I’m kind of nervous this week because I have two presentations at the California Society of Association Executives. I’m doing one this afternoon on improving email communication, and on Wednesday I’m speaking about the top free and low-cost tech tools an organization can’t live without.

Today I’m going to wear the dress in this picture. This, of course, is no surprise because this is the ONLY dress I have for presentations. I wore it to teach in February, and I wore it to a presentation I did on Saturday. I’m wearing it today, and I’m biting my fingernails because I can’t wear it again on Wednesday.

If you’ve ever ready any of the Kinsey Millhone mysteries by Sue Grafton (”A is for Alibi,” “B is for Burglar,” etc), you’ll have heard of Kinsey’s little black dress. It’s perfect for funerals, weddings and cocktail parties on the fly. She keeps it balled up in the bottom of a duffel bag in her car or something, and it always looks perfect.

My red-and-black dress is my perfect everything dress. I get compliments from strangers; it’s always the right size, no matter my weight; it never looks wrinkled or tired; and I can throw it in the washer. Thus, I wear it every time I have an important meeting or a presentation.

As a freelance copywriter, I don’t get out much. Most of my conversations with people are via phone, and I spend a lot of time in jeans and tank tops, barefoot and makeup free. Right now I’m wearing a sleeveless sweater and jeans, the exact same outfit I wore yesterday. When I’m sitting here at my desk, I just don’t get very dirty, except I suppose I sit here so long that I might need dusting.

When I worked for my former company as a sales person, I had nice suits and lots of skirts and slacks. I’ve pretty much gotten rid of everything because I don’t need them for work and because I’ve lost some weight. I’ve also picked up a couple of nice cocktail dresses for my occasional nights on the town, but they won’t work for my 8:30 a.m. presentation. Actually the only clothes I buy these days are for working out.

So, where can I find another perfect presentation dress by Wednesday?