Why Dress Up For the Movies?

On Friday I did a funny, crazy thing. Something so surprising, so unlike me that I can't believe I did it. I actually wore jeans to work for "casual Friday" and changed into a dress when I got home. I wanted to take some outfit photos while I had time and good lighting. The dress was so comfy I actually wore it to the movies with my hubby and grown step-sons. Normally I adhere to the "no one can see you anyway" rule for dressing for the movie theater, but this was as easy as jeans.

Yeah, the reverse of what I've done my entire life. I'm the woman who as a girl came home from church and immediately stripped off the dress and panty hose that we HAD to wear when I was younger. Yes, I'm old enough to remember having to dress up for church. Any time I could get away with pants, that's what I always preferred. Oh you know, I loved the once a year ballet recital tu tu, halloween, flower girl wedding dresses and playing dress up with mom's dresses, but generally for everyday wear, dresses were out.

 As a girl growing up in the 70's dresses seemed to me a symbol of weakness. Only in the last few years have I added pink back to my wardrobe. Apparently I had some kind of weird complex about femininity that I don't totally understand. Now I know leaving an abusive relationship in my 30's means I'm strong, not what I wear. Giving birth to twins and raising them means I'm strong, not wearing pants. And dagnabbit, wearing dresses is just kind of fun now. I think comfy boots and tights that make me feel covered helps a lot.  This summer dresses and strappy sandals were more about being perimenopausal and trying to stay cool, but that's a whole nother post!

 Somehow the rear view is way more pear shaped, but strangely I'm not too upset by this. It looks like I'm off on some fantastic adventure. O.K. So I was 200 yards from my house but we do have some cool woods!

Brighten A Rainy Day

 

 Funny, until recently I was scared of bright colors and mostly tried to keep a low profile. Even then I liked to wear a little color on rainy days to liven up the mood. I've had these crimson tights stashed waiting for just the right moment. When Go Chic or Go Home announced Tights as their new theme, I decided it was time to break them out. Usually I don't try out new things when I'm going to the office because I'm still a bit cautious. Silly I know especially since I'm the closest thing we have to a boss there and can wear pretty much anything within reason. Still, bright tights is a big stretch for me. Just after I bought them, there they were, bright colored tights on several "don't" lists for women over 40. Well, since when have I obeyed all the rules anyway? I'm not exactly a wildly careless rebel with only a few inches showing between skirt and boots, but it was a good first run for colored tights.

What Should I Wear To . . . A Community Meeting?

This dress and cardigan are as comfy as pants. I almost wore burgundy tights but decided since I'm over 40 and  about to attend a meeting, maybe I should go more conservative. Then tonight I looked at some other bloggers with their cute bright tights. Maybe I should have just gone for it. Is it time for me to get brave?

Weekend Review

Saturday we left the house and piddled around town. Very relaxing, but got absolutely nothing done, including posts. So here is what I wore Sunday to church and afterwards when I went casual. Saturday I was just too busy doing nothing to pause for a photo.

I found an awesome backdrop for my photo. And then I beat a hasty retreat from the old stone house restaurant when some dude began walking over to see what I was up to. On Sunday after church I convinced my hubby to get in the picture with me wearing the outfit I gave him for his birthday.

I'm terrible about identifying my clothing for various reasons. Not least of which is that I don't consider my blog a "how-to" blog. There are lots of others out there who can give you advice. Mine is more of a personal discovery thing. Other reasons include shame over buying low quality things, having no tag after cutting them all out, and just plain having a bad memory.  But I'll try to start identifying items more.

I know that the dress is from Cato, the little grey laceless oxfords came from Payless Shoes. The boots came from Kmart. After trying on many expensive boots, these finally fit the bill. Weird huh? My feet are weird about boots because the arthritis made my ankles less flexible.

 Generally I buy better quality now, and since I've discovered thrifting, my standards are getting higher. I'm still a work in progress. My hubby is wearing a  dark grey Van Heusen shirt and black Dockers pants.

Quick Change Artist

After a childhood spent avoiding dresses whenever possible, I'm discovering the advantages of dresses and skirts and wearing them more. I associate dresses with feeling restricted as a tomboy child. And panty hose used to be a must which meant sweat in summer and lots of discomfort. In winter they weren't really warm enough.

 Last summer I discovered airy dresses are a great way to beat the heat and now that I've discovered tights, the winter chills aren't a barrier to wearing skirts any more. And sometimes they're just plain fun. Also being a basically lazy person, I realized skirts rarely need washing. I'm sold.

Still when I'm heading out on a road trip after church, it's time for a quick change to jeans.

And here's what I wore to church today. So far I'm mainly branching out to wearing dresses to church because I can change to something ultra casual when I return home. But at least it's a start. Now that I see how slimming this is compared to some of my pants outfits, it may become a regular pattern.