clothes and things

I want this to be a special moment. For my daughter is not even three and I am already a horror to her.
This morning she came into my bedroom as I was getting dressed and asked for something from the kitchen. (I believe it was milk) I said, "okay". I put on my dressing gown so that I was semi-presentable and went into the kitchen. She chased after me and pointed at me while yelling, "NO. PUT ON SOME PANTS." (I lacked trousers) She did not want to accept milk from me until I was appropriate. It wasn't like there was company, I was covered up. It was Sunday. I am in my own fucking house. It wasn't like I was wandering about like Anne Heche having a breakdown. But no. Miss Biscuit was horrified. OMG this from the short person who, if she could, would spend her life in a state of undress.
Can't win with some people.

Yesterday I helped a friend find a dress for her trip. We went to a few different department stores and shops. I got a good look at what was being sold this season. There is the tangerine that Pantone declared was the color fo the year. There was some culturally appropriated vaguely navajo nonsense. A great deal of late sixties/Mad Men shifts with a nod to Pucci along the way. Drapey bullshit that makes one recall the late seventies/early eighties. I don't mind a bit of drape but much of this does no one any favors. Plus so much of it is cut so high that one is likely to be able to tell when you had your last annual exam. Which brings me to another thing I noticed. While waiting in the dressing room at Nordstrom, a number of the sales ladies (girls, really) were wearing leggings. As pants. Not leggings with a shirt-dress/over-sized shirt business, but leggings. As pants. As in, "hey, those leggings aren't opaque enough and therefore I can see your choice of underwear."
I am old. But then I didn't wear leggings as pants when they were the in thing the last time around. (I wore them with dresses/over-sized shirts)
Maybe I am missing something. Is it a mating thing? "here. You can tell my fertility by my leggings."

Anyhow, back to the dresses. There was also a love of color-blocking, and I saw a number of colors over and over. A bright minty green, an electric fuschia, vivid royal blue, and of course tangerine. And a lot of embellishments on those late sixties shifts. There were a few numbers that had obviously been lifted from someone's Grandma's closet. Oh and we are just beginning to get more of the 1920s thing that is supposed to be all that later this year. Way to channel your inner Great Gatsby. (Which I like just for the sequins alone) I did see a few dresses I liked. (made notes to look for them later on) Though there is one dress line I really like because there is one specific size that fits my measurements exactly and I know of an eBay seller who sells that line (new with tags) for a good deal. So I am going to buy all of the dresses. Because well... dresses. I am sure a few of my LJ friends find that a compelling argument. (I am looking at you hydrozoa)

I ended up getting fitted for a bra while at Nordstrom because it had been awhile. I am not nursing anymore and I think my breasts are staying in one place for awhile. I was right, I WAS wearing the wrong size. The sales lady found me some FANTASTIC bras. Of course the best ones were so much money. You really do pay for good engineering. Someone should win a nobel prize for engineering with what they can do with underwear. I bought one because it was a lot of fun. (you can't go wrong with something that is red and has a lot of detail work) Then I came home and ordered a few more.

We ended up finding a rather fun dress at Betsey Johnson for my friend. It was on sale! My friend (like many ladies) has her particular issue with a part of body. (and she has long had a battle with how she views her body) I am really proud of her for going for a dress that didn't try and "hide" the fact that she has hips. The dress (though she bought one that was red) is rather interesting. It's rather form fitting and my friend isn't built like a model (like most ladies) and she still wore the heck out of the dress. Which is probably the basic rule of thumb about any dress. It shouldn't over-whelm you. Despite my friend's issues with her body, she was able to command the room with what she put on. (helps to be in your thirties I think.)

It was interesting to observe a teenaged girl that was there trying on dresses for a dance or something. (She was there with her Mom) She had what might be considered the ideal body by current western cultural standards. (incredibly tall, incredibly slender. TEENIEST hips I've seen in awhile) She tried on a few dresses, and while they looked nice on her, she was obviously not quite confident enough in them. It was all dress and she came across as an after-thought. Which isn't uncommon in teenaged girls. It takes time and experience to know how to wear clothes. Probably the sweetest/funniest part was her trying to walk in these very high heels. She was clomping about a bit like a kid playing dress up. (and learning to walk in heels is about know how to sit/stand with your hips and getting used to the gait)

Afterward we had a quick look at shoes and then I went on my merry way for I had spaghetti carbonara to make for the family. As always, it is illuminating to see what is going on with fashion. Some good. Some bad. Some hilariously ugly.

As for today, I went and did knitting for a bit with friends. knit knit knit. Funny conversation, and cake.