The Masque of the Red Dress

Behind the Mask of MurderWho wants a beautiful crimson gown with a bad reputation? Everybody!Seeking inspiration for her Crimes of Fashion column, Lacey Smithsonian attends the D.C. theatre world¿s annual garage sale, but things at the prop-and-costume event don¿t go quite according to script. All because of the tantalizing ruffled, ruby-red frock from a Russian émigré theatre. It was famously worn in a production of The Masque of the Red Death by the actress who played Death and died...
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Behind the Mask of MurderWho wants a beautiful crimson gown with a bad reputation? Everybody!Seeking inspiration for her Crimes of Fashion column, Lacey Smithsonian attends the D.C. theatre world¿s annual garage sale, but things at the prop-and-costume event don¿t go quite according to script. All because of the tantalizing ruffled, ruby-red frock from a Russian émigré theatre. It was famously worn in a production of The Masque of the Red Death by the actress who played Death and died on closing night. Under the crimson costume¿s spell, Lacey¿s fellow reporter LaToya Crawford practically comes to blows with another woman. But LaToya comes down with a bad case of buyer¿s remorse and shoves it into Lacey¿s hands for safekeeping. Can Lacey with her ExtraFashionary Perception divine whether the dress is safe to wear?Safe: This gown is not safe to even hang in the closet¿and assaults, burglary and murder follow it wherever it goes. This is one garnet-hued garment with hidden secrets and someone wants it enough to kill for it. Lacey¿s conspiracy-crazed friend Brooke Barton is convinced that Russian spies must be afoot. The theatre is a world of illusion, and spycraft and stagecraft have much in common. Shadows and deceptions lead Lacey and the red dress into a macabre dance with an assassin¿and a masquerade with death. Lacey Smithsonian¿s Fashion BiteWhat Is It About a Woman in A Red Dress?You¿ll Never Have to GuessNothing makes a man say Well, HELLO faster than a woman in a fire-engine red dress. Even in buttoned-down Washington, D.C., where he might say it in a whisper or a sidelong glance. Red is the color of the very life force, and a red dress says POW: power, passion and provocation. A red dress is a signal flare shot into the night sky. Someday, you too may find yourself shopping for that perfect dress that says it all. Make it red and be the Lady in Red who lingers in everyone¿s memory.