To be honest with you, I had other ideas in my head such as a blog post on just why I decorated for Christmas upon our return from a Halloween weekend in Cincinnati,
We had a ton of fun in Cincinnati over Halloween weekend. We babysat for the boys while Oona and Sam went to a party dressed up as Costco samplers. The funniest thing was my husband thought they were doing a fundraiser at Costco and they were working. I guess Halloween was different when he was growing up in Paris!
Yes. Both trees are up and lit like someone who overindulged in Martha Stewart Egg Nog.
It’s time management for me. Between work and hosting an early Thanksgiving and traveling–it’s now or never!
How crazy am I to take Oona’s ornament from either Kindergarten or first grade that has deteriorated and update it with new pretzels. I ate the remaining giant-sized bag of pretzels.
Then I started packing for our upcoming trip to Paris (who knows how long delays will be with this effing government shutdown—we had a three-hour delay leaving from Philly to Cincinnati. We were lucky because our flight was merely delayed and not cancelled— I am getting triggered. I need to stop).
Luckily, the flight from Cincy to Philly was on time and landed early!
Anyway, I started packing for our upcoming trip to Paris and curating my choice of outfits and it slapped me just like a baby exiting the womb. I can write about how the way I dress has changed as I’ve aged!
I believe most people are organized when they pack. Not me! Everything is in a pile, then I go through it, try-ons, then it goes in the suitcase. Note the suitcase. The exterior is filthy. I’m not buying a new one. This has been with me for many years and does the job.
I mean, twenty, thirty, even ten years ago, there was always a little thought in my gray matter muttering “But what will others think of this outfit”? When my husband and I travelled, especially to Paris, those thoughts will surface. And the funny thing is I used to live in NYC! For decades! I mostly wore black so I didn’t give my clothing much pondering. Why, then, was I so concerned when heading to Paris?
I wouldn’t go as far as dressing as a can-can dancer but…
I’ve been shamelessly known to sport a beret!
Could it be because of all the “influenzas” and their smoke and mirrors, or those internet sites showcasing what people in Paris, Milan and other European cities are traipsing around in. Lest we forget, those videos are painstakingly edited and the street cinematographer is most likely spending hours upon hours on a street corner to get that impressive outfit.
Oui! Is this French enough for my wardrobe?
Although I can speak only of major cities as NY and Paris, most people dress normally. I’ll give the Parisiens kudos for their incredible ability to style and I give New Yorkers for the ability to not give a f*ck and stick to black. But I have to say, this time around, I am packing for me and only for me.
As I’ve aged, the middle portion of my body has spread. —like melted cheese spilling over a dish, my middle has spread over my panties and pants. And instead of whining about it, that spread needs to be dealt with. By hiding it.
My midsection is thicker these days but this old skirt still fits–INTO THE SUITCASE!
These old J. Crew Pixie pants are the closest things to leggings and delightfully, have stretched along with my body! This old sweater, I believe I purchased it about six years ago from Nordstrom, hides what needs to be hidden!
I love a good long sweater and now, with the weather heading into winter, those longer sweaters are more than welcome. Here’s the thing. All but one of the sweaters I am packing is old. Old like me. With our faltering economy (there I go again), it’s more pragmatic to rely on what we already own—especially for our demographic that is on a fixed income (for now). I’m not saying I haven’t bought anything new because I have—but most of my clothing is old.
Again, the tired and true Pixie pants. With a long sweater. The sweater is new. From Amazon and is so soft and comfortable. I’ll be able to walk the Parisian streets all day–especially should I wear loafers instead of booties!
Comfort is key as I’ve aged. Forget the jeans that dig into my gut every time I sit down. My preference is for something looser or thrifting up to a larger size.
These jeans by Lucky Brand were thrifted for next to nothing. The waist is comfortable due to stretch and with jeans–you can always change up the look with shoes or a different sweater.
Plaid ankle pants with a tunic sweater. The sweater is about ten years old from J. Crew. Everything pictured is in the suitcase!
Heels? Oh boy. If you recall my blog post about Jake’s wedding and the heel conundrum, you’ll probably catch the fact that I can no longer wear high heels. This hurts—and it hurts way more than my feet—it hurts my soul; and my soles! I envisioned me to be that 90-year-old woman wearing five-inch stilettos while using a walker. Ain’t gonna happen. If I can even stand up for ten minutes in heels, these days it’s a miracle.
The heels I wore to my son’s wedding. I ended up offering them to the Blessed Mother in exchange that I never wear heels like this again. Rest in Peace high heels.
I’m packing one pair of heels. An old pair of J. Crew, discontinued Duli heels that took years to break in. Oh. And I packed a pair of kitten-heeled booties—of which I need to take out of the suitcase and run around the house for at least two hours to break them in and then add innersoles.
The J. Crew Dulci pumps from a 2017 blog post. Eight years old and they are finally comfortable. BTW, I can no longer get those pants over my thigh. I don’t even know why I am still holding on to them.
From now on—it’s flats for me. Comfort is so important. Especially now that I try to outrun my grandsons when I’m with them. Gam Gam can be very stubborn and proud—even if it means the possibility of a sprain or broken foot from running into a door.
And I have a penchant for pointy-toed flats! These aren’t getting packed because it’s cold out and I won’t wear slingbacks in cold weather.
Top pic is before polish. Bottom after! Bass Weejuns and Navy Repettos are packed! In they go!
Okay, not to hijack the topic but.…..the loafers and ballet flats. I have a story for you. When my siblings and I were kids in Catholic school, my dad, who was obsessive with polished shoes, would have us line up our shoes after dinner and he would polish them. He was extremely serious about this. Rubbing the polish in carefully, then buffing with a towel, then going over with a brush for shine.
Anyway, I took a good look at my shoes and realized that I neglect my footwear because I don’t polish them my husband is a shoe–polisher. So, I made Vincent take me to DSW to buy Cordovan shoe polish and navy shoe polish. DSW did not have shoe polish. The store did, however, have a shoe sponge with built-in black polish that shines the shoes–it was ten bucks and he purchased it. It worked alright on my black loafers but I was not impressed.
Instead, I ordered shoe paste on Amazon in Cordovan and Navy. Both worked beautifully!
This shoe paste is incredible. No more scuffs!
I didn’t give up on my skirts. They aren’t worn for work anymore because corporate clothing and business casual have been traded for more comfortable attire in the State Hospital—however we do have a dress code to adhere to—no flip flops or high heels for obvious reasons. Women are discouraged to wear clothing that might drive the forensic patients’ libidos. I get that. Besides, my office is so cold that I need to wear double-sweatshirts, sweat pants or jeans or heavy leggings. I stick to flats but draw the line on socks. I still despise them.
Along with the leopard print skirt, I’ll bring the houndstooth skirt and plaid one. They are already packed. The short sleeved sweater is from two years ago. Temu. Eight bucks each and I gotta say, these sweaters held up a lot better than expensive ones! While I realize it’s fast fashion, if it lasts for years it’s slow fashion. I love tights and these are packed along with the Dulci pumps!
And during this season, Mariah Carey might croon about all she wats for Christmas is you, but all I want is to come home from work and put on my Old Navy pajamas.
No longer do I feel the need to dress up at home. Sure—if we have guests, I will get dressed into nicer clothing. But in all honesty, I look forward to Christmas when we are at my daughter’s house and we all have matching pajamas and don’t leave the house. It’ll be more fun to play with the boy’s toys from Santa, eat food all day and just be with my family.
Old Navy PJ’s are the bomb. After daylight savings on the last day of October, I LIVE in these when at home. At least I’m not wearing a Mumu!
Aging, while something people fret about, isn’t bad. It’s that point in your life where you can be comfortable in your own skin. Where you can look in a mirror and see your present reflection that can make you think of your younger self—but allows you the confidence and empowerment to realize that is a memory, a fond one, and you don’t need fillers or filters to make you look younger.
My aging 70-year old face sans makeup and wig. It’s not my 20 or 30 or 40 face but it’s mine and I love it–nothing a bit of makeup won’t enhance..
I would rather see a cartoon of me than an over-filled or over-filtered me. Actually, I would rather just see real me.
Perhaps I don’t dress age appropriately to some but for the most part, I just want to dress nicely–no matter what my age.
So, get comfortable. Throw the heels out. Slip into flats. Eat a steak with fries and have that cake. Wear those elasticized waisted skirts and pants and sweats. And be thankful that you have the privilege to experience the aging process!
Hey! Have you changed the way you dress or anything since you’ve aged? Are you comfortable with yourself? Write a comment and let us discuss!