thing about sets is that whatever happens inside them is fantasy.
Now I am overdue for a dose of fantasy, not to mention possibility.
I have worked like a dog this year, and I want a reward before the next one starts.
I want something surprising and grand and intimate all at the same time.
I want to see people I love and people I’ll want to.
I want a buzz.
The first clothes I wore to Christmas parties were the ones I got for Christmas.
All my parents' friends had parties, too.
When I was about twelve or thirteen there wasinGlamourthis timea red satin dress that I really wanted.
One year at M.T.
So we ate breakfast and sang some more instead.
That was a long time ago and, unfortunately, the last great Christmas party I’ve been to.
Another friend said it was about fifteen years ago, when she ended up with somebody in a closet.
Closets are a recurring theme.
It shouldn’t be too much to ask.
