The Dress in the Window by Robert Tregoning
Sitting down to create what would become, The Dress in the Window, I set myself a goal – to write a story that challenged a gender stereotype with zero shame in it whatsoever. Great! But being the theatrical person I am, I wanted some drama in the story and if that wasn’t going to come from the idea of fighting against a stereotype, where would it come from? I kept thinking, how would Billy Elliot work if nobody told Billy that boys shouldn’t do ballet?
I had lots of conversations with my husband Billy about our experiences as young boys, who were drawn to all sorts of things considered feminine. I always loved visiting haberdasheries and seeing the ribbons and tassels and fabrics draped around mannequins. Billy would pass a shop window on his way to school, in which would be displayed the most beautiful dresses. The image of a young boy, nose pressed to the glass, gazing at a garment that was just out of reach, seemed to sum up our longings perfectly. And then Billy said, “What if one day the dress was gone?” That was it. That was the drama! And so was born a joyous tale of boy meets dress!
Writing this story I kept thinking about the children who would read it. I wanted them to be able to pick up a book that said, “Yes! Of course you can wear this sparkling dress if you’d like to.” A message of validation and celebration I didn’t see in books as a child in the late 80’s and 90’s. I’ve tried to think of any positive representation of unconventional gender expression or LGBTQ+ experiences that I might have seen during my primary school years but nothing comes to mind. I have no doubt that there was representation out there in the wider world but for me, growing up in rural North East England and attending a school complying with the hateful, life-shattering section 28 regulations that were written in to law, I didn’t see myself reflected in the books I was reading.
Thankfully things have changed, although there is still a long way to go and the progress that has been made is under threat. There are some wonderful children’s books out there now that centre Queer experiences and I hope that The Dress in the Window can stand proudly alongside them. The illustrations, by the incredible Pippa Curnick, are so full of happiness and there is one particularly spectacular image that would have made five year old me feel understood and less alone. I hope that children like myself and my husband feel that the glittering gown can come out from behind the glass, that they can try it on and twirl to their heart’s content. I hope that The Dress in the Window can scatter some sparkling scarlet sequins of pure, uninhibited joy!
The Dress in the Window by Robert Tregoning and Pippa Curnick is published by OUP and is available now.