Does this outfit make me look like a teacher?
I was at the nail salon the other day and the manicurist asked me if I was a teacher. "Why?" I asked her. "You look like a teacher", she said, "and you talk like one."
Well! I was rather upset.
I imagined that the manicurist meant a wash n' wear, offend-no-one aura of kindly neatness. A look that is not unfeminine but never interesting. And they speak in complete sentences, with attention to grammar. Is it I to whom you refer?
I have no reason to hold this stereotype.
My teacher friends are unabashed beauties, graceful goddesses, lovely family members. My teacher friend Cathy had (till retirement) the ability to undo from one to three buttons of her Thomas Pink shirts in a split second, as the occasion dictated–and anytime after 4 pm., it was three-button time. And you have met the bombshell Christine aka, the teacher Christine.
My teacher friends are unabashed beauties, graceful goddesses, lovely family members. My teacher friend Cathy had (till retirement) the ability to undo from one to three buttons of her Thomas Pink shirts in a split second, as the occasion dictated–and anytime after 4 pm., it was three-button time. And you have met the bombshell Christine aka, the teacher Christine.
Oh god, I thought, I'm slipping into the 60ish semi-retired bog of obdurate sensibility I always dreaded. Is this like the notion that we marry our fathers, or live our parents unlived lives, or some other what-you-want-is-not-what-you-think-you-want theory?
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| The gateway purchase? |
But I am changing. For the first time in my life, in October I read an LL Bean catalog all the way through, not just for the snow boots and adorable dog beds. I looked at the women's clothes and ordered... slippers. But can corduroy big shirt be far behind?
Flee from salon. Paw into closet, risk wreck of mani, pick funkiest pants, leather jacket for dinner at sushi bar with Le Duc. Apply sake to shaky self-image. Decide to buy red lipstick.
Get providentially-timed e-mail from Christine, who comments that my new oxfords in black might have a "grand-maternal vibe". She may be right, but perhaps grandmother offers more scope than teacher? Have nothing against grandmothers either, but start thinking about what to wear with the oxfords.
C. reports just bought Costume National pony skin flats. Graciously responds to plea for photos, showing how she's wearing them:
Tell her that in the tights, she looks like an elf on absinthe.
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| Hip with red pants |
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| Insouciant with grey tights |
Tell her that in the tights, she looks like an elf on absinthe.
I substitute Christine for the teacher in my mistaken mind. Hah! Formulate plan to march her into salon on next visit and introduce my teacher friend.
Comments
I read the LLB catalog all the way through because I find it interesting that an enormous company manages to give off the vibe of a family business (it IS a family biz--just an enormous one). Except for boots and totes, I don't buy anything there for me. I do like the men's clothes.
My advice is get yourself a copy of "Parisian Chic" by Ines de la Fressange. I've long admired the French woman's attitude towards ageism ie: bien sur sa peau! Be comfortable in your own skin.
Not going gently into that good night...
When I was teaching at the uni, I was often praised for my style -- though maybe there's a difference between teacher and instructor!
Frugal: I am bossy, but actually quite submissive once someone is attacking my cuticles with a sharp instrument.
Buy a lot of Bean clothes for my sons, and do I ever love that everyday free shipping.
Ali: Here in Quebec (and in France, too) a woman above her 20s is called "Madame", which I like. There is respect in that slight formality. Ma'am is of course the American contraction of Madame, and it lands differently to my ear.
Anyway, do you not like it because it results in you feeling "old"?
I reviewed Ines' book here:
http://passagedesperles.blogspot.com/2011/04/parisian-chic-bend-it-like-ines.html
Some content is useful but found a lot fluff, and some of her pronouncements downright silly.
Genuine Lustre: Oh, no! That must have hurt. And from your photo, I'd say most inaccurate!
Rubi: What surprised me is my sense of dread, when my actual life experience of teachers is that they are just as stylish as anyone else, except maybe women in the fashion and media industries.
I started amassing funky unusual wardrobe ranging from avant-garde to infantile all the while fearing I dressed this way because I somehow mask my lack of originality by wearing whimsical pink parka and pom pom beanies. Recognizing this insecurity changed the way I dress today. I still wear the pink parka but I also bought some very generic, very "boring" black dress pants (after 11 years!)
it's funny because the shoe fits!!!
Whatever anyone says, you are and always be my "maîtresse".
Le Duc
big hug,
Vivienne
I do find some fashion choices to be a bit dowdy when others do not. It's all in the eye of the beholder.
hostess: Oh the sheep slippers are adorable! And you would not wear them out of the bungalow, I assume?
Le Duc: •Blushing*!
Vivienne: "Undestroyable" is a great quality and useful word. It's true we are usually a screen for the other's projection.
Susan: Now have fantasy of teachers mailing in photos of themselves in incredibly cool outfits... either that or dressed like Cameron Diaz in "Bad Teacher".
http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/loafers/PRDOVR~48962/48962.jsp
And check these, black but hardly staid:
http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/loafers/PRDOVR~54740/54740.jsp
That stopped me in my tracks. Maybe what gives me away is not my clothes or shoes but my way of interacting with those who are younger than me? That "aura of kindly neatness... and speaking in complete sentences, with attention to grammar" may not be such bad thing.
To me, you are the epitome of chic.
We both own fuzzy LL Bean slippers. No it is not a gateway purchase, though reading that did make me laugh!
Le Duc's comment is so romantic.
In short, I agree that you shouldn't be afraid to look like a (well-dressed) teacher!
Because of that range, I'd say teachers run the gamut, like many occupational groups not held to a strict dress code or uniform.
Tiffany: In the primary schools the work can be messy indeed, a physical job as well as mental- and even though university there is dust and the need to be on one's feet often.
C.
Tiffany: That should be "even through university..."
Araminta: Nice to get compliments, even better if we can be comfortable st the same time.
I'm at home, tonight, in slippers, being cranky, loving it . . .
I have spent a small fortune on several pairs of Loro Piana cashmere, open heel slip in's! They must be designed for women who never walk a step?
I like to walk in my slippers; I'm kind of funny that way.
I now buy Patricia Green, open heel slip ons, or Port Of Naples, ballet slippers, with creamy pearls, and ribbon trim, that match my boudoir.
But here in Canada, we need heavier weapon for coldest months. Everyone in our family has a pair of Bean sheepskin slippers and I often give them as gifts.
But overall, it was a fun read and I'm glad I bought it.
Regarding the "madam" v "m'am" thing; your right on the money. Either term reminds me I'm rapidly approaching grand dame status. LOL!