My dad, when he
wasn't feeling so well in his later
years, would tell my mom to go "girly shopping" in order to give
herself some "her" time from taking vigilant care of him. That term
then extended itself over time to when I would take her somewhere on occasion
for the same reason. Dad would tell us to be sure and do some "girly
shopping". Now I notice my brother,
from time to time, telling my mom the same thing. And, on the rare occasion
that I look at a myriad of stores for
something specific to wear, I think to myself that I, too, am doing some
"girly shopping".
With that in mind,
when you go "girly shopping" these days, ladies, do you find the
selection a little...weird? I grew up with a lot of homemade clothes from a mom
that was a pretty darned good seamstress. This meant I grew up looking at
things like seam construction, straight-set darts, even hems, etc. Looking at
"store bought" clothes today, it's pretty evident that craftsmanship
in these areas has become secondary in clothing construction. And many of the
materials? I've more than once heard my mom (as well as myself) use the term
"rag bag" to describe the condition.
Add to this the actual designs of the clothing and a perfect storm is
created. Many styles tend to look like maternity tops to this 50+ girly
shopper--maternity tops with heavily plunging necklines. In other
words...weird. Tailoring is a term that is sadly lost on present generations in
this current massed-produced clothing market.
Now for a little
50+ year-old lamenting. Believe it or
not youngsters, clothing used to fit nicely on people. Waistlines on pants were
flattering, seams were straight, materials didn't fade with one washing,
shoulder seams on shirts had central, well-fitting locations. Clothes didn't
need to be constantly adjusted and re-adjusted while being worn--they just
stayed put where they needed to be. They
were, for the most part, flattering to many sizes and shapes.
We live in a society
that seems to have tossed out any notion of quality. "Close enough"
has become the norm. Even extravagantly-priced clothing doesn't insure that it
is well made. "Designer" has become a generic term.
When I get really
desperate, I head back to the sewing machine and my old patterns. And, for
awhile, I allow myself to get lost in carefully tailored seams, darts, tucks,
and hemlines. The enjoyment of pressing in a dart to make it lay smoothly; the
satisfaction of seeing a neatly done piece come to life on the dress form--and,
granted, I'm far from a superior seamstress. But it's still fun. And my
imagination can coax those seams to look a bit better. I get re-fortified to once again brave the
mess that is called "fashion".
Mom is
right...there's a big difference between "fashion" and
"style". We girly shoppers know that. Yet my hope keeps hoping that
someday it will all turn around and girly shopping will once again hold its
traditional spot in my mom and my outings.
In the meantime, girly shopping has become more panning for gold. And, once in a great while, a little glimmer appears.
Have a fine day.
