The Del Lady Returns, Molly

Mongolia functions on a system based around the idea of "I know a guy." That is to say, everyone always knows someone who can help you or accomplish what you wish to accomplish. When you want a del, if you happen to know Allison, she mentions it to her friend Ariel who, in turn, introduces us to her friend: The Del Lady.

The Del Lady, I am sure, has a name of her own. However, we never caught it. When the Del Lady comes, with her comes the Del Lady's Assistant, who is her younger sister. The former is a seamstress, the later someone learning how to be a seamstress. She's good, quick, and, most importantly, cheap. And, when you get something from her, you feel as though you made a difference in someone's life rather than when you buy a del from the State Department Store, which is both expensive and kind of intimidating.

According to the internet, a del is the "traditional dress of Mongolia." I think this is a poor description and about equal to calling "an ugly sweater your senile aunt gave you one Christmas" American traditional dress. Everyone here seems to own a del. They're useful. They're warm. Mostly older people wear them, but around certain holidays, everyone brings their dels out. Except dels are more comfortable and generally have better useful uses than as a doorstop, Halloween costume used to scare small children, or piece of blackmail. They have many purposes, several of which I won't outline here, I'm sure you can fill in the mental gaps when you learn that people take dels to the countryside, but they're quite similar to how Douglas Adam's describes a towel:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth...you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches...you can sleep under it beneath the stars...use it to sail a mini raft...wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat...wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes...you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

You can also do all of those things with a del as well as look -damn- good.

So, of course, being the fashionistas we are, we all wanted dels. Allie and Emily researched for hours and days the prices and options for buying a del before we were introduced to the Del Lady. The Del Lady came to our home with books of designs and swatches. She took our orders, our measurements, and our money. Everyone began to talk to her with vauge ideas of what they wanted and she, being not just a talented seamstress, but an artist, discussed and drew. All parties, the Del Lady, us, and Ariel, who was acting as translater, slowly grew more and more excited as ideas began to take shape into what would become beautiful clothing. Today she delievered.

We weren't expecting our orders till after Naadam, because of how busy she is at this time of the year, when everyone wants new clothes for the holiday. As she took out each piece, we went "oooh!" and "ahhh!" in appriciation and approval. We had a mini fashion show. People took turns trying on one another's new clothing. It was fun. Some people got dels, I got a jacket, and Allison got a pretty spiffy dress.

We look -good-.