MY ATTEMPT AT REGAINING SOME STYLE

I've always liked clothes.  I learned to sew because It made it possible for me to have more clothes on my budget ( not something possible these days.)  I kind of gave up on being fashionable when I got so overweight and underfunded.

For some reason I became interested in buying some boots and trying the skinny- pants-tucked-in-boots trend.  I am concerned that skinny pants on my wide body may be a fashion don't - but I am going to give it a go.

I ordered a couple of tunic tops, some skinny black jeans and then set out to get boots.  That's when the trouble started.  I went to DSW with my coupon and none of the boots would zip up.  I had forgotten about the large calf issue.  Even when I was at my slimmest I had narrow feet, small ankles and shapely but muscular calfs.  Now they are even larger. 

I headed to the computer and shopped and shopped.  No one had my size in a black boot in the style I want.  I had ordered all those clothes with the boots in mind - I have to find boots!  I expanded my search and discovered some different terms for what I need and found a few pair on the Zappos site.  I couldn't tell for sure from the descriptions and review which pair was going to fit best so, due to their free shipping and returns policy, I ordered two pair.  This was on the night before Thanksgiving. 

On Friday morning FedEx delivered a huge box with the boots inside.  Ally was home and helped me pick the right pair, I returned the others this morning and now I await the rest of the outfits.  Hopefully I won't look silly, especially since the boots were quite a bit more money than I would normally spend!  That Ally didn't recoil in horror when I tried them on with my stretchy slim leg jeans makes me think I must have looked okay. 

I am being taken out for a birthday lunch later this week and I hope to fit in with my stylish sisters for the occasion.

THE BEAT GOES ON

When I was in the sixth grade I had pictures of Sonny & Cher cut out of the newspaper and taped to my desk lamp.  In particular I remember I had this one:

That was in the era of their hit son "Bang, Bang."  I don't recall seeing anyone else wearing those animal fur vests, although there were some variations of them with embroidery around during the sixties and seventies when everyone was wearing dress-up costumes from thrift stores and army surplus stores.  I could never manage to make that stuff look right on me.  In high school I rocked the  preppy look, though. 

I don't recall wearing bright yellow, but I did wear knee socks and flats with mini skits and ribbed turtlenecks and tees.  By college we were wearing maxi skirts, too.  I had a burgundy maxi-coat which cost most of my clothing allowance.

Anyway, I loved fashion,  I made lots of my own clothes so I could afford to follow the trends.  After I had kids and became an at home mom, I sort of fell out of being fashionable.  It is a cliche,  the "mom clothes."  At first you need things that you can wash and wear because of all the getting spit-up on.  You need to be able to move around easily, too.  So the leggings and big tops that were in style in the late 80's were perfect for a new mom.  From there it is a blur.  I tried to infuse fashion at times, but as age and weight added up, it got harder.

I still enjoy following fashion, but I don't like the extent it is now worshiped.  The heights to which fashion has been elevated is so far above what the average person can manage that it is more like fantasy.  I watch Project Runway and admire the talent, but don't understand the snobbish attitudes.  I watch the Rachel Zoe Project and it is so over the top I can't take it for anything but campy entertainment.  In case you don't know about Rachel Zoe, she is a "Stylist."  She helps movies stars  pick out their clothes and accessories for photo shoots, red carpet events and the like.  She is a tiny little super skinny woman who frequently wears fur vests.  I think she does it to make her look more substantial. 

Last I heard she was supposed to be selling them on one of the home shopping networks - so I guess I should not have been surprised when I saw that one of the Fall 2010 trends is...the fur vest.

So, the adage is that you can only wear the fashion the first time it comes around in your lifetime.  I never did wear the Sonny & Cher fur vest, or the hippy embroidered vest, and  I am not tempted to wear the 2010 version, either.  I hope my daughters won't be wearing it...and they should skip the knee socks, too.  Just in case they try to bring those back.  What were we thinking?