Clothes

11/13/12

Clothes

First, let's go back to the 60's which some of you may not know too much about.  But I know there are others out there that remember that era and perhaps fondly as I do.

In the 60's everything was matchy-matchy for us girls.  Your cardigan matched the sweater shell underneath which blended nicely with your skirt and shoes.  There was even a period where sweater guards were fashionable.  Girls were not allowed to wear pants to school but likewise it was frowned upon for a guy to show up in a skirt - so it seemed fair at the time.  At that point in time skirts were short and to put it bluntly - we girls looked good. 

Flash forward to today.  The world has gone casual, very casual and maybe it's gone too far.  I was in a store last week and I swear some young girl was wearing pajama bottoms and slippers.  Gross.  There was a time when you didn't leave your house until you looked presentable because you never knew who you were going to run in to.  Guess that's not much of a concern any longer.  

Jeff and I had dinner out over the weekend at a steak house and admittedly we both had on jeans - but they were clean and untorn.  I can't say the same for some of the other people in the restaurant.  The outfits were far from acceptable as far as this old fuddy duddy was concerned.  I still think that if you are going out in public you should make SOME effort to pull yourself together.  I don't want to see your underwear or the tattoos which happen to be in the same vicinity.  Likewise, while I appreciate that younger stomachs look better than mine, I still don't want to see them either.  Though given the choice of a front or wear view - I would definitely take the front.

Work is more casual too. In my first job in 1967 we were required to wear hose and heels every day.  Pants of any kind were out of the question.  The one day somebody invented the pant suit and we ladies never looked back.  I don't think I've had "legs" at work for probably 8 or 9 years.  Nope I wear shorty pants in the summer and longer ones the rest of the time.  A basic pant wardrobe is complete with black, brown, blue and gray and of course jeans for Friday.  I'm more comfortable wearing pants all the time but I never forget that I'm a lady who should dress and act appropriately.  While my body isn't designed for tight clothing any longer, I'm not sure that work is the right place for that kind of clothing anyway.  Even so I see it all the time as well as blouses or sweaters that perhaps need just a bit more fabric up top.

Imagination is a beautiful thing and sometimes more is better.  I watch the award shows and see star after star spill out of the top of their dresses.  I think some of the classiest outfits are those that show less skin - and that's where imagination comes in.  The ladies of Hollywood are built (in theory anyway) just like the rest of us.  In other words, we ladies all have the same stuff.  Admittedly, that "stuff" comes in many variations, some good and some not so good.  But ya gotta work with what you've got.

Enjoy Tuesday.

P