Okay, It's Time For The Meryl Story

I will be terribly discreet, but so many people have asked me to elaborate on how it happened, I will share with you what has turned out to be a fairytale come true in my life. No pun intended. I had the incredible opportunity to work with the one and only Meryl Streep, and create these two dresses for her, the first for the Golden Globes, the second (gulp!) for the Academy Awards. I have been friends with her right arm and make-up/hair stylist (who has been with her for 35 years or so. Where she goes, he goes.) Roy Helland since I moved to New York about 9 years ago. Roy told me that during season 4 of "Project Runway" the cast of the movie they were working on, "Doubt", were big fans of the show, and Meryl was a big fan of mine. She and her two daughters (also big "PR" fans) came to my finale show at Bryant Park as my guests, and I received a phone call from her the next day....

"Chris?....Hi, it's Meryl!" Four words I will never forget. Meryl? Meryl Streep? My heart lept into my throat, and luckily she had a lot to say about the show so I didn't have to talk much. As if I could have. She told me how much she loved it and called me a "creative genius". I don't remember the rest of the conversation, as I had died and gone to heaven. I stumbled to say goodbye, and all I remember is hanging up and sitting on my couch without moving until the sun went down. Stupified.

Fast forward to last December, when the Golden Globe nominations came out (she was actually nominated TWICE in the same category) and Roy gave me a buzz and asked if I could come over to his house on Monday afternoon. I asked, and he gave no reason....and then he had to tell me because he knew I would faint if it remained a surprise. Meryl wanted to meet with me and discuss the possibility of making her a dress to wear at the Golden Globes. I must have turned purple, said yes, and was in a dream state for a couple of days. We met, and she is the sweetest, warmest, smartest, most normal lovely person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She wrapped her arms around me and said, "What a thrill to meet you!" Me? Meet me? I have my arms around the greatest actress of all time and she is thrilled to meet me? Like I said, an absolute fairytale. We discussed the dress, I came up with an idea that she loved, and after about five fittings, the dress is perfect and I end up just hanging out with her choosing jewelry, shoes and bags before her trip to Hollywood. Fairy. Tale. Afterwards, she brought me the most beautiful bouquet of white flowers (pictured above)...yes, she actually drove them over to my house. That's what kind of person she is.

Then, after all the hoopla over the black dress, she contacted me about the Academy Awards, and I was REALLY reeling. The Super Bowl of World Fashion. Me, dressing Meryl effing Streep. Like we're pals. Certainly, some Fairy Godmother sprinkled magic dust in my Wheaties. The dress was discussed, we came up with a plan, and several fittings later, voila....She is all over the "Best Dressed" lists. Being gay, I never hit a home run. Until that night. I will never forget it as long as I live. Meryl Streep uttered the words, "Chris March made my dress..." on the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards. In front of millions (billions?) of people. I was thrilled, humbled, proud, teary-eyed and grateful to receive such an incredible moment in my life.