A Tale: The Old Lady and The Leggings

"He She was an old man woman who fished shopped alone..."  

with apologies to Ernest Hemingway.

I have a birthday coming up. But, before that could happen, I had to catch up on a certain birthday that occurred at the end of July, our daughter's; I had promised her a mother-daughter birthday lunch. I made good on that promise last week, we had a delicious lunch together in the Capital City. While we ate she told me that she wanted to take me to her friend's house who sells Lularoe clothing. Lula who? Lularoe. It's big right now, I had heard about it from friends and family. Our daughter has been wearing the cutest skirts and Lucy Ann has shown me some precious dresses from Lularoe. The fabric is oh-so soft. I was excited about going to look at the clothes, any line that advertises "when fashion meets comfort" has my full attention; plus, I hadn't been shopping with Marcia for a very long time, it would be fun!  "I want you to try on a pair of leggings" she told me, that's when I almost dropped my fork. "Absolutely not", I responded. I tried to explain my reluctance abject refusal through logical reasoning: "leggings are not pants, they are not meant to be worn on legs over ~ahem~ a certain age (6?), they are too revealing".  She wouldn't listen, she shook her head and smiled,  "I want you to try a pair on" she said, while smiling. "I would like to get you an outfit for your birthday".  "I'll go" I thought, "I'll try them on" I smiled to myself, "but, no, I definitely won't come home with a pair; not me". Marcia's friend has devoted her living room to Lularoe. She had racks upon racks of tops, skirts, dresses and... oh, yes, the ubiquitous leggings. I chose a really cute top to pair with a straight, black skirt that I had at home. In fact, I bought it and wore it to church yesterday (top photo), I just loved the fabric and the cut the instant I tried it on. It's extremely comfortable and versatile, it will look nice with slacks or jeans too. I also bought a pretty knit skirt with a flared hem that I can wear anytime, it can easily be dressed up or down. Marcia and her Lularoe friend were very convincing about the leggings: "you need to try a black pair first", the friend was putting them into my hand as she explained, "everyone needs a 'starter' pair, see what you think". I chose a plain tunic-style swing top to try on over the leggings, it seemed long enough to satisfy my need to cover*. I knew that the chatter wouldn't end until I took a deep breath and got it over with. I retreated to a bedroom with a full-length mirror to scrutinize the appearance of my aging body in the non-pants. I wasn't hopeful. First of all these tights-without-feet are "one size fits all"; we all know what that means.  I wiggled myself into them and tugged them up. They stayed where I put them. Hmmm. The weight of the knit was substantial enough to not be see-through. Hmmm. And, truth be told, as much as I hated to admit it: the super-soft knit was strong enough to actually be somewhat flattering; they didn't look that bad! Hmmm. The top that I tried on wasn't right though. I went back to the living-room-turned-Lularoe-marketplace to choose some different tops. There were cheers from my daughter and her friend when I entered; "don't you love the leggings?" my daughter asked? She could already tell that I did. I tried on a few more tops and settled on this combination, I honestly did not want to take the leggings off. My now ecstatic daughter told me that she and her family wanted to give me this outfit for my birthday. I felt happy and confident with the choice and agreed.  "I'm not sure I will wear them out of the house though", I told her with a wink. Change is hard for me. I learned a lot last week though this experience; to not be afraid to open myself up to something new and different, to accept the opinions of others as valuable resources that can balance my own and to simply trust more.

She was right; I am now a dyed-in-the-wool cotton-knit-convert. Who knew? 

I have to admit this old dog lady can still learn a trick or two, as long as I keep my mind open. I did assure my daughter though, that these solid black 'starter' leggings are as far as I am willing to step outside my comfort zone. I won't be asking her to pick me up a pair of bright orange hibiscus print anytime soon! I have to draw the line somewhere, right? So, what do you think? Should I leave the house? 

Life is Good!

*For the record: I am no stranger to 'tops' of this length, when I was in high school this would have been considered a dress! That was then. This is now.

Dear Snuggie Wearer,

I saw you, wearing your Snuggie and dashing into Costco the other day. I'm not sure you read the rules when you bought your Snuggie, contrary to what you may think it is NOT outerwear! Do you have any other coats, jackets or wraps that open down the back? No you don't, that ought to tell you something right there. I know it was cold, wet and slushy the day you decided to top off your parka with your Snuggie and go shopping, let me suggest that you add heavier layers underneath your jacket so that your Snuggie won't get all wet and dirty dragging through the puddles in the parking lot. (Which, brings me to another point, but this one isn't your fault: despite the way they're described, one size doesn't fit ALL!) Look at this photo that advertises your beloved Snuggie, they're made to be enjoyed at home, with a date, playing backgammon.

Sincerely,

'Tis the season, and I still have a LOT to do; namely, more correspondence. Next, a letter to the lady who was wearing her flannel Christmas pajamas (albeit cute!) out to shop for groceries at Trader Joe's... seriously, is anyone so busy that they can't pull on a pair of jeans before they leave home?

Life is Good!

Heavy Clothes

In the winter you should dress warmly, wear your heavy clothes. Just be sure that you don't hang them all together in the same section of your closet. This is a public service announcement, brought to you free of charge.

Life is Good!

Fuzzy Lines?

When I grew up there were clear lines of distinction between what was considered day wear (CLOTHES) and night wear (PJ's). Each stayed within it's respective boundary, night wear was worn only around the house and to bed, it was that simple. I've witnessed, in the last ten years, those lines grow fuzzy if not disappear entirely. I've seen my share of pajama-clad shoppers in the grocery store and similarly attired travelers in the airport. I have to admit that I honestly don't understand this behavior and am puzzled by the fact that it has become so widely acceptable to wear pajamas out in public that no one thinks twice about it anymore, or so I thought! Sunday afternoon we stopped at the local department store, my mother- in-law went in one direction and my husband in another, I waited at the top of the escalator for both of them to return. This mannequin, dressed in coral, waited beside me; her dress is made of the finest, softest, cotton knit. As I waited, I was privileged to hear almost every person's opinion of this particular dress as they stepped off the escalator, I quickly jotted down these quotes:
~"Is that a dress or a nightgown?"
~"Yuck, I wouldn't be caught dead in that outside of my bedroom!"
~"Are we in the lingerie section?"
~"I'd sleep in that!"
I realized two things as I heard these comments: one, I wasn't alone in my "lines if distinction" thinking and two, everyone who made comments such as these was my age or older.
A young girl and her mother stepped off the escalator just as I was digesting this information, she was probably thirteen years old. "Mom", she said "look at this beautiful dress, I love the color and the style and the accessories and wouldn't it look cute with wedge sandals"? She and her mother stopped and really examined the dress. She didn't think it looked like a nightgown at all! But, then, why would she? She's grown up in a pajama wearing society where it's difficult, if not impossible, to differentiate between day and night!
My daughter told me the other day that she and my grandson were staying in and have "jammie day". I smiled. At least she's teaching him that there are lines of distinction. That's good, it's confusing enough out there in the world anymore, I'm happy he'll learn that there are, indeed, boundaries for his pajamas!

Life is Good!

Tagless Technology

This is one of the best additions to clothing that I can remember... what's been taken out! Tags! I've been noticing it more and more and it's completely wonderful... no itchy neck tags, or waistband tags or wherever tags. Just pure cotton comfort. T-shirts, underwear and exercise clothing. I love these! I understand that it's a newly refined process of heat-set ink that allows the tags to be dispensed with and prevents the care instructions and other information from bleeding through to the right side of the garment. Fantastic!
I'm embracing this technology! I read recently that Gap is producing knit clothing without seams. The knitting machine for T's and the like are able to produce a one piece article of clothing without side or back seams at all. At this rate the clothing will be so totally comfy there's no need to change into pajamas at the end of the day... we can go straight to bed; or we could get up in the morning and go to work, or to the grocery store, in the same clothes we slept in all night! Oh, wait... we're already there. I did happen to see a woman out shopping in her pajamas last week!

~But that's another subject for another post on another day!~

Life is Good!
...and even better without pesky tags...