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rolanni*Sigh*
Today I tried on a pair of sandwashed silk pants. They felt wonderful. Mind you, the looked ridiculous, but, oh! the sheer sweetness of the fabric. I seriously thought about buying them anyway, just so I could have the pleasure of petting them once in a while. Also tried on a silk shirt, which likewise felt nice and looked marginally less ridiculous, but (1) I'm not as fond of the shiny finished silk as I am the sandwashed and (2) the over-the-knuckle cuffs were irritating. If they'd been ruffled -- I can Deal gracefully with knuckle-length ruffles, but a tight cuff that bells ever-so-slightly from wrist to fingers -- nuh-uh.
Silk being somewhat of a bust, I bethought myself of the fact that all my "good" shirts are either fencing shirts (see knuckle-length ruffles, above) or men's white oxford shirts. In fact, I couldn't exactly remember the last time I'd bought -- not to say worn -- a so-called lady's shirt. So, I tried on a lady's white oxford shirt.
The fabric was thin, the shirt-tail short, and the breast pocket unserviceably small (not that I usually press my breast pocket into service, but if you're gonna have one, it ought to at least be possible to put a pen in it). The sleeves were long enough, and I have to believe that this was the sole criterion applied by the inspector who labeled the garment "tall". It wouldn't have stayed tucked in for five minutes. I note for the record, if there is one, that the shirt in question was "hecho in China."
In any case, this whole dismal shopping experience put me forcibly in mind of why it is that I do buy, and wear, men's dress shirts. The sleeves are long enough, check -- the tails stay tucked, check -- the fabric is smooth-woven and pleasing without being thin, check -- the pocket is usable in a pinch, check -- the buttons are big enough to manipulate, check; price is comparable to the price of a woman's so-called oxford shirt, check -- and it wears like iron. Right. Now I remember.
******
In other news, this afternoon was the follow-up dental visit. There is a root canal in my pretty immediate future, which should take care of the persistent pain in my mouth. Hard to believe that one lousy root on one tooth is responsible for all this. There's some other, minor-in-the-scheme-of-things, work that should also eventually be done, but nothing as pressing as getting that dern root taken care of.
And I finally got the end-of-year balance sheet totaled, go, me. Adding a column of figures should not be this hard.
Today I tried on a pair of sandwashed silk pants. They felt wonderful. Mind you, the looked ridiculous, but, oh! the sheer sweetness of the fabric. I seriously thought about buying them anyway, just so I could have the pleasure of petting them once in a while. Also tried on a silk shirt, which likewise felt nice and looked marginally less ridiculous, but (1) I'm not as fond of the shiny finished silk as I am the sandwashed and (2) the over-the-knuckle cuffs were irritating. If they'd been ruffled -- I can Deal gracefully with knuckle-length ruffles, but a tight cuff that bells ever-so-slightly from wrist to fingers -- nuh-uh.
Silk being somewhat of a bust, I bethought myself of the fact that all my "good" shirts are either fencing shirts (see knuckle-length ruffles, above) or men's white oxford shirts. In fact, I couldn't exactly remember the last time I'd bought -- not to say worn -- a so-called lady's shirt. So, I tried on a lady's white oxford shirt.
The fabric was thin, the shirt-tail short, and the breast pocket unserviceably small (not that I usually press my breast pocket into service, but if you're gonna have one, it ought to at least be possible to put a pen in it). The sleeves were long enough, and I have to believe that this was the sole criterion applied by the inspector who labeled the garment "tall". It wouldn't have stayed tucked in for five minutes. I note for the record, if there is one, that the shirt in question was "hecho in China."
In any case, this whole dismal shopping experience put me forcibly in mind of why it is that I do buy, and wear, men's dress shirts. The sleeves are long enough, check -- the tails stay tucked, check -- the fabric is smooth-woven and pleasing without being thin, check -- the pocket is usable in a pinch, check -- the buttons are big enough to manipulate, check; price is comparable to the price of a woman's so-called oxford shirt, check -- and it wears like iron. Right. Now I remember.
******
In other news, this afternoon was the follow-up dental visit. There is a root canal in my pretty immediate future, which should take care of the persistent pain in my mouth. Hard to believe that one lousy root on one tooth is responsible for all this. There's some other, minor-in-the-scheme-of-things, work that should also eventually be done, but nothing as pressing as getting that dern root taken care of.
And I finally got the end-of-year balance sheet totaled, go, me. Adding a column of figures should not be this hard.
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no subject
Date: 2005-04-18 04:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-18 05:39 pm (UTC)However, like you, most of my shirts come from the men's side of the store. I'm not tall, rather the opposite (short and round), and still men's shirts fit me better and wear like iron.
What size men's shirt do you take and what colors work well for you? I'm an inveterate haunter of thrift stores and often find wondrous things. The latest was a sand-washed silk shirt, size L (mens), in a deep red for $3.95 US. I adore looking for things for other people, if you'd like me to put you on my mental list, drop me an email at hypatia at ewranglers dot com with your preferences. Oh, also in that trip, I saw two lined flannel shirts, one cotton flannel lined with thermal underwear knit, the other cotton flannel lined in the body with light-weight fleece and quilted fabric in the arms. Also around $3.95 US apiece.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-18 05:56 pm (UTC)Add in a blazer and some dress slacks, and we would have one happy girl.
Don't get me going about made-to-order shoes...
no subject
Date: 2005-04-18 07:41 pm (UTC)and another reason for preferring men's shirts...
Date: 2005-04-18 09:13 pm (UTC)Agreed
Date: 2005-04-19 07:45 am (UTC)My current favorite WinterSilks garments are:
1. 70% silk / 30% cotton corduroy pants, acetate lining
2. Their heaviest 'spunsilk' 100% silk turtlenecks. These are the only silk turtles I've ever found that have the same heft as an ordinary turtle, but in 100% silk. Fabulous.
3. 75% silk / 25% cotton polo shirts.
The dress shirts are also quite nice, and I suspect they would fit rolanni well, because pretty much everything WinterSilks makes is too long in the sleeve and body for my wife to wear. :(
no subject
Date: 2005-04-19 10:44 am (UTC)I do sometimes buy silk shirts in thrift stores.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-19 08:03 pm (UTC)Almost worth crying over. I clearly must hit the thrift stores more often...
no subject
Date: 2005-04-21 05:27 pm (UTC)Give me a sense of colors you can tolerate, size, and a price range (including shipping) and I'll happily troll the thrift stores in the Washington, D.C. area for you. Oh, and I'd need to know fairly exactly what you are looking for.
I spent about four years being a thrift-store pusher?/conductor?/purveyor? I was always on the hunt for more/better work clothing. Somehow, that morphed into being able to walk into a given thrift store with a friend, do a spot of fine-tuning (that's too yellow? OK), and handing said friend a pile of clothes for contra-dancing/work/etc. of which 80-90% would be appropriate and acquired.
So, I have some chops here - clue me in! I _like_ doing this, although I admit it is more pleasant to do it face-to-face.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-21 09:00 pm (UTC)Have AggieCon this weekend, will try to be conscious in the next week or so.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-23 06:26 pm (UTC)Just a thought and a suggestion.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-23 06:28 pm (UTC)I had wonderful success in the Goodwill in Austin, TX, this October. So, doing it yourself might be more worthwhile.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-24 07:07 am (UTC)