 |
| "I forget; am I dressing or undressing?" |
Topic of (brief) discussion among three women, one in her 50s, one in her 60s, one in her 70s. I was one of them. That's a wide swath of womanhood, but we all had the same question: Does anyone get dressed anymore? In real clothes? Not hats and gloves (and girdles and stockings and all the awful stuff that was part that) but in the clothes they seem to be shopping for eternally (while wearing workout gear or worse).
Part of the problem (as stated by the youngest) was "anything goes" so people go with anything. It's an effort to decipher what's fashionable when everything seems to be. The easy way out is no effort at all, thus workout gear 24/7.
 |
| Unwitting trendsetter? |
Celebrities may have been the first to adopt this. Diana didn't hide the fact she was on her way to the gym. That has unfortunately dumbed down to its being okay looking like you are going to or fro the gym all day, every day.
If you believe in your own celebrity, you may have a sense of entitlement that allows you to wear anything you please. When I read about one who is taking exceptionally good care of her body, it turns out she works out 6 hours a day, every day. I understand; that doesn't leave a lot of time for getting dressed. It isn't only the young who are doing this. They are just the most photogenic.
 |
| They shall remain nameless... |
Stand-alone fashionable exercise wear has also spawned its own genre of shopping. Lulemon, founded in 1998, is at the top of the parallel bars in this category, followed by Athleta (a part of the GAP) and Lucy. Today there are athletic wear sub-shops within stores from Nordstrom to Walmart.
 |
| Princes Alarming... |
Men don't get a pass either. Flopsy, Mopsy and Shirtail here look like they've spent the day at Hank's garage. And they're all really nice looking men. But how can we expect the guys to listen to us when we set pretty bad examples ourselves? Without conducting any door-to-door research, I'm going to suppose women who care about their own public appearances make sure their men do too.
By far the best dressed men I've seen in many a year are rodeo cowboys— spit-polished and starched-shirted for a ten second ride on a bucking bronco.
 |
| Be still my horse... |
Your "flopsy, mopsy and shirttail" almost made me snort coffee out of my nose. While I insist on being comfortable, I also like to look put-together when I leave the house, meaning clothing that would NOT be worn to work out in.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work, une femme (laughing and dressing up not down).
DeleteI agree with you---does anyone dress up anymore to shop or go out to a "casual" restaurant? (I do----at 70 years old). You have a great way with words.
ReplyDeleteLove your posts.
Thank you for your nice words!
DeleteI always dress up to go out - even when I go to play my sport, I wear a dress and change at the field, so that I can change back for when I'm out in public! My husband always dresses nicely too. I wish more people would make an effort to put their best foot forward!
ReplyDeleteBravo, and I know you will continue to lead by example!
DeleteI recently found myself dressed on a daily basis in workout gear. In my defense,I was taking three aerobics and two zumba classes each week. When I came home, I had little energy to change and would remain in my exercise clothes all day. My son's upcoming nuptials had me looking at dresses and, at the Nordstrom sale, I purchased three. Best purchases I have ever made. I now throw on the dresses for casual dinners, lunch dates and dress them up for evenings. Dressing is fun, even if I am 66 years old.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you caught yourself from going down that slippery slope. Dresses are great though because you throw one on and you're done. You must be in good shape, though!
Delete