In the Kansas City Star this morning was a discussion about American vs. European cut shirts. This just got me to wondering about how my sewing sisters dress on a day to day basis?
Not too stylish, I admit, but if I had my ‘druthers’ I’d wear a long skirt, button down shirt with a collar, and a sweatshirt over the top, all day, everyday. It’s my outfit of choice! But, of course, it isn’t appropriate to wear everywhere, and in K.C. it’s way too HOT about 7 months of the year. Good for today, though…..
Church? See above…BUT,,,, Off with the sweatshirt! On with a jacket or nice sweater. In Summer, dress and jacket or sometimes (August) T-shirt and Jumper.
Work? Don’t work full time, anymore, but I wore skirted suits and nice blouses or shirtwaist style dresses when I did.
Out to dinner? Weeeeeeeeeell If I remember correctly, it’s been awhile, long black silk skirt and v-neck long sleeved, stretchy black top.
Summer? I’ve already admitted, I just look a mess all summer long, and that is something I really want to change about my wardrobe.
I seldom wear pants, my knees and hips hurt, way too bad, the next day, if I do.
So, what is in your closets? Phrased the question badly… there’s a lot of stuff in my closet that I don’t wear, some I don’t even like…….What is on your body today? Gail
Replies
Hi GailAnn: Today we have guests on the job which is rare and I have on wide leg double knit dark brown pants w/dark brown cute short flat boots with a cream on cream dress shirt with gold stripes. This is topped with a asymetrical cream vest w/tiny gold swirls. My braids are up in a top bun and I put on a little eye shadow and gloss.
Normally I wear jeans and a top, sometimes with a jacket and somethings with a sweater. I wear skirts in the summer, mostly various lengths below the knee jean skirts and others, I have no set style, I like to mix it up according to how I'm feeling. I love bright colors - orange, yellow, light blue, pink and others for the summer. Even though I am the admin. secretary, and have all the office trappings (my own office) I work at a plant with lots of men, and it's quite dusty and dirty around here with all of the trucks stirring up dust all day long right outside my window on the ground floor. Small office w/four office people, the rest production guys.
When I go out dancing I wear mid-high heels with ultra sheer stockings, skirt/dresses that swirl and fancy ensambles of whatever I can make or buy. I like to make an entrance and stand out on the dance floor. I know I'm a ham, always have been. Too old to change now. (giggle).
Whenever I go to a function, I wear something appropriate for the function but with my own little flash in the pan (smile).
I rarely wear pants as skirts and dresses are more comfortable. My skirts range from dressy wool skirts to denim and sweatshirt fleece skirts. I often make 2 piece dresses. Just this year I have started making some 1 piece dresses.
Summer skirts summer are usually linen, linen blends, rayon challis and knits. Winter skirts are soft wools and rayon blend suitings. I have some RPL and silk noil in my stash to make skirts, those fabrics may get added to the fabrics I like for summer and/or winter. I like my skirts long enough I don't have to sit like a lady to still be one <g>.
My tops are varied. I have sweaters and sweater sets, several knit tops and t-shirts and a few rayon challis tops. I don't have any dressy blouses right now but I do have a couple of hand-dyed silks waiting to be sewn. I have started making top muslins that may be wearable from a cotton fabric I can dye. If I like the item it gets dyed after fitting but before being finished. If I still like the item after dyeing it <g>, I finish it.
I prefer shawls to jackets or cardigan sweaters for warmth. I have 2 hand-woven, 4 commercially woven and 2 knitted shawls. I have a knitted shawl project that I want to find and move from UFO to WIP (work in progress). I have several handwoven shawls that are WIMs (works in mind).
Today I am wearing a royal blue wool sarong with a lighter blue t-shirt and my navy/multi jewel tones handwoven shawl.
Joanne
Fun question! Until I retired I wore pants suits, usually with a silk blouse, nearly every day. Most I made. I have yet to get totally comfortable with casual wear but I am getting there. At this very moment I have on a pair of black dockers, grey socks, and flip flops, and a white turtleneck. If I go out to run errands I "dress up" with nice slacks and jacket, scarf, earrings, etc. Church and shopping are the only time I get dressed up to any degree and I like doing it. Yesterday, honest to Pete, I bought the first pair of jeans I have purchased in maybe ten years. I only had one pair and they are in shreds and saved for painting sprees. I am very hard to fit in jeans and tried on tons. Then I went to Kmart and found some Lee riders relaxed petites that fit wonderfully so I am really happy about that. They will probably take me thru the next ten years ! I like to accessorize and have lots of scarves that I have painted and made. I have worn nylons once in the past two years since my retirement and that was for a funeral. If I go to a summer wedding I use leg makeup, Sally Hansen, which I just love. I also like to wear hats and in winter always have one on when I leave the house. My ears get to doggone cold otherwise. solo
I love your expression WIMs!!
I don't remember where I first read WIM. It is such an accurate description for the projects I have planned in my head.
Joanne
WIM and WIP - they sound like cheeky little imps!
Oh my, I am out of my league. My favorite outfit for day to day stuff is capri (jeans, or knits) and t-shirts for summer and jeans, sweatshirts, long sleeved t-shirts or lightweight pullover sweaters for cooler weather. Dressing up for me is a better pair of slacks, a lightweight pullover and a jacket of some sort. Shoes are usually black flat slip-ons or walking athletic shoes (what we always all 'tennies').
I worked in offices and it was always 'business casual' where I worked which suited me just fine. I was younger and thinner then so finding things that fit wasn't the issue it is now.
This is a fun thread.........hope lots of others hop on!!
Kay
They are way out of my league too. Jeans and t-shirts, un-holey ones if I go to town, which is only once a week. When I retired I really retired. I "dress up" once a week to go to church, mostly challis skirts and knit tops with hose and low heels. I do have a few suits that I've made and jackets for when it's cool, but for me it's loose, comfortable and easy. Country church, country life....I love it. And retirement! There aren't enough good words to describe it!
Now I sew for the grand-kids. They are always needing something.
Linda
I can relate to your style.........about the same as mine. I'm retired but help my daughter with her in-home daycare. Who wants to wear good clothing for the babies to spit up on?? ha I also have a large number of grandchildren. Some are in the age where hand made isn't cool but some are still young enough to enjoy grandma's creativity!
I live in a metro area so I try to always wear jeans and t-shirts that are all in one piece and not too stained.......and a notch up for going out shopping, etc. I grew up in the country but have adapted well to city and shopping ......especially fabric stores!!
Kay
Just curious, where do you live? Gail
I'm still trying to convince my husband to move to North Carolina, but as for right now we live way out in the goonies of Waynesboro, GA, 4 miles from a nuclear power plant (I hope no one gets mad enough at us to bomb it). We have 19 acres, a pond, cows, dogs, cats, deer, armadillos, rattlesnakes, pond snakes, water moccasins, coons, bobcats, otters, and who knows what else plus an 87 year old Mom and two old-timers trying to stay sane. At least we have tons of peace and quiet! I'm 60, my husband is 62.
Your bio says that you live in Mo and Wis. Isn't that a long commute or am I being nosy?
Linda
p.s. I said dogs but it's now just one dog. My white shepherd died recently and I'm still miserable over it.
Just loved your expression "Country Church, country life." Think it is wonderfully charming and revealing.
My husband is still working (American Airlines Mechanic), although I quit when my Dad got sick. So we live near Kansas City, Missouri, in just a normal subdivision house. We own 7.5 beautiful acres on the Eau Claire River in extreme Northwest Wisconsin. We hope to retire there and then we will attend the church that raised my Dad, and in due time be buried in the cemetary with my Paternal Grandparents.
We had a white dog for 14 years, best dog I ever had, gone 10 years now, I still miss her. Gail
I too left work to care for a sick parent. Eleven years ago Mom was in a three day coma, when she came out of it she had suffered brain damage that became a sort of progressive alzheimers. We moved her here (from N.C.) next door to us, but now she has to live with us. She's back to a very young child now...sits and colors or counts her crayons most of the dayand has trouble finding words to make whole sentences. She disappeared on us one day and wandered off in the woods, but my shepherd (Velvet) led me to her. It was neat, kind of like Lassie. Now we have alarms on the doors. It's been a long and very difficult journey, but the Lord has changed me so much and blessed us so much in the process, that I have to be grateful.
I would still love to end up in N.C. with my son and my brother and their families, but Tommy is a Georgia boy, born and bred, and for some odd reason he loves this red clay, gnats, and HEAT!!! ----and I love him, so here I'll stay. Linda
And that's pretty much the reason I'm here in Missouri. Gail
Linda,
Where and why do you want to move to North Carolina? I'm just curious, it sounds like you have a fabulous place in Georgia. I on the other hand AM moving to North Carolina, this summer, it became official last night. I'm so excited, we already have our house, - bought it 2 yrs ago, just south of Asheville. Just been waiting for my husband to retire - March 28th.
My son and my brother and their families live in Wilkesboro. I love the mountains......and I hate gnats, mosquitoes, and heat. I love to garden and it just gets too hot here. I'm thinking of digging everything up, pouring concrete, and painting it green; the droughts every year are getting terrible. We do have a wonderful place, though. Maybe I can sweet talk my son into moving the grandkids down this way?
Linda
p.s. I lived just out of Ashville in Enka years ago. It's beautiful!!
"gnats, mosquitoes, and heat. I love to garden and it just gets too hot here. "sounds a lot like Houston, just add 100%humidity! Don't sweet talk your son, sweet talk your husband into the move!!!good luck
Judy
Sounds like I have a sympathizer!!!! Believe me, I'm still trying.
Congratulations on your upcoming move! I've always lived near Raleigh, but I went to college at Appalachian, and have visited the Asheville area quite often. I do love the mountains, and if the opportunity presented itself, I would move to Asheville in a heartbeat!
For work, nice slacks, khakis, or jeans with a tailored shirt, blouse, vest and/or sweater or blazer, usually with a scarf or nice jewelry. Some of my colleagues wear jeans, t-shirts, shorts or sweats, while others wear suits, dresses, and high heels, so anything goes! I like to keep my work wardrobe and leisure wardrobe separate so that I don't feel that I'm wearing the same things all the time.
For home, nice jeans or knit pants with knit tops or tshirts in rich colors. For dressy events, a silky skirt with an elegant sweater or silk blouse. For everywhere, nice but comfortable shoes are a must!
Jeans and tshirts. That way if I have to paint or dye something I won't destroy anything good.
When I was young and skinny I lived in Toronto and dressed really well. I had designer clothes I'd buy on a budget. Often overstocks from the year before. I wore dress clothes to work in a lab. Now that I'm considerably less skinny and young and I work in a lab where I have a lot of patient contact, I wear scrubs mostly. Occasionally I dress up (dress pants, blouse or a conservative dress) and freak my staff out because they assume some bigshot from management is going to show up. Bleach is terribly prevalent and I've ruined some nice stuff over the years so I'm careful about what I wear to work. I like to dress up but, I've gotten frumpy after I had my kids (mom jeans, sweats, tees) and I'm trying to dress better. In the summer I wear capris and sleeveless tailored shirts (I like April Cornell) and nice tees and in the winter jeans, slacks and shirts. I'm a big fan of jackets. I really like to wear skirts and I have some nice dresses as well. I can never find pants that fit, so working that out is a future project for me. I prefer natural fibres and woven fabric. I don't mind ironing.
What an interesting topic, Gail. I'm just catching up on reading the "Gatherings" topics. On my body today...I'm at home, and it's the day after Thanksgiving, so it's a pair of old knit pants and a knit top, fluffy socks and slippers. Very casual, very comfortable!
I work for a small homebuilder, and am the only female and often the only person in the office. The guys wear jeans and shorts--quite appropriate for the construction site, but I like to look a little more professional, but yet still be comfortable. I usually wear pants (ranging from pleated trousers to Dockers type pants) with tops (knit t-shirts, turtlenecks, sweater sets, or blouses) and a sweater or jacket. Occasionally in the summer I'll wear a skirt instead of pants. I accessorize with jewelry, or a vest or scarf. I like classic styles, so I mix and match pieces to make different outfits.
On weekends at home, it's jeans or shorts and knit tops. If I have to run out for an errand, I wear long pants to hide my chubby un-tanned legs!
For church or a fancy dinner out, I usually wear a skirt or nice pants from my work wardrobe. I prefer skirts to dresses, because I think they fit me better and are more comfortable.
There is a lot of stuff in my closet that I don't wear any more. Some pieces I'm tired of, some were gifts and not quite my style or color, but most I've just "outgrown". :-)
A couple of weeks ago I visited my daughter that is pregnant with twins. Her nesting instinct has set in and we went thru all her closets and drawers and she gave me more clothes that were beautiful but she is just "tired" of wearing. I think we do get tired of some really nice things some times and it is just time to pass them on. We are lucky to wear the same size and I definitely use her castoffs.
You are so lucky to be the same size, and also have the same taste as your daughter. My mom is about the same size that I am, but we wear definitely different styles! My sister and I had fun trading clothes when we were growing up, but we aren't the same size any more.<!----><!----><!---->
When it's time for me to pass along my clothes, I donate them to the local domestic violence shelter. What isn't needed for the women in the shelter is sold in their Variety Store to raise funds for the shelter.
By the way, how is your daughter getting along these days? The twins are due soon, right? I hope things go smoothly for her. I'm sure you're getting excited about their arrival as well! :-)
What's on my body? Well....usually during the weekdays I like to wear something comfortable but nice...usually a pair of jeans with a cute top. I also wear a leotard and tights (and leg-warmers *laughs*) three days out the week. (I do ballet) For church I like to wear either a dress or a skirt and a cute top that a little more "tailored" than the shirts I wear during the week. On weekends though, (unless I'm going somewhere [to the fabric store prolly *smiles*]) I like to wear some sweats and a t-shirt. When I go out, I like to wear something a little more silky and soft, like a silky shirt and some cute pants or slacks. Wither that or I wear a sun-dress.
Anybody else? TTYL
What do we wear? Hubby and I are in Redmond, WA, USA, home of Microsoft. We rode out the dot.com boom and bust of the late 90s and 2000s, and now have a home-based consulting business. In Seattle, "dressing up" means wearing something barely fancier than a plaid flannel shirt to business meetings. Hubby therefore wears a dress shirt and wool trousers to business meetings (but no ties - only bankers & loan officers here wear ties, and only car salesmen wear jackets! What a change for us from the East coast!).
All of my clients are online, (I'm a freelance food writer with a dozen or so rotating clients) so I wear anything from pajamas (only for online & phone meetings!) to wool trousers and a wool turtleneck and black flannel pea coat to meet personally with clients.
For Church it's the same - what they call "smart casual" here is a bit less than "Sunday best" everywhere else. Our workwear is OK for church.
For dinner out, it's the same as workwear if it's fancier than take-out.
For summer, it's lighter versions of work/church wear. We don't have the temperature span of other parts of the US (except for the odd heatwave day). We're pretty much in turtlenecks year round! (Insert giggle here!)
But what's in my closet? Lots of casual clothes, and then more casual clothes. Sigh. That's Seattle. I've made a couple of evening dresses that work here but only for Seattle Symphony benefits or for charity auctions. There are very few occasions to dress up in Seattle. I've long wanted to make an evening dress from plaid flannel to make that point, but this year feels like the one in which to do it! :)
:) Mary
A plaid flannel evening gown--thanks for the giggle!
We're in the same, if not more, casual mode down here in the Central Valley of California, smack dab in the middle of miles of farmland in a college town. Sometimes it's hard to tell the residents and professionals from the farmworkers around here!
I am glad that I no longer have to wear suits, dresses, and heels to work anymore, but I often miss those occasional dressy days. I go ahead and wear elegant dresses to parties and concerts and have fun with scarves and earrings to wear with my everyday cords and jeans and sweaters.
Every Halloween, I swear I'm going to dress up like an adult again, but change my mind at 6:30 a.m. and gratefully pull on slacks and a shirt instead. I don't want to pantyhose and heels again for any reason, not even a costume party!
The year that my daughter was in second grade, I wore a black watch plaid pleated skirt, navy blue lambs wool sweater over white blouse with a lace collar, navy tinted hose, kiltie loafers, strand of pearls and pearl earrings. Who was I?
"A Rich Connecticut Housewife!" Gail
Actually, I've seen a red plaid evening gown & it is gorgeous! Someone designed it for the Alberta tartan - the skirt was beautifully flared. The top was relatively plain with spaghetti straps. The whole garment was cut on the bias & very nicely done (of course, it wasn't a huge plaid). So go for it (or at least make a long skirt that could be worn with a variety of tops).
Gloria
Ah, but it isn't FLANNEL, is it? A bias plaid - sounds beautiful!
I kinda like the idea of a flannel gown - it could double as a nightie when Cinderella returns from the ball...
:) Mary
Actually, a plaid flannel shirt is considered semi-formal wear here in northern Wisconsin as long as you tuck it into your jeans. It's business casual if you leave it untucked. A feed cap or ear flapper hat is an optional but popular accessory on either occasion. 8^) Seriously, when my mom went the local arts banquet, she felt totally overdressed in a casual skirt and tunic top, especially when the guest speaker (a nationally know local author) showed up in a flannel shirt. For myself, stretch jeans, a turtleneck and sweatshirt or sweater in the winter. Shorts or skorts and a tank or sleeveless blouse, or a cool sundress in the summer. If it's really sweltering, I might put on a pair of short bloomers or boxers under the sundress--more comfy than panties because they keep your thighs from chafing. Weird, I know! Annie
Oh, Annie, that's hilarious!
Tucking dictates formality - who knew?? I'll show your comment to Hubby, an East Coaster who couldn't imagine anything much less formal than what we have here.
Earflaps can mean both semi-formal AND business casual? So is farming considered to be a dress-up activity? How does one dress for casual times, or for grimy work like mucking out barns? And where do rubber boots (Wellingtons) fit in the picture?
Here we have a uniform of our own. If you don't have an IPod strapped to your chest and a latte/water bottle glued to your hands, you're thought to be underdressed. I have/use neither, and am treated like the alien I am. :)
Sundress and bloomers sounds like Little House on the Prairie - lovely!
:) Mary
For chores like farming and wood-cutting, you wear your old shirts and jeans, the ones with the holes and stains, ditto for the hats. Naturally, you save your newest stuff for GOOD. Wellies not so much, but heavy duty work boots (steel-toed if you have badly behaved cows) or incredibly dirty (you DON'T want to know) sneakers are common footwear in the barn. One day last spring I was on my walk, wearing typical northern Wisconsin exercise garb--insulated flannel shirt, earflap hat, jeans and sneakers--when I met a neighbor who was also walking for exercise. His outfit was even more "complete" than mine because he'd added yellow flannel chore gloves with sporty red cuffs to it. Add to this the fact that our walking/jogging paths are either the shoulder of the road or logging trails and I think you get the idea that we are not exactly cutting edge when it comes to fitness regimes. Pilates? What the heck is Pilates? In the deep north where my parents live, you can tell who is a native because they wear flannel shirts and JEANS. The big-city tourists always make the mistake of wearing flannel shirts tucked into Khakis for everyday, not realizing that khakis are formal wear. I'm not really joking here--it's perfectly acceptable to wear a plaid or camo flannel shirt and khakis or new jeans to a church wedding. Ya gotta love it! Believe me, it's not that we don't know how to dress up, it's that most of us don't want to. I loved it when our oldest daughter got married at a beautifully restored art deco hotel in Duluth, MN this fall because I was finally able to get my husband and son into suits and I got to get a semi-formal dress and high heels. I almost never have a reason to dress up this much. Annie
Edited 1/16/2008 10:10 pm ET by damascusannie
I loved reading about your 'dress up' attire. You painted such a vivid picture I could just see you strolling along! Even though we now live in a metro area (St Paul) people just don't dress up much these days......at least not in our circle. Jeans, flannel shirts, sweatshirts......and occasion sweater maybe. Times have changed.
It's funny 'cause it's true!
Where in Northern Wisconsin? We plan to retire in Gordon in Douglas County. Own 7 1/2 lovely acres along the Eau Clair. Will the Presbyterian ladies accept me in skirt and sweater Sunday Mornings? Gail
My parents live north of Hayward near Cable and Drummond, just about straight east of Gordon. One of our favorite little golf courses, Forest Point is on Lower Eau Claire Lake, just off of Y. Jeff and I will be moving up to that neck of the woods one of these days, too, since that's where most of his business is now. I'm sure the Presbyterian's will let you wear a skirt to church--is it denim? 8^)Annie
It COULD be denim!
We've stayed at the Forest Point Golf Course, one late February. The place where we usually stay, Lanternwood, was closed for seasonal cleaning. We were the ONLY folks at Forest Point Resort. Even the owners were on vacation. They left the key for us with the neighbors and told us to leave the key and a check on the kitchen table, before we went home. Oh, so quiet, serene, and beautiful!
Our place is on the Eau Claire RIVER, just East of Gordon, on Chippewa, off County "G". If you come to the dam, turn arround, and go back, you've gone too far. The log house is not ours, we're still the vacant ground, next door, for another year or so.
I LOVE Hayward in the Summer, all just abustle! I LOVE Hayward in the Winter, so quiet you could hear a mouse break wind.
Gail
Edited 1/18/2008 6:39 am ET by GailAnn
Edited 1/18/2008 6:40 am ET by GailAnn
The folks at Forest Point are the best which is probably why we like golfing there so much--although the course itself is a blast, easily our favorite nine-hole. We usually go around twice for double the fun. 8^) BTW--you'd be shocked by what is considered acceptable dress on the golf course! Annie
No, it wasn't flannel - but, why not, eh? It would be SO comfy & yes, you (Cinderella) could go straight to bed after the ball :)! After all, who says you can't make a ball gown out of flannel? Or are there ball gown police out there? :)
Gloria
Oh, no, there aren't all ballgown police, for sure. I'd ignore them anyway. I just don't really know if I want to waste all that painstaking couture work on cotton plaid. I'd probably stop halfway through cutting it out and make a hunting shirt for hubby instead. Well-dressed hunters bag the best elk.
:) Mary
If that will get the elk, go for it! You could also make a nightgown . . .
Gloria
A nightgown for the ELK? Boy, the fitting could really be dangerous....
:) Mary, giggling
Haha!!! Besides, the elk would REALLY catch the attention of the hunter, eh? But, yah, it would present fitting problems, for sure! Thanks for the great mental picture! Every time I see red plaid, I'll think of your beautifully gowned elk. (But I was really suggesting a nightgown for you).
Gloria
But if I dress like an elk won't I get shot?
:) Mary, giggling away
Just don't go frolicing in the woods with your red plaid nightie on!! :)
Gloria
No, indeed, I won't - only in my neon orange nightie with the reflector tape (that hunter hubby calls the "don't shoot me" tape)
:) Mary
Haha! Do you really have a nightie like that???
Gloria
No, I was kidding. But I HAVE made dog coats like that! :) Mary, giggling
Wow..... LOL.
Dog coats are a good idea. Glad to know you're not traipsing around the countryside in your neon nightie :)
Gloria
Ooooh, no - it's too darn cold here for that!
You can all start giggling, but here in the Seattle area we've had overnight temperatures around 25 degrees F for the last three nights and that constitutes a cold snap! Hubby and I have a nice woodframe home that has NO insulation, and ti remains so because it's old, we're lazy and we would only need it three nights a year.
I made a second dog coat today for the neighbors' dog on whom hubby and I dote. Damascus Annie would be proud of me - the coat's plaid with reflector tape and has a high collar that could almost double for ear flaps!
:) Mary
We've had about the same temps here, too & last week, wind chills to -25C (which is -12F) - but that's our normal winter. When we lived at the coast (Vancouver BC area), many of the houses weren't insulated, either, & we often had frost in the closets - & spent a fortune on heating oil when we had a cold snap. The dampness didn't help, either. Your heating bill must be astronomical!
Yah, Maggie will be smiling over the almost-ear flaps on the dog coat. Nevertheless, the dog will look quite stylish!
Gloria
Go ahead and move that plaid flannel evening dress to the top of your "ToDo" list. Expect phone calls from WWD, Vogue, and "Society" pages across the country! Gail
Oh no, really? Is lowbrow the new highbrow again? If WWD came bothering me I'd pass out laughing.
Or maybe they would at the sight of me in Lumberjack Le Soir!
:) Mary
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