Forget that my mother told me to always wear clean underwear in case I get into an accident and have to go to the hospital! I learned the hard way that “clean underwear” is the least of my attire problems. It’s what I wear on top of my underwear that, at times, has caused me the most embarrassment!

On those days when my outfit ranges from “less-than-pleasing” to “just-plain-ghastly” I always run into someone I know. Even worse, that someone is usually the most fashionably dressed individual in my community. My first instinct is to run and hide. But alas! Mister or Miss Perfectly Dressed spots me immediately. Maybe it is because my pink pajama bottoms and blue clunker boots are the only thing visible under my faux leopard coat. Or they might be attracted by my “headful” of pink and blue giant hair rollers—I need the rollers to tame my very curly and very frizzy hair. Or it could be my lack of makeup—a no-no for a 60-something woman—combined with my royal blue sweats that were a perfect look for scrubbing toilets, but definitely not suitable for a quick trip to the supermarket for some more bleach!

Continue reading "Desperately Needed: A Good Public Appearance!" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I usually hate my birthday. It has nothing to do with my advancing age. I’ve accepted that each year I get older. What I hate is the presents that my husband gets for me. I’ve learned the hard way—with lots of useless stuff—that my husband doesn’t have a clue about gift-giving. He just picks up something at the last minute that may or may not—and usually doesn’t—appeal to me. A present for me is to him an obligation and not a joy.

This past birthday, however, was the best ever. When he asked me what he could buy for me, I said I didn’t want anything. “I have everything I need…in fact, I have too much stuff,” I told him. He was relieved. I saved him a trip to the closest store—it’s a hardware store—to pick up something for me.

Continue reading "A Happy Birthday" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It’s time for most of us to put away the summer wardrobe and bring out the fall/winter clothes. I hate this job because I have far too many clothes. I have yet to learn to rid my wardrobe of those items that I will “someday” wear.

I just loaded up the couch with more than 100 short-sleeved summer T-shirts, 47 long-sleeved T-shirts, 37 summer sweaters, 28 pairs of Capri pants, 12 light nightgowns and 21 pairs of sandals and summer shoes. (The couch serves as the first stop to the storage containers in the garage.) Mind you…I didn’t even wear a third of these items, yet there they are stacked on the couch waiting to be exchanged for my winter wardrobe stored in the vast number of containers that fill the garage floor. (Thirty years in this house and a car has yet to be parked in our 2 1/2-car garage!)

To be fair, I did find a few items that managed to make it to the give-away pile. (I always feel guilty about having so much when there are so many who have nothing!) But my “charity pile” is so sparse that there isn’t even one outfit for a needy person.

Continue reading "Wardrobe Excess!" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When I lost weight and moved out of the sorority of plus-sized women, I decided I would never buy anything, not matter how much I liked it, if it was also available for full-figured clothing customers. I didn’t want to be reminded in any way of where I had been. I learned, however, that we can never move beyond our past, size included!

Recently I went shopping in a very tony store in a very upscale neighborhood. I was wearing a rather expensive outfit that came only in sizes up to 16. I felt right in place in this little number. Matching sandals and a purse completed the outfit. I felt like I belonged here, in this store, with the group of other slim and fashionably dressed customers. (Opps! I mean “guests.”)

Then it happened. In this particular shop—excuse me, the place I was in was spelled “shoppe” in an attempt, I am sure, to mark its “breeding” in the retail class system—I saw something that caused me to shudder. There was my outfit on…well…an extremely large woman. Her outfit was definitely larger than a 16 and maybe even a 3X (the same size I wore before I lost 170 pounds!)

Continue reading "Closet Sisters...For Sure!" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

My mother sewed many of our clothes, especially dresses, when my sisters and I were young. If she didn’t economize with hand-made garments, she did it by shopping in budget departments or at reasonably priced retail stores. What she selected for us was “sensible.” Sensible, however, was never fun!

Once we reached our teen years, if we wanted anything beyond her “sensible,” we had to buy it ourselves. In-style fashions were primarily our responsibility since mom thought fad-garb was ridiculously expensive and lacking in quality. (I think these were just her excuses to get out of buying us anything “cool.”) I learned the hard way—when classmates made fun of some of the things I wore—that I had to part with some of my babysitting money and “get with it.”

This lesson was well learned. One of my purchases was a plaid kilt from a very expensive clothing shop with shoes—plaid flats—to match. I had to babysit every weekend night for two months to pay for these totally popular, “in” wardrobe pieces. But it was worth it. The skirt and shoes made me feel special. They gave me a confidence I had never known before. In addition, wearing these treasures provided me with wonderful memories that last even to this day. They made me become a true believer in the adage that “clothes make a person.”

Continue reading "Some Wondrous Clothes…Some Lasting Memories!" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

“Be prepared” may be a Boy Scout motto, but it also works for me, especially because I am now working full time. I want to dress professionally for my job and this can be quite daunting if I wait until morning to select my attire. It’s best, I’ve learned, to prepare the night before.

Prior to starting “my big-girl job,” I was used to college attire, if that’s what you call jeans, sweats and my all-time favorite pj’s. Within weeks of starting college, I discovered that I could attend early morning classes in whatever I wore to bed the night before. Everybody did this. How easy it was for me to wake at 8:05 a.m., roll out of bed, maybe brush my teeth (maybe not), throw on a coat, and rush to my 8:30 class. I didn’t look any different than the other coeds in class. Besides, why did we need to go all-out with our looks? Flirting with a member of the opposite sex wasn’t even a consideration at 8:30 a.m.!

When I was offered my professional position a few months ago, I had two weeks to check my wardrobe and add pieces that would give me the “serious” look that I wanted to portray to my boss and coworkers. I did great creating a good first impression with the clothes I wore. For the first few weeks, I spent time before going to bed selecting an outfit, making sure the pieces matched and everything was in good repair. I polished my shoes, if need be, changed purses, and tried out different jewelry. I was totally put together.

Continue reading "Be Prepared" »

Posted by Emily Prysby at 07:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "Color Reeling" »

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