Oh crap. MIL gave me a very expensive dress, I gave it to charity shop, she wants it back......

[DrNortherner]

She put on weight and it no lobger fitted her. Was a very expensive long burgundy evening frock with bolero jacket. She said it was too expensive to give away, but she wanted me to have use of it.

It was too old fashioned for me, and she often dumps her cleared out stuff to me.

Anyway, she is off on a cruise next month, has lost weight and now thinks she'll fit into it. I did not have the heart to say I donated it to a charity shop.

She's coming round on WEdnesday to collect it.

Should I tel the truth, or say I can't find it, or I lent it to someone else.....?

HELP me.

I stow everything MIL gives me in the loft.
Say you lent it out and the person sat too near an open fire and to say anymore would send you into catatonic state.

Cause she does. All MILs do. Especially those who cruise.

I think you may be onto something with the the transvestism pinkpanettone...

What's her number, I'll ring her up and tell her! I'll also tell her not to give you any more burgandy boleroes. is there an e in boloroes? it's not a word I've typed before.

boleres? Like Latin? (thinking 3rd declension but also thinking I may be making this up)

Don't think she reads the daily mail. Do they really run stories about what happens on here?...

I read ALL this thread and find out at the end you chickened out!!!!!

serves me right for laffing

I read all this thread too... and laughed out loud for the first time in months
Thank you for putting a smile back on my face after a very tough marital break up. Now if I could just get a picture of that frock I should think I would need to by pass therapy altogether.....

I'm really sorry Northerner, but they do - eek

In your OP it says she wanted you to have use of it. That sounds to me like she may have been lending it to you and not giving it to you?

I think I would go with moth eaten. Then it's not anybody's fault - just one of those things and there's a reason as to why you didn't keep it to show her the damage.

I agree with the other poster that this is entirely your DH's fault. The nly real way out of this is divorce.

Unless you can arrange a small, highly localised fire in your wardrobe area.

My husband put black plastic bag full of nearly new baby stuff meticulously labelled for nearly new sale out with household rubbish a few months ago so innocent mistakes.....
you could have donated it to good cause they wanted something really spectacular for auction and you did not have anything good enough to give except ....pps made £100 for ethipian famine
dog chewed bag and it !

friend fell in love with it and wanted to wear it to daughters wedding before they all emigrated to australia????
hth

Tell ehr that it was altered to fit her cross dressing son

come on Northerner, we're all waiting to hear...
tell her the bit about you having phoned charity shop and them saying they remember how gorg. it was and it would have sold like hot cakes so she at least feels good about the dress, >>whispers

"Unless you can arrange a small, highly localised fire in your wardrobe area."

This has my crying with laughter. DP thinks I'm mental.

This thread is brilliant, just brilliant.

I also love Piffle's comment -"Say you lent it out and the person sat too near an open fire and to say anymore would send you into catatonic state."

Obviously, I have no helpful ideas for you. I'm purely here for the laughs.

Sorry

If she's anything like my MIL, if I told her it was moth eaten / fire damaged etc... she's want to see the evidence. I'd have to go with....

I can't believe DH used it for oil rags for the car - he KNEW I wanted to wear it this christmas.

DH would have to have the blame (Sorry OP's DH)

Just got here too late, what did you end up saying to her yesterday?

Hope that you found some help in the above answers.

Whatever happened, maybe she'll stop dumping her stuff on you in future.

My MIL does that too and it's so annoying! A while ago out of politeness I was wearing one of her old cast-off jackets that she'd forced on me and opened the door to SIL, who said "Blimey! I thought you were Mum!" (That jacket went to the charity shop in the next bag)

Why do they do it? She's given me old cast-off trousers, jackets, a coat (because she said my denim one made me look 'rough'), old cardigans, you name it she's thrust it on to me. Aaargh

Oh, just found your reply, sorry! Well you sort of told the truth, so your conscience must be OK-ish now, well done!

just marking

By now it must surely be "all over, Red Rover"!

Are you stil there Northerner?

I laughed out loud unti the tears poured down my cheeks - fantastic!!

If its not too late to comment, my suggestion would be to lie but to keep it really close to the truth.

Tell her you wore it twice and it got loads of admiring comments but you go to only one or two events each year where such a dress would be appropriate and that you can't wear the same dress to the same event twice. So, you took it to charity shop so that someone else could also enjoy it.

She'll feel better if she thinks you didn't just get rid of it, out of hand.

Can't wait to see how this ends!!

By now it must surely be "all over, Red Rover"!

Are you still there Northerner?

I laughed out loud until the tears poured down my cheeks - fantastic!!

If its not too late to comment, my suggestion would be to lie but to keep it really close to the truth.

Tell her you wore it twice and it got loads of admiring comments but you go to only one or two events each year where such a dress would be appropriate and that you can't wear the same dress to the same event twice. So, you took it to charity shop so that someone else could also enjoy it.

She'll feel better if she thinks you didn't just get rid of it, out of hand.

Can't wait to see how this ends!!

As you are going to London for a big do tomorrow why not tell her you want to wear it to that. Then tell her you must have left it at the hotel but will try to get it back if it hasn't been stolen yet.

Have you told her yet?

Northener??

Where have you gone?

Has MIL punished you by disconnecting you internet? No TV for a week?

I reckon she turned up to Northeners house with the dress in hand, which she seen at charity shop, and is calling her on her lie that she hasn't had time to look for it.

Ummm.... how about:
You saw a dangling thread and
well...
even though you know you weren't supposed to...
you pulled it with disastrous results.

Hand her a hand full of sequins and give your sincere "so sorry about that".

I have not read the entire thread yet; saving it for the weekend.