the travelling (pink) pants

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazzfest) isn't a fashion event like Coachella, it's all about the music.You would think putting a few pairs of shorts, some tanks, a plastic poncho, sunhat, sunscreen, and just in case a sweatshirt into a carry-on would be simple.

This is because you have never travelled with Disaster Girl - me. First off, and in fairness, I do have a revolting variety of skin conditions and allergies. And malicious sinuses, which delight in spoiling the fun. The mere assembly of the bandaids, spray antiseptic, Germolene, decongestants and blister paks, plus the skin treatments, the necessary prescription products in case of a flare-up, etc etc, could be a practicum for a pharmacology course.

Thank goodness I can eat anything, if I also had to pack for a delicate tummy I'd never be allowed on a plane.

And after a dim weekend in sunny Kennebunkport, where we had to drive 15 miles to find a hardware store to replace the 25-watt lightbulbs the motel owner had thoughtfully installed, I pack 2 little flashlights and some extra batteries in the little case with the phone charger and the extra phone charger. A third teeny flashlight travels in my pocket because all too often airplane maintenance doesn't include passenger overhead lights. Would you find it heart-warming to be told by the flight attendant that the light switch wasn't working because they couldn't find which wire was loose?

And who wants to meet people for the first time with pants hem trailing, or skirt hem dangling?

As for shampoo, conditioner and the like - I find that the little bottles in hotel bathrooms are generally unreliable at best. On the road, my hair is washed with very gentle toxin-free shampoo, conditioned likewise (thanks, Louise!), and air-dried. Then I flatiron the hell out of it. Sunscreen - of course.

Oh, right, about those lightbulbs - Himself thought we might replace the dim ones before checking out and bring the 2 new ones home with us. I voted that we leave them in the lamps, so that the stingy owner's year-end P&L would be off by11 cents and make him crazy. I won.

So having addressed first aid, medical care, emergency tailoring and blindness prevention, I move  to the subject of Staying Awake During Daylight Hours. After years of being told to get used to it, Himself acknowledges that the coffee I make in the room with freshly boiled water, Zabar's Special Blend, and Melitta filters is far faster and far better than anything we can get from Room Service. Not to mention far cheaper: pot of "coffee" for two: $10. Room service charge: $5. Delivery surcharge (I'm not kidding, people): $7. Tax: $3. Yeah, priceless. So he no longer complains about my bringing the necessary equipment. If I left it home, he'd have to listen to me complain, and trust me, it's just not worth it.

And now for clothing. There the packing list would be mercifully short. Except that every day at Jazzfest, and, I assume, other music festivals, is complete sensory overload. There are more than 70 food vendors, 11 music stages and tents X 6 events per day per stage = 462, plus crafts, demonstrations, exhibitions - 4 days! Bliss! a cochon de lait sandwich while listening to The Boss! We find that to survive, the day needs to close with a seated meal at a nice restaurant where people bring you things. To enjoy this, there needs to be a shower and a change into clean respectable clothes. Because of New Orleans' killer air conditioning, this means pants and sweater. I prefer not to eat and shiver at the same time.

the silk pants - they have pockets!

Hence the pink pants. I had decided that the latest addition to the Missoni sweater collection (more than 2 is a collection, right?) needed pink pants, preferably silk. Then I realized that that sweater would probably go to London and Paris with us in a few months, where it and I would benefit from lightweight pink cotton pants. Since manufacturers change sizes rapidly (and so does my bottom), I wound up with

• deep pink silk pants from Go Silk - X one
• on sale at Neiman's (yes!)
• keeping.
• pink cotton (yes!) pants from Gap, 3 sizes to try, X 2 = 6



the Gap pants -
but not my butt

• (the Gap order didn't go through the first time, so in desperation I did the order again. Then the website recovered and I got a confirmation. Then I got another confirmation. Then I realized that since the pink pants idea had been a last-minute inspiration, I was paying express shipping twice. Customer service was lovely about the shipping, but yes, I'm spending tomorrow at the Gap returning 5 pairs of pants. And one really peculiar bra).
• faded red chinos from J.Crew - X one.
•     more pink-ish than pink, but seemed like a good idea at the time.
•     keeping.

While waiting out the suspense of last minute deliveries, I observed that pink pants are in the air. If we truly lived in a global village, I'd be able to stand on my roof (yup, roof rights) and see pink pants flying from clotheslines from Guelph, Ontario, to the San Francisco Bay, and in the other direction, decorating the Atlantic Coast from north to south. I think this is a positive development. I dread the inevitable day when some genius decides that distressed/destroyed pink jeans are what every girl needs.

I wore the pink silk pants with this top and the coordinating tank:

The pink in the sweater is darker than it reads on the monitor. Worked perfectly.

You do not want to see a picture of me in my baggy shorts and waist bag. Trust me on this.

here a shop, there a shop

Craving spring and summer and hope, I ran down to the Greenmarket at Union Square early Saturday morning. The bustling activity was the perfect antidote to a night spent watching the deserted streets of Cambridge and Watertown. I had meant to pick up some spring-y flowers for the terrace, but it's still a little too early, and since it's gotten chillier again, probably it's as well that I didn't. I came home with a treat - a small bottle of real heavy cream, by which I mean the stuff that has NOT been ultra-pasteurized. Why anyone would go to the trouble of seeking out organic cream and then buy something that has had all the goodness boiled out of it - beyond me.
I'm sipping my Sunday morning coffee now, made nicer with real heavy cream and even nicer by not having the TV news on.

I haven't exactly been on a shopping diet, c'mon, I've got plenty of stuff to wear, some of it even in sizes that fit me, I don't need convincing to shop or not to shop. It's more that very few things have jumped out at me. The few things that have caught my attention - caught someone else's first. Example: Old Reliable Banana Republic. They've lurched onto the Artificial Fabric Bandwagon. Even the word "cotton" in a description can't be trusted. One thing I do grab whenever I see them in my size are the Gap's 100% cotton hipster panties, also known as Friends of the Working (at a Desk! at a Desk!) Girl. If you order 5 or more, the price drops dramatically. I ordered 5 or more. I received 2 emails, each reporting that one of my hipsters was unavailable. Then I got a pair of panties. Then I got the shipping confirmation, telling me all 5 panties and my 2 shirts (same shirt, 2 sizes) had shipped. Then I got an email that one of the shirts had not shipped, consolation prize: a 10% discount code. Frankly, with BR throwing 35 and 40% discounts around like favors from a float, 10% doesn't thrill. Then the other shirt didn't ship - another 10% discount code. I'm ordering, by the way, because the panties don't show up in the stores and the shirts were sold out. Moving on, another pair of panties arrived today, and - still curious about the shirt - the unavailable shirts were back on the site, with a 35% discount code, so I placed a new order. Both sizes. I'm not frantic about this, but if the shirt arrives in a size that fits me, and I like it, I'll probably keep it.

What else?

My saleslady at the LaurenRalphLauren department in Bloomingdales called to remind me of some great sale or other. Shortly afterwards I arrived home with: 100% black wool 2-button blazer, after all the markdowns, including my second all-time favorite sign to see on a clothes rack - 50% off lowest price - it was $50, from $250, and it's still $199 on the Ralph Lauren website. I strongly suggest following this for a %off sale promo.

A $90 cotton paisley blouse followed me home, mom, so can I keep it? $14.50! What is my first all-time favorite sign? Of course, 75% off lowest price. The blouse is great with jeans, the sleeves are nowhere near as puffy as the picture would make you think. With a full skirt, the blouse is a little too Pioneer Girl for city life. I'm seeing more than the usual component of faux-western-influences in the various Ralph Lauren brands this spring. I bet it wouldn't be difficult to find a picture of the 5-year-old Mr. Lauren in a rootin' tootin' cowboy suit. Perfectly tailored, of course.

I also came into few gorgeous silk blouses, heavy weight, almost satin in texture. Too good to throw out, but completely unwearable, said the friend who was cleaning her closet. Hmmm, said I, what if we took out the shoulder pads? (yeah, that old) Here's what happens when you hoick out shoulder pads: the shoulder seam falls somewhere the middle of your lateral triceps and your elbow. I rescued a couple of these sad babies. When I tried them on at home, I noticed that the entire blouse was cut very full, and so on one, I pinned a dart from the center of the shoulder seam, wide enough to move the shoulder/arm connection to where it should be, and tapering at the boobage. I continued the dart down the back of the blouse. The width and length of the dart needed some adjustment, but finally I had it. With the shoulder seam in place, the side seam needed only a tiny adjustment under the arm. The tailor is working on the blouse now, and if something worth wearing turns out, I'll consider fooling around on the others. Cuts were fuller when the blouse was made, I guess, and manufacturers were more generous, so there's room to work.

I'd love a pair of navy linen pants. My usual source for something that's so basic that creative designers can't be bothered is the Brooks Brothers Factory Store. I didn't get there the last time I was at the outlet mall, because I was so annoyed to be holding a coupon for the JCrew Factory Store that I couldn't use. I couldn't use it because I couldn't find anything worth buying. They had rearranged the store, but it only looked enticing from a distance. When you got up close enough to touch the fabric and read the labels.... So I felt gloomy and just went home, gave the coupon to a harried lady with a bored little boy. This experience was particularly dispiriting after learning that the Ralph Lauren factory stores honor a 15% student/educator discount and a 15% military discount, both of which apply to everything in the store and can be stacked.  Well, I hope to get back to Brooks Brothers soon....

YES, THE PRICE IS $890!!

I didn't think much of the Mondrian-ish cashmeres in the last J.Crew rollout, but as the prices began to drop this one became more appealing.

When I saw this version of a colorblock pullover, at about the same time J.Crew marked down its version, the die was cast.

And a pair of heavy linen gray slacks (Elie Tahari), very tailored, found on a flash sale site, was just what the cashmere pullover called for. The purple stripe is more gray in real life, and the camel stripe is more pinkish beige. The bright pink is still bright pink. The sleeves are "bracelet length." It looks boxy in my picture, but it fits well on. None of this is a problem, but it's worth knowing if you want to check out the JC sweater. The sweater has disappeared from the website, but as usual may reappear.

That seems to be it for the spring hunting season.  So far. We'll be heading for New Orleans in a week or two, and the thought of a music festival always makes me worry about my feet. Sorry, music lovers, but I can't get carried away on heavenly sounds if my feet are killing me.