Conversations with an old pair of shorts

Dear pink shorts

I decided to talk to you today. You, an object in the perfect shade of light pink, flaunting old-world crochet, reminding me of the years that went by in almost a blur. 

You were so tiny, that I almost didn't pick you for fear of being judged for wearing next to nothing. But then, somehow, good sense prevailed and I got you. You have been with me for 15 years now. You have seen me through so much - from finding flats and flatmates to switching jobs, moving cities, heartbreaks, losing friends, growing out of hobbies, and whatnot. 

I wore you when I saw the ocean for the first time. It was an evening that served up the best sunset I had seen in my life, the kind you use to compare every next sunset you see, at least in your head.

You go well with shirts and tops of almost any colour - white, grey, black, pink, yellow, multicolored? You are underwear-like enough to be worn under a super short dress. And you look the best sandstained.

Dear shorts, thank you for not letting me grow out of you.

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A Case For The Little Black Dress

If you are a sucker for fashion magazines like me, you must have come across numerous articles serenading the timelessness of the little black dress. I for one failed to see the appeal. As someone leaning towards the brightness of yellows and greens and whites, I ended up missing out on the understated yet noticeable additions of black to my wardrobe.

Fast forward almost a decade and I have black clothes for all sorts of reasons. For starters, it gives you this off-duty model kind of feel. Just pair black leggings or jeans with a black t-shirt, throw in some dainty accessories, and there you go! Carry a large-sized Latte for that extra sense of purpose. 

I have also come to realise that a black dress or an all-black outfit is - for the lack of a better word - a mood. The one that gets you dancing, hints you to go to a book reading, or just makes you feel like taking a walk on the beach.

But for the most part,  this little, in the bud affinity toward all-black outfits may have something to do with the growing up. The color comes in handy when you want to appear like you mean business. By taking some attention away from you and adding a touch of orderliness, it can also camouflage the fact that you are yet to get your shit together. What's not to like?

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The Tired Self Has Left The Chat

 #Notafashionpostagain

Almost everyone today is a part of a WhatsApp or some other group chat. And almost everyone has that one group they want to quit but not sure how to.

A friend I was recently talking to said she would like to give some award to the WhatsApp team which came with the idea of keeping archived chats actually archived. Earlier, even when you muted a group and archived a chat, it popped right on the top and it was almost impossible - unless you were some expert with thick skin - to ignore it. And now you can.

So how did we outgrow group chats? If you ask me, it had a lot to do with the fact that the people in a group and I outgrew ourselves. And after a certain point, you don't have the strength to call out someone because they are being an idiot. But it affects you nonetheless. Every sexist joke, racist comment, jibe against someone fat, unsolicited advice, and insensitive remark triggers us. Some more, others less. 

The only thing that is semi-praiseworthy about these groups is the ease of planning an event where one has to coordinate with multiple people. Or a setup where multiple people need to be informed straightaway. That explains why office groups are probably not going anywhere soon. 

But overall, people would love to leave a chat without anyone in the group noticing. It would be simple. Maybe that will happen one day as well. Till then, people will continue to mute and archive.

 

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Saving the best for the last

There are people in this world who save good things for the last. Now as far as meals are concerned, this practice is usually a great idea. But when it comes to clothes, you never know. Growing up, I used to save my best going out top for an occasion that never actually happened. No event was big enough for the top to be taken out. It was always the second favorite top that got the most attention somehow. You know what the downside of this habit was? Eventually I grew out of that top and gave it away. Sounds like a first world problem? Except that it wasn't. When you own less than a dozen clothes, you tend to be protective about your favorite clothes. You don't want a single thread out of place. And so you plan to wear it less. A bit too less. 

These pictures in a white, borrowed dress fall in the same, best going out top. It has been two years and I have been waiting for some good day to post them. No idea what the characteristics of the good day was supposed to be though. Then the pandemic happened and the frequency of my posts decreased because we all had more important things to do. In the meantime, I was exhausting all my blog pictures because none of us were really going out in the streets, getting pictured. But I was saving this one. Because I loved the pictures. The result? Not much except the anxiety that I will never have better pictures in this life. Yeah, I know, this time, it is almost a first world problem.

Hope you wear your most favorite piece more often than you do.

By the way, it's not the last blogpost here, it's just that I will need post-pandemic images now!

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A Girl With No Prospects

#Notafashionpostagain

I read an interesting article recently titled - I have fun with my girlfriend but she has no prospects. So a reader has a girlfriend who still lives with her parents, has a part-time job, and yet doesn't contribute to the household bills, and has no aspirations whatsoever for the future in terms of her career. The reader asks the agony aunt if he should stay with her or listen to her friends who tell him that she is a waster. The agony aunt replies that a person is not their job and that it is the society that has burdened us with a list of milestones to achieve by a certain age.

This got me thinking. I understand that a person is not their job. And just because a person has a high-salaried job, they are not going to make good husbands or wives. And society indeed has pressured us into thinking that we gotta own a house by a certain age, get married at another and so on and so forth. No one really asks at what age we ought to be happy.

However, there seems to be one red flag here. His girlfriend doesn't help her parents in any way. Isn't that a sign that she is cool about people paying for her and is not an adult yet? What would happen when they ask her to move out one day?

I don't know if it's a millennial vs Gen Z thing, but since when is enjoying life without paying your bills acceptable? Since when is mooching off people acceptable?

In my experience, people with no responsibilities are a lot of work. And it is not just about money. She can be a housewife and never pursue a career and that will be her choice. But doesn't the I-don't-care-who-is-paying-my-bills attitude permeate into I-don't-think-I-can-take-any-other-responsibility reality? Don't these people sit back and relax while those around them make all the plans, pay all the bills and insurance premiums, and make sure everything in the house is in working condition? 

Just wondering.

 

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They are just clothes

The way one is clothed says a lot about them. I wonder how people who are styled by stylists ever get to see their true selves. If they end up liking those ruffles or that shade of cream brings out the colour of their eyes. And then there are those who have colours hidden inside layers. And those who aspire to wear something but so far, haven't gotten their hands on it. Do they ever get to be themselves? 

I know, I know. It is just clothes. But even then. Don't clothes do something to people, adding and subtracting to their personalities?

Have you ever worn something you absolutely hated? Do you remember the feeling? Now contrast it with the feeling you had when you wore something that made you feel like yourself. There. That is what I am talking about. Though I am struggling to write today, but I am hoping you understand. And I am hoping you are having a good dress day yourself. 

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Never Not Wearing White

The thing with random posts is that they increase your chances of rambling. This week I had decided to stay focussed, not digress, and write something I could be proud of. Something that would look good on the blog and also help me go freestyle every once in a while.

Didn't happen.

But you see, I have a topic- why do some people, including me, constantly wear white? And I have some pictures to go with the topic. Stuck at step three, and probably the most important one, I am almost going to stop after writing just two lame paragraphs.

To be continued in the next attempt.....

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