Tag: leggings

Another ode to joggers

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Are you shopping these days?  Online I mean.  I know many of us are struggling on this.  On the one hand, I do want to support business that I love.  On the other hand, when I think how many people have to be out there to send a package, it doesn’t make me feel good.  So I haven’t been shopping.  I don’t know if that is the right call, but that’s where I’m at right now.

I have found myself perusing sales though.  Particularly for cute clothes.  There are SO MANY SALES right now.  And then I remind myself to back away from the website.  Even before the lockdown, I was trying to limit clothing shopping.  I have a whole closet of things I don’t feel like wearing right now (zippers, and buttons, and nonstretch fabric, oh my!).  I really don’t need any more.

I was close to declaring an all out shopping ban, but I decided to limit myself to shopping from a list.  Are you curious?  This was the list:

  • Workout sneakers to replace my 5+ year old ones
  • Fashion sneakers to replace ones with a hole in the bottom
  • Black tank top
  • Jeans
  • Cream/white high quality sweater

I’ve made some headway on it during 2020.  I found a black tank top that I love.  (So much that I bought two which is not great for the point of this exercise, but it really is all I want to wear these days.)

I bought some black workout shoes that I love so much I wear them when I would need any “fashion sneaks.”  Two birds with one stone!  Also, I keep marveling at the advancements in sneaker technology.  The new sneakers are so much lighter than the old ones.  It’s insane.

The jeans and sweater I am deliberately holding off on.  Right now all my jeans are of the skinny, stretchy variety and might not even fit.  I’d like to dabble in some of these other denim silhouettes and styles the kids are wearing these days.  But do I need jeans right now?  Nope.  Same for the sweater.  I’ve identified a wardrobe hole, and I think this item would be useful.  But not right now.  No matter how many sales I see.

This lockdown lifestyle has made me thinking about an addition to the list.  Yup.  I’m talking joggers.

I’ve loved joggers for a long time.  They are comfy travel pants.  They are helpful for getting into churches and temples.  They are fantastic for when you want to feel comfortable but also show that you tried.

They are also the only thing I want to wear these days.  I have two pairs of pajama pants that I love, but they both SCREAM pajama pants.  Wearing them all the time does not help my mood.  And they both lack pockets so I misplace my phone even more than usual.

I’ve also found that I don’t like to wear leggings all the time.  I think they start off as comfortable, but then they switch to being restrictive.  Also, many don’t have pockets as well.  (Although shout out to the best leggings ever at Four Athletics that do have pockets.)

And we’re back to joggers.  My beloved black joggers also have over five years of wear and have developed a tiny hole in the backside.  It’s not super noticeable, but I was self conscious enough about it that I stopped wearing them out and about.  I started searching for a replacement before reminding myself that, conveniently, I’m not going out and about these days.  The joggers are fine.

But I would like to add them to the list.  Black joggers.  #joggersforever #joggers4lyfe  They are the best.

What are you wearing these days?  Do you have an amazing brand of joggers I should investigate?  How are you handling shopping these days?

My fall fashion wish list

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Ya’ll, it’s fall!  This time around last year, I was just incredulous about the amount of layers everyone is wearing.  Yes, there is a hint of a chill.  No, we do not need to break out the puffy coats.

I also started to realize how delicious fall in Italy is.  Porcini Mushrooms.  Artichokes.  Wild boar.  Truffles.  It is a tasty season, indeed.

Unfortunately, fall also brings more rain.  Booo.

But other than the rain, this time around, I’m really enjoying the season.  I’ve done things like throw on a scarf and boots with my tank and shorts to show the Italians that I tried to acknowledge the change in date if not in temperature.  And you KNOW I’ve been eating.

I’ve been meaning to talk more about wardrobing here generally.  Yes, I have strayed from just one shirt, but I’ve devised a new uniform of sorts.  (It is basically all gray, all the time, with splashes of crazy.)  I have made some purchases, and I’m hoping to do a roundup of wardrobe additions at some point.  But this sounds big and intimidating so it might not happen.  But know that I totally want it to.  But also know that just willing things to happen seldom works for anything ever.  I’ve tried.

Anywho, I’ve made some additions I’m quite happy with.  But after assessing my wardrobe, there are a few pieces that I’d love to welcome to the proverbial closet fold for fall (and beyond).

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Style This Challenge: Sequin Diaper

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We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to discuss a pressing fashion emergency.  The Mom Edit points out a pretty neat sale at French Connection: 50% off already reduced items with the code 50Sale.

Not bad, right?   Even though I’m pretty set on my shirts, I decided to poke around.  Plenty of cute stuff, the sort of edgy basics that I like.

But then I stumbled on this:

That’s right.  I can only describe this as a sequined diaper.  French Connection calls it the “Cosmic Sparkle Short.”  I will agree, they are definitely far out.  Out of this world.  From another planet.  OK, I’ll stop.

But seriously, when would you wear these?  How would you wear these?  Even pretending I was a fabulous young thing and not a mother of two–even one who loves her some skinny jeans, what situations in my life would make me think, “you know what would really work here?  My sequin diaper.”

French Connection suggests to “Channel a vintage gymnast look and pair our sequinned Cosmic Sparkle Hot Pants with woolly tights and a fluffy knit.”  I guess it would have to be a short fluffy knit so you could still see the using-this-term-loosely “shorts.”

Maybe these could look edgy under a sheer dress?  Even with tights under, I just have a hard time picturing them standing alone.  Remember the epidemic of “whoops, she forgot her pants” in Hollywood?  I feel like–for better or for worse–leggings as pants are now more accepted.  I haven’t seen as much pearl clutching on this one.  But I have not see sequin diaper as pants being an accepted phenomenon.  Is this a bridge too far?

I love that fashion feels more fun now.  I don’t know if it is style bloggers or cheaper fashion or what, but it seems like things that used to be completely fashion verboten are now complete non-issues.  It feels admittedly silly to type this, but growing up I used to be physically pained at the idea of mixing black and brown.  I once saw a black and brown and navy dress and thought it was one of the most awful things I had ever seen.  Now I wear a camel colored purse every day without even glancing at my (probably black) shoes because they both are just neutrals.  Why wouldn’t they go together?  You know what else I now consider neutrals?  Camouflage.  Stripes.  Floral.  We all have our sartorial threshold, but you have to admit fashion is just more fun now, right?

Fun enough for a sequin diaper?  I guess we shall see.  I couldn’t rock this one, but if you are fabulous enough to do so, I say more power to ya!  (Could you please direct me to your instagram feed?  I imagine you must have photos there of you, stroking a liger, sipping flaming martinis, on a yacht that is circling someone’s private island.)  I have found myself eying sequin leggings recently.  If sequin diapers catch on, sequin leggings will be totally accepted daily momwear, right?

Would you sequin diaper?  If forced to wear a sequin diaper, how would you style it?  Do you agree that fashion is more fun than the shoes-match-purse feelings of yore?