CAbi Show.

Last night was the return of the CAbi party. Even though I have been to two of these parties previously, I never am quite prepared for the reality of stripping, and trying on clothes in front of your colleagues. On the plus side, at least I was more prepared that evening than I had been that morning. Note to new CAbi girls: (1) Wear a bra and underwear you don't mind strangers seeing a lot of; and, (2) The longer the shirt, the better. As M demonstrated, the CAbi tank is actually the perfect CAbi party base item since it can be pulled down long enough to be almost a dress. Almost. It has a Julia Roberts "I've got a run in my pantyhose . . . I'm not wearing any pantyhose" type vibe to it when you wear it for something other than its intended purpose.

My favorite part of the CAbi party is watching our rep, Meggan, put on the show. The woman manages to talk through probably 50 items of clothes (trying on about a quarter of them in the process) in less than an hour. I'm pretty sure that she never ends a show in any of the same clothes she started in other than her own cami. Every time, there is an item that I see on the rack and think it is ridiculous until she tries it on. Last year, it was the skirt-dress (long tube that could be worn as a maxi skirt or short dress). This year, it was a vaguely 40's-inspired multi-colored top whose straps could be removed, worn as a halter or crossed or worn as a basic tank.

I find the CAbi party reassuring in one strange way: it is always a good reminder to know that women you would assume have no body issues whatsoever are just as self-conscious and weird about certain things as you are. And, as a result, it was one of those special environments where strange women are totally complimentary and encouraging to each other. Good thing we have Meggan -- while she is the biggest CAbi cheerleader, she is not going to get so caught up in the fun and good feelings to let you buy a shirt in the wrong color or pants that makes your butt look bad.

M and I have been to enough CAbi parties now that we know the general script and like to participate in the show (for me, that means making jokes, for M that means serving as a model and stylist), although I'm sure that what we jokingly refer to as the two-drink minimum doesn't hurt. And, once again, we have been sucked in enough that we are going to host one in the fall. At least then we will be stripping in front of friends in the privacy of our own homes.