Summer Wardrobe

Two weeks ago, when the heat wave was announced, I quickly packed up my fleece tops and lined pants, and sent them to the basement. Then I started looking through my summer outfits. To all you male readers, don’t tune out yet – I’ll be telling you about Peter’s summer clothes too!

Most of my summer wardrobe is in pretty good shape. Things still fit and none are too badly worn. I went shopping for a couple of items to supplement: a white linen top and a pair of denim capris. I went to Winners first and then, in desperation, to Sherway Gardens. There were NO linen tops, and apparently capris are out of style this year. I could only find long, wide pants. Add an umbrella and I look like Mary Poppins ready to take off. The other option is short shorts which reveal things nobody wants to see on an old lady.

So I did what all the smart young shoppers are doing these days – I went to Amazon. And there they were – capris and linen tops! I don’t really like shopping this way. I prefer to feel the material and try the clothes on. I also don’t like all the excess packaging that Amazon uses: cardboard, plastic and filler that has to be disposed of. And I don’t like seeing all my favourite department stores going bankrupt. I miss all those past shopping experiences with friends when I used to get such great advice. For example: “Oh for heaven’s sake, that looks Terrible on you!” And then we’d go for lunch together.

Peter’s view of clothes, no matter what the season, is very environmentally friendly, (not such a bad idea in this age of conspicuous consumption). If the clothes fit and just have small stains or rips that can only be seen up close, then they are good to go. He used to have two categories: everyday and dress-up. Nowadays, with his love of gardening, the dress-up clothes sometimes bypass the everyday category and go directly to a new one – farmer.

As for accessories, purse sales have changed too. Female executives are buying large bags but the contents are different; make-up and baby toys have been replaced by a laptop and a pair of stiletto heels. Other women are forsaking any kind of purse. They download all their credit cards, driver’s licence and health card onto their phone and stuff it into a pocket. Voila – hands free! On the other hand, there are more men using purses. They buy a fanny pack with a long strap and sling it over their shoulder, or they buy a regular purse and call it a “man bag.” This is Role Reversal at its most obvious.

When it comes to shoes, there is only one choice this season: Slip-Ins. These shoes were Made for older folks like us. No more bending down and tying laces. Just slip into these shoes from a standing position. They are SO comfortable that I wanted to buy out the entire store. But I settled for one pair in a very affable grey. No matter where I go, I meet myself. Everyone is wearing them: on the subway, at the ball game, on walking trails, in the mall, even at fancy restaurants.

All of Peter’s poker buddies wear slip-ins. I have been thinking of buying him a pair too. His dress-up shoes are well past their “best-before” date, his everyday runners are looking tired, and his farmer shoes are, well, farmer shoes. I mentioned my purchase plan to Peter. To my surprise he replied that he already has several pairs of slip-ins. He said he made them himself. When he saw my look of disbelief, he produced two pairs for me to see. Here they are:

Dear readers, you can make your own slip-ins too!

Happy Summer.

Sue