My World Tuesday: The Cutting Edge of Fashion

I tell my daughter all the time that I live on the cutting edge of fashion--all the time being when I pull on my parka, snow pants (three-season wear, really), all of which are about 20 years old. They were wise investments from L. L. Bean. I will likely die of old age with these items freshly laundered and waiting to be of service in my closet.

Styles have changed in 20 years, though, right? They must have. Nobody dresses like I do. Take heart, I tell my daughter when she has to be seen with me in public, when plumb is again a fashionable color and snow jackets again sport patch pockets, my shopping will be done. Just the other day in the mall, I came across women's slacks with rolled hems, "Look at that!" I said to Dell. "I have been rolling my hems for the past year, and now it's the thing to do?"

I can't really take credit for the inside-out look that comes and goes at places like the Gap and Aeropostale, but I can tell you I never think twice about changing things around when they're backwards or inside out when I leave in the morning.

Those "boyfriend" pants and the Oxford sweathers I feel I have a part in, though. I have been wearing my dad's cast off sweaters for years--the same years comfortable pants have been the rule. (Alas, gone are the days of helping my father pick out my ex-brother-in-law's Christmas gifts from the Bean catalog as if I were investing in my own fashion future.  If plumb wasn't in fashion, even then, it was still available in the clearance catalog. How time flies.)

If you know me at all, you might have noticed I said mall and Gap and Aeropostale like I know about these things. Well, I know a little now. Dell and I were back on Saturday to see what was left of the Nordstrom shoe sale. (Yes. Nordstrom. Where they have all the comfortable chairs around so you don't fall over when you get a look at the prices.) I am a lousy shopper and found nothing on sale. Dell and I did walk away with new shoes, though. Now, when I feel like looking vaguely female--like I don't have Herman Munster-sized feet in my Earth shoes that are sure to see the decade out with me--I have these pretty litte things.

Note: These photos are not directly connected to the text except that the writer and the photographer were the same person who does not get out much. The camera fits neatly in the pocket of the parka, by the way.

My World Tuesday

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