At first the friends try to make the change funny. “Who are you dressing up for?” “New era?” “Okay, movie star.” The jokes keep the old order in place. If everyone laughs, nobody has to admit she might actually mean it.

Then the teasing starts to miss. One friend asks where the dress is from and waits for the answer. Another zooms in on the tag in a posted photo. The one who usually roasts every mirror selfie leaves a plain “wow” and nothing else.

Women can spot a costume fast. When they stop treating the look like a bit, the old version loses backup.