This thing is fashion. It's all because of the award shows. Now, I'm not much into TV. I don't even watch the award shows and I've never watched an episode of Sex and the City, so I've never been schooled about Blahnik Manolo or Jimmy Choo (I only know the latter is shoes, 'cause it rhymes with Choo). I couldn't tell a Valentino from a Wang from a Channel. I can't even wear the Channel I have (#5) - too smell sensitive! And those are just the designer's names I remember from reading magazines once upon a time.
I remember one year having to travel by car from Seattle to Spokane with Myron to see my family. He'd just been hired by Microsoft for a gig that required him to sing lyrics to Will Smith's new song "Gettin' Jiggy With It" and he had to learn Will's song by heart, right lyrics and all, so he could sing all the new lyrics written by Microsoft folks for their executives to lip synch to at some conference. Anyway, we listened to that song over and over all 5 hours there and all 5 hours back and one place we both got stuck was the line "You gotta Prada with a lotta stuff in it..." Neither of us had one clue what he was talking about. What in the world was "Prada"? Made no sense and we must have burned that tape out going back over that line again and again. That was pre-McKenna so at least 8 years ago and I can tell you that it was just in 2007 that I realized what he was saying. PRADA. Oh, right! Problem is, I still have never seen a Prada anything. No shoes, no bags, no nothing. Nada Prada.
I'm fashion deficient! I was traveling with my then boss when I worked in an industry considered fashionable to an industry conference where everyone was reasonably into fashion (everyone except me.) We were at the airport waiting to board when a group of gals gathered in the waiting area also boarding our plane. My boss remarked that there was "no way those pants could be real" beacuse the person wearing them didn't look like she could afford them. I had no idea what she was referring to. The pants she was talking about had the label Dolce & Gabbana in gold lettering either across the butt or down the side. I was quite sure that most people could afford something that looked that tacky - they couldn't possibly have cost that much since they looked like something from Mariposa or a teeny bopper shop. Well, I found out later from my Director of Finance who was traveling with us and who recognized my look of ignorance that D&G - regardless of how tacky they look - are really expensive. Who knew? Come to find out at the conference that the person wearing the pants was one of the keynote speakers, owner of several successful shops in Canada and that she really could afford anything she wanted. Never judge a book, right??
So back to my question - how did I get to be this way? Style is not my forte. I do wish that I had some sense if it though. Couldn't I possibly look better if sporting Kate Spade or Stella McCartney? Maybe, but that would require two things I hold dear: time and money. I have shopping attention span of a total of 30 minutes. Including parking the car. So unless the items physically jump out at me, in my size (which is another blog topic), then it's not realistically going to happen. Secondly, I have a family to feed, cloth and send off to multiple life-enrichment activities. The thought of spending $250 on a purse sends my brain into orbit. I didn't spend $250 on clothes and/or shoes for myself in the entire year of 2007! I spent that much on my daughter's entire school year wardrobe. In less than 30 minutes. Thankfully, she's not a clothes horse either.
But I do have moments of envy when I see how beautiful all the beautiful people look on the red carpets and in rag pix. Many of the dresses are gorgeous and I do wish that once in my life I had someplace to go where I'd need such a gown, enough patience to shop for it and the bankroll to buy the perfect one for me. But unless those lotto tickets pay off in this lifetime, its quite unlikely that I will ever look or feel like that.
That's what make me feel ordinary and it's that feeling, not the regret about any dress or shoe or bag, that makes me a bit melancholy - did I miss something wonderful? Did I take a wrong turn? Am I everything I will ever be?
2 comments:
R: Umm...I think you look great every day - really! You may not have time or money, but you definitely have STYLE. LOVE the black tall boots, cute skirts, great hair - so screw Prada and D&G. I also think how you look is 90% attitude anyways, and you've got PLENTY of it (confidence, that is!) Love you xoxo Kiwi
Kiwi stated it so well. AND, I was impressed with all the designers you do know. Not me, sister. I wish I had your money sense (and control). I don't need a big name brand and I am not a "fashion girl" (an Audrey-ism) BUT I do love to shop...as do my offspring! k
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