Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Wardrobe Cure Interview - Volume 2

I'm dressed as an engineering consultant for Halloween - how 'bout you?



How You Live & The People Around You

If there were a uniform for the place where you spend most of your time, what would it be? You mean work? It’s a tad casual. Lots of chinos and corduroy and occasionally jeans, paired with perma-press shirts, sweaters, polos, and, for the ladies, trivial little blouses. Our local office also has a pleasing culture of excellent shoes for men.

I run on the formal side of average myself, but mostly because it’s what comes naturally, and because, at heart, I think I really am a Northeasterner who just prefers the company of Midwesterners.

If there were a uniform for where you spend your leisure, what would it be? Like Wende, I'm currently engaged in Adventures in American Regionalism. Lately I’ve been observing the subtle differences between New England Upscale Suburban Mom at Starbucks and Midwestern Upscale Suburban Mom at Starbucks. I adhere to neither, because:

  1. I’m not a mom, nor anywhere near becoming one (and I'm kind of allergic to children anyhow).

  2. I’m not really suburban, New England or Midwest, except as a matter of geography.

  3. Confession: I despise capri pants with a vitriol typically reserved for cable news, hip hop, and Oprah (the phenomenon, not the woman). Ditto ¾ sleeves. I know they're much beloved by lots and lots of people, but I don’t do limb-severing fashion.
If you, yourself, had a uniform, what would it be? Wende’s “Brunching Intellectual” gets me about right if we adjust for climate. Give me some neutral wool slacks (jeans on the weekend), moderately-styled boots, hoop earrings in gold and silver, and a small European country full of fine gauge turtleneck sweaters, and I’m in top form to face the world. See Gwynnie in the movie referenced in Volume 1. That’s me, only much more...lanky.

I do make the occasional detour into tailored boho. And naturally I love a great dress.

Posted by Mella DP at 11:56 AM

Labels: ,

4 comments:

  1. drwendeOctober 31, 2007 at 9:26 PM

    *sigh*

    I'm feeling nostalgia for the days when I lived in a climate where I could wear roughly your preferred uniform.

    ReplyDelete
  2. zoozaNovember 1, 2007 at 3:47 AM

    I remember thinking Gwynnie's clothes in Possession were wonderful (and wondering whether to adopt that look myself) when I saw the film. Have you got the DVD? I'd be tempted to watch the whole thing again with a notbook and pencil and write down ' sketch everything that she wears.

    As for this emerging 'Brunching Intellectual' trend - I'm intrigued.

    ReplyDelete
  3. zoozaNovember 1, 2007 at 3:48 AM

    That was meant to say "write down OR sketch"

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mella DPNovember 1, 2007 at 9:22 AM

    I think of it as, "tweed without the tweed." ;)

    My local library has a massive DVD collection (and failing that it's next door to Blockbuster...). I think I'm going to take out both movies to watch again this weekend, and maybe I'll pop them in the laptop to grab some screen caps.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)