What I Wore Today: Purple, Pleats, & Polka Dots

Library Chic: National Library Week, April 8 - 14, 2012

I hate|loathe|despise wearing pants. There are very few stores that tailor pants that can accommodate my ridiculous hip to waist ratio. The Gap's Premium Fit Trousers usually do the trick without spending a fortune in tailoring (but I digress).

Cardigan & Trousers: Gap | Top: Old Navy | Wedge Pumps: Jessica Simpson

Pants are an occupational hazard. Who wants to be in a dress when two little girls come into the library and ask for every book about Cinderella? We scoured the shelves from top to bottom, and sat on the floor between the stacks scanning pages for "authenticity." I wasn't exactly sure what my new friends were looking for, but they soon expanded their search to include any and all princess books.  I was excited because I was ready to pull two of my favorites: The Paper Bag Princess and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. The two girls quickly dismissed my suggestions; then, I realized their search criteria -- Disney princesses.

So we regrouped & found every Disney princess book available. It took all I had to keep my mouth shut and remember this was not Mini-Me! NO SOAPBOX RANTS IN PUBLIC PLACES...

The girls and their mother checked out their haul of books. They are extremely blessed with voracious appetites for reading and I was blessed to be a part of their quest for princesses. 

I still hate|loathe|despise wearing pants, possibly even more now.  

Prim & Proper: The 21st Century Remix=Leopard+Polka Dots

Cardigan: Gap | Shirt: Limited | Skirt: Liz Claiborne | Tights: Target | Shoes: Steve Madden
  Bracelet: Betsey Johnson | Hair Bow: Made by ME

#occupymlkday?

When I saw Gap’s advertisement I closed my eyes and disturbing images began to flood my mind (art historians are the keepers of the pictures…)   Maybe I should be excited that MLK Day is being exploited as a shopping holiday just like President’s Day or Labor Day. Now there is true equality in corporate opportunism, at least.  

What are we opening the door to?  I see this scenario going a couple of ways:

People of all colors and creeds could get ripped off for overpriced and poor-quality merchandise side by side, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand in perfect harmony...*

...as they contemplate the days when it was not possible for African Americans to even try on clothes in a department store (if they were even allowed in the store at all).

I hope that as consumers walk the aisles side by side they remember the multitudes who marched in front of segregated establishments and braved police brutality unarmed. Perhaps there could be a moment of silence at the cash registers. 

These sales must be stopped or we run the risk of losing the memory of MLK’s accomplishments and their legacy for worthless trinkets. #

Oh wait…

* http://independentfilmnewsandmedia.com/chaos-stores-u-s-thousands-shoppers-scramble-nike-air-jordans/   "Brawl over Jordans: Arrests, pepper spray, gunshots, brawls and doors pulled off hinges” December 12, 2012
# http://functionalshmunctional.blogspot.com/2010/11/black-friday-crazin

WHAT I WORE TODAY: MY FASHION DNA

My grandmother had a keen sense of style. She never wore a pair of pants a day in her life. I thought she was weird when I was younger, but now I feel blessed that she instilled a modicum of femininity that few women can say they have had. I thought she was mean because she expected the same commitment to femininity from me. I just wanted to fit in and wear pants, jeans, and shorts like everybody else. I know I inherited a lot of my flair from her. She gave me my first sewing machine; I remember it so well.

Ruth Ellen, whom I affectionately called Gramma, must have taken this picture in the early to mid-1940s. I'm 90% sure that she is in Perrine, Florida, and not the Bahamas, which made me wonder why she was wearing a capelet over a long-sleeved shirt. Whatever the reason, she is working it, especially with that flower pin. I attempted a similar look, but to my chagrin I didn't pull it off as gracefully. I had too many heavy layers, which ultimately made me look heavy and uncomfortable. I have a lot more to learn from Gramma...