The Old Fart's Club

No matter how au courant I try to be, I still end up 'pas de au courant', so to speak. All the time I slaved away in the work force, a tailored blazer and a nicely fitted pair of wool, cotton, linen or silk slacks would take you to work and back. Anywhere and back. This was my standard uniform, and it always 'worked.' Neither over nor underdressed and not in some weird shapeless fat lady jacket that announced "sartorially clueless." Color me currently clueless.

My winter wardrobe has a tailored navy cashmere blazer and a tailored black wool blazer. A couple of cardigans round out the business casual look. I have several pair of brown slacks, and so it seemed like a good idea to acquire a camel hair blazer, which would also work with black as well as brown. Off to Nordstroms in Providence which is handy, has sales clerks who can do more, much more than talk and chew gum, like give good advice and actually find stuff .

Duh, where are the blazers? I wondered. Actually, when was the last time I saw someone wearing one and looking, well, spiffy? Ooops, they aren't in style anymore. In the entire Providence Center, I saw one woman in a navy blazer with brass buttons and me. And she didn't look too cool. Probably I didn't look too cool either. Thing was, I felt cool. Sucked it up and bought another style jacket, totally another style. It looks pretty good, too. Just not wool or tailored or in my comfort zone.

Walking by Ann Taylor, I saw one tan blazer, and ditto for Talbots. But the serviceable wardrobe staple is hard to find. When did they "go out" of style? Color me clueles. Thank dog that turtlenecks have not gone out of style. It rather like the shirtdress or the buttondown shirt. You assume they will always be around, but you are wrong wrong wrong. Actually, tailored shirts with cool stripes and good colors are back again. I still have plenty from the prior periods. Stuff happens when one is writing novels or programming computers or whatever. And the next thing you know you are totally not with it. You have become an old fart. Arrrrghhhh!

Now I am sort of with it with my new hopefully au courant look. The thing is, for going into Boston or to Toastmasters or even to Providence Center, the tailored blazer and slacks still seems right. Only if you're an old fart, I guess.

How did this happen? .

Alas,

Grapeshot