What (Not!) To Wear, Part 2:
This Tuesday, Amanda shared some of her thoughts on Dressing For the RWA National Conference. Today I’d like to talk about some of what I saw a few weeks ago in Washington, DC. It was not pretty.
1. Monochrome outfits–head-to-toe (including hat!)–in the same color make you look like a weirdo, not interesting or creative or anything but ‘stay the hell away from me’ bad.
2. Mom jeans are not a good idea unless you plan on doing some gardening. Which I don’t believe was an option during National.
3. White shoes?!?
4. No, I don’t want to see your rack. Or any part of you that isn’t normally on view. Unless your day job is being wrapped around a pole. Thanks.
5. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN GET IT ON DOESN’T MEAN IT FITS.
5a. If your usual size seems snug, there is no shame in going up another size. No-one will know you’ve got on a size 12 instead of a 10. We will all, however, be grateful for your discretion.
6. Just because it DOES fit doesn’t mean it’s age-appropriate. Here’s a tip: If you’re over 21, don’t shop at Forever 21, Mandee’s or Hot Topic.
7. Wear comfy shoes. And if you don’t wear comfy shoes, don’t complain loudly about your pained feet. Honestly? We don’t care.
8. Random zippers were okay back in the ’80s. Not so much now.
9. All kidding aside, most of these observations were limited to a few people. I just like to snark (like you didn’t know that?)
10. What are your fashion pet peeves?
Love your list of what not to wear.
Here’s one:
Flip-flops with a dressy dress.
What about tie-dyed t-shirts? Did you see any of those?
Judy: Excellent point! I hate it when the footwear isn’t close in style to the outfit.
Myretta: Did not spot tie-dye Lady. I totally forgot! Hope to see her at a local conference.
I have a very elderly male friend who says, “Spandex is a privilege, not a right.” So true.
“Flip-flops with a dressy dress.”
Totally agree! It’s like they forget they’re getting dressed halfway through the outfit. (kind of like the way big jewelry and blingy shoes don’t really dress up a tracksuit, despite what some people think…)
Megan, there may have been no tie-die, but there WAS baseball hat lady, yes?
Ooh, who could forget baseball hat lady? (Besides me, apparently). Because wearing the same baseball hat every day for four+ days of the conference is an excellent fashion statement.
I don’t care for pajama bottoms instead of real pants. It’s a trend that seems to be go along with more people talking in movie theatres than I used to remember. It’s as if they didn’t notice they left home.
Hastily adding…not that I’ve ever seen anyone in pajama bottoms at RWA! Way to impress an editor…
I’m not a fan of bare midriffs or pants coming so low you can see…stuff you don’t want to see. Not that I’ve seen any of this at RWA. I do hate to see sloppy jeans and Tshirts at RWA. I like the professional look.
The pajama bottom thing was big when I was in college! But even as a sleep-deprived student I couldn’t bring myself to go to class like that. 🙂 (I have never seen this at conference, either. Hope no one ever starts!)
Flip-flops with a dressy dress.
Unless they’re dress flip-flops with a really good pedicure. My beloved wedge heel flip-flops are almost worn out now but they have performed excellently upon many occasions.
Now this isn’t a problem for you, Megan, but after a certain age and expansion, there seems to be a widely-held belief that all we women of a certain age want to wear are (a) non-breathing synthetics that need to be dry-cleaned–and wasn’t the whole point of synthetics, originally, that they didn’t need special care? or (b) garments appliqued with giraffes. No kidding. Where do the grown-ups find clothes?
I have to say that unless you are a writer and you want to create an impression for the kind of books you write, wear what you like! Perhaps Americans are most impressed by this kind of thing than Brits?