Why Shop When You Can Sew?

Anyone who knows me knows that I like to shop. I'm not a big spender, really. I'm all about the hunt for the best deal, the bargain on a normally pricey piece of clothing. That's my favorite part of shopping, and I come by it naturally.

My dad is an infamous bargain hunter. Widely known around our local garage sale-ing and auctioning community, my dad at one time had an entire barn to house all of the deals he'd found. My mom, though not as prolific a shopper as my dad, makes the TJMaxx rounds regularly. I owe my shopping prowess to the both of them.

My mom and I used to have a little Saturday ritual. We'd go to Swensen's for lunch. I'd get the Cable Car Kids Meal--grilled cheese, shoestring fries, and a free scoop of ice cream for dessert. My mom would get something called a strawberry soda (ick) and a sandwich called the Bleu Max. We'd make our grocery list while having lunch; then we'd go clothes shopping before doing the big grocery run.

Now, when I was very young, our town didn't have many options. Usually "clothes shopping" meant a run by the local Weiner's to see what they had. As I got a little older, we starting getting a little more upscale, as Dillard's and Foley's moved in. We were in the days of dresses with big, lacy collars, long hemlines, dresses that looked like something the cast of Little House on the Prairie might wear.

Simply put, I was in love.

I wanted dresses like that. They were so pretty and sweet. Laura Ashley was pretty much my hero, and I wanted more than anything to look like I was dressed in a floral chintz duvet.

But, Laura Ashley was pricey. Too pricey. Whenever we'd go shopping and I'd spot sompething I liked, I'd always hear the familiar phrase:

"I could make that."

Over and over. And, it was true. My mom, an accomplished seamstress, really could make most anything I wanted. And, a lot of my favorite dresses from when I was young were made by my mom. But, there was this one time...Well, I'll just let you see it for yourself.

I guess we can think of the making of this outfit as the day that "I coul make that" became a threat. What you see before you is a picture of my Aunt Jane and me wearing matching outfits. Matching green corduroy jumpers made from a Laura Ashley pattern, long sleeve blouses, white tights, and black flats. In Miami.

What you don't see before you is that my mom also had a matching jumper, along with the whole rest of the outfit. You also don't see (because only my Nana has the picture) that we three had a professional portrait made while wearing those jumpers. And that my dad and my Uncle Bob posed for that portrait with us. They were wearing--you guessed it--nearly matching dark sport coats and green ties.

We gave that portrait to my Nana and Poppy for Christmas. They loved it, and, really, it was totally Christmas-y. Truth be told, I really love that dress. And I even loved that I was matching my mom and my Aunt Jane. Then again, I come from a family that has an annual family sing-along, so I pretty much embrace stuff like this. :)

Washington: A How-To Guide!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit our nation's capitol. I was very excited to go because I hadn't been there since I was fourteen. For those who don't know, that meant that I hadn't been there in five whole years.

Okay, so that might be a bit of a lie. But, give me a break. I was just in the capitol, and lying is kind of a popular pastime there.

Anyways, in order to get ready for my trip, I decided to consult some pictures of my previous visit to DC. I wanted to get a sense of what I should see, what I should do, and what all the great District of Columbia had to offer. After reviewing the evidence of the last trip, I came up with a few rules that should help make any trip to DC one that will bring you endless joy and countless fond memories. I'll give you the scoop on what to do and, perhaps most importantly, what to wear while you're doing it.

Here we go!

1. When visiting DC, you should make the most of your stay by taking in the wonderful museums.
Here, my dad and I (lower right hand) enjoy an interactive elephant exhibit at the Smithsonian. I know we're letting our party loyalty show in this one, but, even better, I'm letting my fashion sense shine. Note the faded, high waisted designer (Girbaud) jeans and the multicolored belt (hecho in Mexico). Both of these items show that I'm not new to this whole traveling thing. I'm cosmopolitan. I belong here.

However, Mr. Short Shorts to my left is definitely outdoing all of us. He understood that DC springtime can turn awfully hot, so he erred on the side of caution (if not the side of modesty) and went for a lovely pair of white Daisy Dukes. Well played, Short Shorts!

In our next picture, you can tell that I took a lesson the day before and planned for the heat. I had some shorts of my own. Check them out!


Here, my dad and I wait in line at the National Holocaust Memorial Museum. That's me in a pair of jean cut-offs, knock-off Birkenstocks, and a pair of (you guessed it!) white socks. If there was ever any doubt that the kid in this picture would one day pursue graduate studies in English, this outfit pretty well ends those doubts. Honestly, I probably could have skipped handing in a writing sample when applying to grad school and just sent this picture in along with my application. The selection committee would have taken one look at my feet and given me automatic admission. Heck, I might have even been a tenured faculty member by now!

Bringing this back around to the focus of the blog, you must remember, that there's more to visiting DC than just museums. And there's more to do than just be inappropriately dressed for the Holocaust Museum. DC has many monuments to visit as well. Which brings us to rule two.

2. Go visit a monument, and have your picture taken in front of it!

In the picture above, my mom (where has she been this whole time?) and I pose in front of the Washington Monument. Just in case you thought we were tourists, we're both wearing DC t-shirts that we bought from a guy on the street. That way, you know we're totally locals. I mean, how many tourists go around buying t-shirts from guys on the street? Not many, I'm sure. We look like we know where we're headed and have managed, with our jean shorts and DC t-shirts, to pull of the DC look. (As an added bonus, I think my mom's shorts have pleats in the front. Pleats mean "fancy." As another added bonus, my shirt is a DC Polo Club t-shirt. Because I'm a member of the club.)

Okay, all of this site seeing is nice, but DC is also a place where you can rub elbows with well-known (sometimes even well-respected) people. So, rule number three is...

3. Meet someone famous.
Always wanting to be an over achiever, I decided to meet two famous people--George and Barbara Bush. Actually, at this time, George wasn't President anymore, but I liked him heaps better than the guy who was, so I was more than happy to have my picture made with the former first couple. They were super sweet too. Sometimes they even still call me. I think they liked my style. That influenced my number four and final rule:

4. Just be yourself.

In the above photo, you can see that I'm totally comfortable being me. I mean, sure, there's the awkward stance, somewhat reminiscent of my earlier Disney World pictures, and that might make you think that I was as nervously uncomfortable as any fourteen year old could possibly be. But, I'd have to disagree. Listen, anyone who can wear a Far Side t-shirt (tucked in, no less), mom jeans, Birkenstocks, and white socks while parading around the capitol of our great nation is certainly someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word "uncomfortable."

Okay, if I'm being honest, I'm sure I wasn't all that comfortable with me. Face it, that outfit is a wreck, and what is going on with my bangs? Seriously, people. But, we can be sure that I was comfortable with something, and that something was my feet. Yep. You can be sure that, outfitted with a pair of socks and some Birkenstocks, my feet were the very definition of comfort.