Green Sweater and Tunic, my current fashion obsession, pen and
pencil doodle © 2007 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
I was one of those girls in high school who latched on to a particular look and didn’t drop it for a couple of years. My devices back then: painter pants, waffle stompers, and any one of my brother’s flannel shirts.
I still remember a pair of olive green trousers that became my signature article of clothing when I was in my early twenties. They were gabardine with tiny knots of wool, tight and narrow at the waist and legs yet super baggy in the lap. I wore them all fall and winter for three years, often with black lace-up Victorian-style shoes.
Later, I graduated to cowboy boots and oversized long-sleeved t-shirts and long skirts. I stuck with the boots until everyone and their mother started wearing them, at which point I promptly parted ways with my inner cowgirl.
My thirties were spent traipsing around in tight-fitting clothes. I was size 2 or 4 for most the decade, and I loved showing off my hips and waist. Short tops, fitted blouses, strappy sandals, leg-hugging black go-go boots.
I still have a bag of clothing from that era, but besides not being able to fit into any of it I worry that I’d resemble a middle-aged prostitute if I actually attempted wearing anything from back then.
These days my uniform is a tunic topped with a short, tight sweater. Preferably the green sweater I got two years ago at Target, made by that designer Isaac somebody. It’s wash and wear, and the color has held up remarkably well until just recently given that I throw it in the dryer each week.
It’s the kind of uniform that satisfies the Gemini in me. Long and flowing yet short and fitted. The tunics I’ve picked up all over the place — Marshalls in Phoenix or Ross Dress-for-Less on Coors. A couple are vintage, from Buffalo Exchange (which I frequent when I’m not mad at the “buyers” for turning up their noses at my used clothing).
At the moment I’m wishing I would have bought two or three of my beloved Target sweaters, as mine is finally (finally!) fading around its ribbed edges. I wish I would have bought it in pink, my next favorite color after green.
It dawns on me that once my sweater dies, I might have to figure out a new look. Nothing too saucy or young-looking. Nothing frumpy. (God forbid frumpy.) It’s a delicate balance for a woman my age. If anyone has suggestions, I’m open.
What should be my next signature piece? Or do I quick, search for a green sweater replacement? And what of tattoos for women in their mid-forties? Are they as desperate-seeming as I think they are? And while on the topic, can someone tell me, do men work on their looks? (Because Jim’s aging hippie thang seems to come completely naturally to him.)
Geez, all this and frizzy hair, to boot. It’s amazing I made it to work today.
Buy jewelry! You’re a gemini, too? The four of us should go shopping. No, wait – we might come home with tattoos.
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Why is it that it takes years to realize you should have bought more than one of something that later becomes a favorite? I am wearing a pair of shoes that are so broken in and still look good, yet they are three years old and aren’t made anymore. Rather than throw them out, I got new heals and had the soles glued down. I am thankful they could be kept in play a while longer. Still, they, too must one day go the way of all favorites and what will I find to fit my feet so comfortably? A pair of those tall heels will just not work and I don’t want to come off as a fashionless old lady in sneakers.
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LOL bloomgal! Maybe we should get tattoos. Really, it’s piercings that would seem desperate, not tattoos.
Jackie B (thanks for clarifying, so I won’t think you’re my niece who never comments anyway): isn’t that especially the case with shoes? I mean, shoes remind me of small appliances in terms of their longevity. I expect my shoes to last ten or so years. Especially the ones made of leather. And so it’s shocking when after three years they start to pop at the seams or what have you. But then again, I have two pairs of the same shoe — one black, one brown — and both are in great shape but I don’t much care for their look anymore.
There’s got to be a better way of knowing ahead of time which pieces are going to become favorites and which ones are not.
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i have a pair of jeans n a pair of black high heels that i wish i wuda bought more of too! too bad most of the time there’s only one of what i buy since i get a lot of everything on clearance!
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Love the drawing – would make a neat artist’s trading card – ATC.
I have a favourite sweater that I bought ten years ago at Value Village for $1. Now that it has acquired the proper feel and patina and fit like a second, very loose skin, comfy, it has sprung a hole. I plan to patch it and patch it and patch it and never throw it out. My husband hates it but it is so moi!
Can you retire your green sweater to function as your lucky writing/drawing sweater? No one but you need to know you still wear it. G
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That is a great idea. In fact, the more it fades, the prettier it will become. BTW, I wish Buffalo Exchange had items for $1. Now that I think about it, part of the reason I’ve cut back shopping there was the prices started to get unreasonable. The older I get, the less I care to spend $$ on clothing.
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I am completely jealous of your ability to create light, shade, volume and texture with just a bunch of lines. Completely.
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I Love the art work. The blue flowers were a nice touch.
This is a subject close to my heart. I love clothes and the more original, unusual and plain cheap, all the better. They never go out of style because they never were a “style”. The people I work with are always entertained by my selections and I never worry about anyone else having the same thing on…ever! They call them “My costumes”…I kinda like that.
yb, You should try leggings. I wear the ones that go to my ankles in every color… with skirts right below my knees. They are the most comfortable “wearable invention” ever! You don’t need slips, nylons or any of that other garbage and you are free to bend or even stand on a table if you feel like it. I wear sandals all year round so they are perfect!
Funny…I have a black “Isaac” Target sweater. I can’t remember his other name either!
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I actually was smart enough to buy two pairs in different colours of a very cute shoe last year.
The look I’m favouring right now is organic cotton long-sleeved v-neck t’s, available in so many colours. The cotton is so soft, and is form-fitting without being too tight. Great with jeans especially.
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Thanks, sam. I’d use paint but I can’t pull out my paints and “doodle” with them while doing other things.
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Heather, I have the black one, too. But I don’t like it as much as the green one. And it faded a lot faster. BTW, without even knowing what you look like, I can completely picture you with leggings and funky skirts. And sandals all year round!!
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OK, pmousse, I think I might steal your trend. Target has a ton of great long-sleeved cotton tees (organic, doubtful), but I haven’t tried the v-neck thing. I’ll have to search around to see what I can find. I love cotton long-sleeved tees under other things. They make me feel so warm in the cold weather. And they’re making ’em longer, too, so they can be worn with short sweaters as well.
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ybonsey,
This was a post after my own heart. Your description of your attachment to certain articles of clothing is very endearing in its honesty.
I can see myself in your words, and I’m sure many other women can as well, and men too, anyone with a certain amount of sensitivity.
Love your green sweater drawing. It would make a great print to put on a bedroom wall, for those days when you don’t know what to wear, or if your favorite pants are dirty.
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Thanks, mariacristina. It’s funny — my youngest daughter has this “clothing attachment” thing going. Your comment just reminded me of that. I wonder if there’s some gene that predisposes a person to latch on that way. She’ll want the wear the same shirt she loves every day, and if I don’t catch her, she will wear it over and over. (And now I’m reminded of a guy I know who wore a red t-shirt every day to work. I figured he had a closet full of red t-shirts.)
Hey, if you check back in on this post (now that you know how to do that on the WP dashboard ; – ), let me know what your favorite piece is these days.
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Clothes. Wonderful, terrible clothes.
I have two denim shirts, and they are like a uniform, I wear them more days than not, but I don’t really suggest this as a style option. It’s more of a non-style option, something to pull on that requires no thought or attention, and can be quickly shimmied up a little with rolled sleeves and bracelets.
But I love that your sweater was a signature color. Maybe you’ll find a new item that’s color catches your eye, just so.
Maybe it will be purple.
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Denim shirts are wonderful, especially when they’re worn to soft cloth. Yes, quickly shimmied up. I can see that exactly.
Hmmmm, purple is a cousin to pink. Maybe it will look good against my skin. Green does. Pink does. My office mate tells me that black is my color. I don’t have anything purple, I realize. I’ll try it out. (Orange looks smashing on one of my friends, but not so on me. Red is great on my sister, so-so on me. Blue works. Maybe I should coopt your denim uniform.)
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I can sympathize with you here… I have mourned the death of several great pairs of jeans… LOL. Anyways, how about a black sweater?? Black is one of my staples because I have to wear it to work as a stagehand… 🙂
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YB,
I bought a pair of windowpane capris, with a kind of cargo-pants feel to them, like kind they sell at Old Navy, in a beige color. I have worn them almost every other day all summer. I’m wearing them as I write these words.
When I was five I had a red straw hat with an elastic strap to keep it on, trimmed with a red ribbon that trailed down the back. It must have been an Easter hat. I wore that hat to school every day in kindergarten. My mother said I wouldn’t go to school unless I had it on my head before leaving the house. What a movie star I was!
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Black is good. Black looks especially good under my green short sweater. Sigh.
The first piece of clothing I grew an attachment to, as far as I can recall, were my white painter pants in high school. My mom made me wear my sister’s hand-me-down dresses, most of which Mom sewed, and they were too outdated to love. Unbeknownst to me then, I wore vintage way before vintage was in style.
Hats. I love it when girls and women wear hats. It’s definitely a style statement, and not one I claim with confidence.
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Sartorially speaking, it’s very boring to be a guy, although I believe we are equally prone to clothing article attachment. I have a number of clothing items I wear around the house which I cannot bear to throw away, but which have reached an embarrassing state of decay. I answered the door in one of these strange outfits the other day; my friend who had unexpectedly come to call stared at me and said, “Um — are you aware that you have six holes in your sweater?”
She hadn’t noticed, apparently, the decency-challenging holes in my jeans. But then again, I hadn’t yet turned in that direction.
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lol. Yes, you’re right. My husband has a bag of old t-shirts that he’s hoping someone (his mom, me??) will turn into a quilt. Bless his heart! He loves these old t-shirts so much he wants to sleep with them!
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david, you’ve got a great sense of humor. 8)
yb, I’m with Jim. I have a bag of old T-shirts that I want to do…er….something with. One is a T from the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit in Chicago in the early 80’s. There’s one from my stint at MCAD that I can’t seem to throw away. I get attached to comfort and the memory associated with them.
Liz and I both have a bag of old jeans we are hoping to have Sew What mend for us. Remember when people had time to darn and mend? What happened to those days?
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BTW, ybonesy, this drawing is fabulous. The texture in the sweater…I feel like I can reach up on the screen and touch it. I am always in awe of your art.
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Thanks, QM. It’s another that I started back when and then forced myself to finish.
Hey, maybe you and Jim can find a quilter or someone who can do something with your old tees. It’s going to be a challenge sewing worn cotton t-shirt material, but I bet a pro will have no problems with it.
My sister Janet used to make her old jeans into long jean skirts. I haven’t seen those being recycled these days by hippie wannabes, have you?
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Oh, and she’d make old jeans into jean purses.
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[…] Death Of A Short Green Sweater Oct 17th, 2007 by ybonesy Green Sweater and Tunic, my current fashion obsession, pen and pencil doodle 2007 by ybonesy. All rights reserved … and narrow at the waist and legs yet super baggy in the lap. I wore them all fall and winter for three source: Death Of A Short Green Sweater, […]
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