2021, Business, Family, Gatherings, Kids, Mysteries, Uncategorized

Fashion Faux Pax

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Thursdays this summer are Craft Beer Days at my company.  Supporting local breweries, craft beers are served on the patio (our outdoors party spot – and yes, we have an indoor party spot as well) at 4 p.m.  So when YA’s team decided to go into the office for the first time, now that their building’s updating has been finished up, they chose Thursday. In preparation for this, YA has purchased a few things for her cube: pencil holder, markers, a frame with changeable letters. 

On Wednesday afternoon we got an email encouraging us to wear our “Pride swag” on Thursday as well.  I didn’t have to worry about this because I would be working from home, but YA was obviously pondering her choice.  I laughed when she told me this and asked if she had any yoga pants that could be considered pride-worthy, since that is her primary outfit choice.  She haughtily (actually VERY haughtily) told that she doesn’t own any yoga pants; she wears leggings or joggers, not yoga pants.

I was dumbfounded; if you had asked me, I would have said she had at least 25 pairs of yoga pants.  Guess I’m wrong.  I looked up leggings and joggers and yoga pants online.  If there is a difference between these, I can’t tell.  Once more, fashion has left me in the dust.  I pulled out what I have always called my yoga pants and YA says they are not yoga pants, they are leggings.  Of course, it doesn’t really matter, since I haven’t worn them since the pandemic started.  It’s been mostly sweat pants and jersey shorts for months with an occasional pair of jeans or khaki shorts.  I actually wore a sundress to Blevins on Sunday – it felt weird.

What fashion choices leave you scratching your head?

84 thoughts on “Fashion Faux Pax”

  1. I have an update to the story already. About an hour after I had it all set to run, YA told me she wants to go to the Mall of America this weekend to look for “city pants”. And hearing her describe these pants, it sounds like there’s a fourth category of pants that look exactly the same to me but apparently have minute differences which cause them to be called something else. YA did acknowledge all four categories of pants are very similar. Small victories.

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  2. Man, oh man, I’m so out of my comfort zone when we talk fashion. I googled “sundress” to try to get a mental image of what vs was talking about. This is what I found, and now I’m trying to figure out which dress vs most likely was wearing to Blevins last Sunday: https://www.lulus.com/categories/13_1786/sundresses.html

    But, I’m an expert when it comes to fleece lined leggings! I love them. All winter long, I wear them. They’re just the most comfortable thing ever. I do own what I think are a pair of yoga pants, though. They’re dark blue, calf length, with a snazzy red stripe going down the outside of the legs. They’re made of some sturdy and strong synthetic material, pretty stylish if I say so myself. I no doubt got them off a T.J. Maxx clearance rack some years ago, and as of yet, I have found no opportunity to wear them. It didn’t help that they closed the local Y I used to go to, but I’m certain that they’d hold up for whatever workout I’d give them.

    There are way too many fashion choices that I don’t get, and never will, but those sagging gangsta pants that so many young people wear still baffle me.

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    1. I guess I have a pretty broad definition of sundress. To me it means a dress that you wear in the summertime that doesn’t have any sleeves. Although I will admit that I wore a shirt underneath my sundress for Blevins. Blue Indian print.

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    2. I am in complete agreement about fashion choices that seem bizarre. I also don’t understand the big pants, it just looks uncomfortable. The other fashion option that I really don’t like are jeans with rips in them. Especially when you know that most of the folks wearing jeans with rips in them bought them with the rips and probably paid more because of those rips..

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  3. i have lost some weight since my surgery. i had a weird shutdown of my system where i simply couldn’t get anything to go down for 10 days. it caused me to lose weight and i havnt gained it back. i am in shorts and a short sleeved shirt mode so if the pants are too big i just torque down the belt a couple notches and they don’t fall off. i can’t tuck my shirt in or it would show the pants all getting bounced up around the belt loops.
    i had a doctors appt on wednesday and confirmed i was shorter and lighter than last time i checked
    if it’s still going on come fall i may gave to empty the closet and get some clothes that fit to replace the potato sacks i’m cinching up with a log jam in fabric at the belt buckle. i’m not sure anyone notices at all. i have noticed that women’s clothes seem to be a lot more comfy than men’s choice wise. men’s fashion choices today at target are good as far as shirts but pants are very meh. tell ya they have some excellent pride choices from in your face to subtle.

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    1. Back in 2012 when I had my fall, my wardrobe had to be significantly adjusted. Because of my fractured right humerus, I couldn’t lift my arm, which made it difficult to get dressed. There were other issues a well. The solution, for me, turned out to be Hawaiian shirts and pull on pants. My friend, Helen, went shopping at the local Goodwill and procured my summers wardrobe. Husband in an act of solidarity went out and bought himself several really nice Hawaiian shirts. He has been trotting them out during the last couple of weeks. They are so out of the range of clothing he’d normally wear, but for some reason, these have grown on him. He wears them comfortably and without the slightest sense of self-consciousness. What’s next? Cowboy boots and a Stetson?

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    1. Funny that you should say that, Bill. I love pockets. When I wear leggings I just make sure my top (tunic?) has some, but yes, and outfit without pockets is just not acceptable.

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      1. Many of the pants/leggings that YA wears have pockets. Maybe I’ll have to ask her if the pockets are significant in terms of telling what kind of pants they are?

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        1. I would think that leggings with pockets would be city pants, but what the heck do I know? Please let us know, I like to be current in my fashion jargon.

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        3. I was just about to type “snort” and then for some reason thought I would look up cargo leggings. They are real!. Do we need to know why you are in the know Bill?

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        7. I notice that the catalog pictures for cargo leggings don’t actually show them with anything in the pockets. Add a wallet, a cell phone and a set of car keys to the header photo.

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    1. Yes she does. She had her first interview with my company in May before she told me she was applying. So it was a surprise. She works on the “other side of the house” as we in my division call it, not in the travel division. So our jobs do not touch or intersect in anyway.

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      1. I vaguely recalled you telling us this bit of information some time ago, just wanted to be sure I remembered correctly. I wish her the same satisfaction, longevity and success as you have enjoyed there.

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  6. That header photo reminds me of an Australian comedian, Celeste Barber. She is forever poking fun at our idea of perfection and glamour as is pertains to women and their bodies. You can check her out on YouTube, she’s a hoot. She alternately cracks me up and makes me cringe.

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  7. I’m constantly bewildered by so much in fashion, especially buying pre-ripped and torn jeans and wearing them as a fashion statement (???) When my jeans finally wear out after 10 years or so, my wife won’t allow me to wear them in public. they’re relegated to “chore jeans”–mowing the lawn, doing yard work, anything around the house where I’m going to get down and dirty.

    ALso the pre-washed or stonewashed jeans. Why would I pay the same price–or more!–for jeans that are halfway to worn out? And will the buyer keep those when they start to rip across the thighs? OR do they pay separately for that strategically sliced pair?

    Skinny pants on men is befuddling too. I see a lot of young pro golfers wearing pants that look painted on around the ankles. At least most of them have the build for that style–it would look silly on normal to husky-sized men. And how do they get them on? I have size twelve feet and I’m thin enough that I could at least consider wearing skinny pants, but I don’t think I could get them on over my feet without dislocating my ankles.

    Along with those skinny pants is the current style of celebrity men to wear suits that are tight, and skinny-profiled, but seem to be two sizes too small. They look like they’re wearing a suit they’ve outgrown (like a teenager) but cram themselves into it because they can’t afford the proper size. Wasn’t that an embarrassing fashion statement back in the day when wearing too small clothes was more of an indication of poverty? But now it’s tres chic.

    I’ll stick with golf shorts and shirts, normal jeans without intentional tears, and clothes that fit me reasonably well so I don’t have to slather my legs in butter just to get them on and off.

    Chris in Owatonna

    ***BSP– I’ll have a booth at the Hopkins Raspberry Festival Marketplace Art & Craft Fair tomorrow from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm in downtown Hopkins–Main Street between 10th and 11th Avenues. I’d love to meet some TBers, chat about authors and literature, and sell you a signed copy of one or more of my books. Weather looks perfect for an outdoor street party. They’ll be dozens of vendors, food, music, activities for the kids, all sorts of entertainment. And outdoors means relatively safe from COVID***

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    1. Chris, we have the same “old jeans protocol” at our house including the wife nagging the husband “to stop wearing those filthy jeans in public places”. I may show up at your booth in the afternoon Chris. I have a Master Gardener event in the morning through early afternoon, but a public festival sounds pretty nice.

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      1. PS, I like Barack Obama’s Dad Jeans that are baggy and unfashionable, without rips, and belted. They also appeared to not need to accommodate adult diapers, unlike certain other presidents.

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    2. No one ever mentioned the state of some of my jeans, I could just read what they were thinking. Yes, while no one bothered about all those people with “designer rips.” I occasionally do a house move for someone with my van, which results in pieces of furniture being moved around, often leaving, say, the mirror of a dressing table, being temporarily in an unaccustomed position, so that I will often find myself unexpectedly watching myself approaching a mirror, with a pair of ragged, many times repaired Levi’s on full view. There must have been extra mirrors the last move I did because I suddenly decided enough was enough, and burned half a dozen pairs. All I can really say is, at least I earned those rips.

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  8. Our son is a groomsman in a wedding for a friend in Septmber. It is the second wedding for this fellow. The groom asked his attendants to have the same tailor made suit sewn for them. It is made by a Vietnamese company, and the measuring process was fascinating. Son said they did detailed measurements using computers. The suit arrived yesterday, and son says it is the best suit he ever had. There was some disagreement among the guys as to the type of vents on the suit coat. They settled on a single vent instead of double vents, which made son happy, as he dislikes double vents.

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      2. Sherrilee said she thought you all may have met your match, and I became intoxicated with success. I think I’ll just creep away now(again).

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        1. I would venture to admit that has happened. In the event of my becoming aware of it, however, I would act to prevent its continuance.

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  9. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    I want to point out that each time I wear yoga pants or leggings, I do the pose pictured in the header.

    I admit to tuning out of most fashion of late—a positive effect of the pandemic was the leisure clothing. A negative effect s that many shops where I used to purchase clothing closed. Plus I have mentioned before that I do not like to shop for clothing online. I have an odd shape and I like to try on my prospective clothing.

    So I turn this topic to clothing for very elderly people. I do most of the clothing shopping for my 92 year old mother because it is something I can do from a distance that lifts some responsibility off of my sister’s shoulders. I recently found several online clothing lines specifically for people who cannot move easily or who need nursing care (including Hoyer lifts that restrict access needed for toileting care). The shirts button up the back, they have many pockets that do not catch on things, and the pants often have two zippers up the sides. The fabric is often fuzzy and very warm given the tendency of the very elderly to be cold. Who knew there were such lines of clothing? Of course the outfits look quite fashionable on the models. I bought some of these outfits for my mother which we were to try on when I visited last weekend. However, she was confused and agitated those days, so she only tried on the warm, fuzzy jackets, which did fit and she like them.

    So there we have our future fashion needs since most of us are now Senior Baboons.

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    2. A few month sago, I purchased some hospital gowns fro my friend Philip. He was having trouble getting in and out his PJs. These are the gowns we’re all familiar with, they tie in the back. They make it so much easier to get him into bed at night, and his ever expanding stomach isn’t an issue.

      OT – Just returned from the Farmer’s Market. I got a gorgeous assortment of lettuces, radishes, new potatoes, green beans, fresh garlic, and the first locally grown corn. I see a Salade Nicoise in my immediate future.

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      1. It is that time of year—last night we had our first garden pasta with fresh basil, Anaheim and Hungarian peppers, and zucchini. Still smiling and smacking my lips!

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  10. I committed a fashion faux pas here in the village. In normal times, there is a Catholic parade, which takes place two nights running, maybe sometime in August, I forget. I’m an atheist, and fiestas now seem like something that used to happen. I do like to see this solemn parade though.
    But we have so many fiestas, I hadn’t really gathered, this year, which particular event this was. So I was stranded in a sea of men in their once-a – year, razor sharp dark suits, or, given the heat, at the very least, immaculately pressed trousers and crisp shirt. Which is what I’d have been wearing, had I not been the one person who didn’t know what day it was. As it was I was in casual fifties/early sixties style draipipe Levi’s (not ripped), pointed shoes, and the flashiest shirt I could muster. Not respectful to Our Lady at all. I could feel the eyes of Jordi, the Mayor, boring into me. “Now what the hell is that weirdo doing?” He likes Jane. He never given much sign that he likes me. I finally managed to creep away.
    Next night, fully prepared, I sallied forth dressed in my best (well not my absolute best, Palomar may not be ready for that.) Once you’re out of the house and halfway to the start of the action, you’re kind of committed. Things are about to start, you can’t really go home and change now, and half the village has already seen you anyway. Everyone was in smart casual, not a suit in sight, and Jordi really did seem to have mastered the art of marching in a parade and staring witheringly at the same time. I’ve got to say, it didn’t seem fair.

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    1. I see that’s a bit confusing ( what’s new, you’re thinking). That parade didn’t happen this year. It could well have been three years ago, because I believe I took care to hide in the house the following year.

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    1. Mary Tyler Moore was not allowed to wear capri pants on every episode of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” she was considered just too sexy. I think it had to be every second show. Maybe us guys would all have exploded.

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        3. Of course Rob and Laura were not allowed to sleep in the same bed either. Remember those 50s – 60s era twin bed sets for married couples?

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  12. Man buns.They simply should not be.

    The other day we passed a man in the store and he was wearing, what looked like an adult onsie- but the shorts version. It was very wildly colored and, good for him, but you’ll never find me anywhere near something like that.

    Today I’m in my dirty shirt (cotton, two pockets, no sleeves of course) ,dirty jeans and work boots.

    There used to be some college kids that would tease me to give them fashion sense. (because ours senses certainly didn’t relate to each other) and I’d give them something and we’d all laugh.
    And then there was Ethan. Now Ethan could dress to the nines. Seriously, I would contact Ethan if I had to dress up for something and I’d get his take on things.
    He’s still around; is the floor / station manager for a nursing station at Mayo and he’s very good at his job. I see him out and about occasionally. I bet he looks great at work.

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    1. Designer scrubs, eh?

      Ben, there is an overall onesie that zips up the front, usually grey and covers up the clothing when working dirty. My replies wore those when harvesting. I could embellish one of those with polymer clay for you for a second Ben Fashion Statement to go with the shirts.

      There is freshly picked sweet corn out here in Eden Prairie—guess what we are having for supper?

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      1. PS, my son moved recently. We took a load of furniture to him and he was sporting a man bun that day. First time I saw him wear that. I actually like man buns (she quietly, not wanting to offend.)

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        1. I am quite open to man buns; there was a time when I was young when adults excoriated young men with ponytails, and I didn’t see a problem with them. If a woman can wear a ponytail, or a bun, why not a man? In some professions, a hair restraint is necessary, and anyone should be free to choose what they do with their hair.

          The Duck Dynasty beards kinda turn me off though.

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      2. I’d have died inside overalls in harvest weather, even in England. My uniform would be Levi’s and what I’m sure were called baseball boots before trainers were invented. I’d put a shirt on if I thought I was going to burn. But don’t the overalls get dirty?

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        1. When they harvest here Sept – November it can be cold, so they need the warmth. Yes they get dirty but they are washable.

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    1. I read that an area in Germany called Wuppertal is threatened by a possible dam failure. This is the area where my father’s family came from, and I might possibly still have relatives there, if the family tree could be traced reliably.

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  14. At the risk of being snide, I have to point out that in today’s blog post title the words “faux pax” are a bit of a faux pas (French for “false step”).

    I thought yoga pants differed from leggings by being a bit loose about the lower leg, almost like the flared pants that were favored in my youth. Leggings are fitted all the way down the leg.

    Then there are jeggings, leggings that are supposed to resemble tight jeans. The quote I recall from the time of their launch was “friends don’t let friends buy jeggings”. But I think jeggings have pockets, so that’s useful. I can forgive.

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    1. Oops. “Pax” is an industry word that I probably type 4 to 5 times a day for work. So my fingers just automatically go there and I didn’t even notice.

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      2. Ha! I thought the faux pas was intentional.

        OT – Last night husband went down to Harriet Island to fly his drone with a friend. Afterward he sat down in the grass as they chatted, his friend remained standing. That turns out to have been a wise decision. Tonight husband’s butt, legs, groin area and stomach are covered with chigger bites. I’ve rubbed all of the bites with cortisone cream in hopes of easing the itching. He thinks they should have signs warning people that there are chiggers in the grass! Guess he has lived here forty years and this is his first encounter with them. Live and learn.

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        1. His friend could have said something, if he knew there were chiggers. But he must have followed Seasick Steve’s advice if he didn’t get bites himself – “Gonna wear my socks up to my knees.”
          Then he says, you’ve got to wash them on the hottest cycle. I was surprised to hear he had a washing machine.

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  15. Pingback: Fashion Faux Pax – Nelsapy

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