I sat here thinking about the letter E and two words kept popping into my head: elegant and elephant. Quite a difference there. An elephant might be considered elegant when in dress for a ceremonial parade in India. But otherwise, not so much.
Elegant is something I am not. Never have been, never will be. I dislike getting dressed up for elegant or formal events. The last time I was comfortable doing that was my senior prom in 1965. I really felt pretty.
My idea of getting dressy now is either a merino wool maxi dress (I have the basic black for that) with a shawl/cape/scarf/kimono or flowy black pants with a dressy blouse. This has been my go-to for formal nights when we cruised. I have a couple items of favorite jewelry, all with sentimental value, to accessorize. Simple is good for me.
Now that I am mostly stay-at-home rural retiree, simple is good. Coming from thirty years as an IT professional, I had transitioned from jeans and t-shirts to synthetic leggings and t-shirts. Simple. Then I was introduced to merino wool as I researched what we should pack for our two month European vacation. We need to deal with temps in the 80s down to the 40s, from sun to rain to cold. Merino sounded perfect – and it was. I have now transitioned 90% of my wardrobe to all natural fabrics: merino wool, linen, hemp, and cotton. Yes, even my underwear is wool and I have wool shoes.
The upside of this transition is I always feel put together now, no matter the occasion.
My A-Z this year are random thoughts, ideas, and whatever pops into my mind for the letter of the day. As in previous years, I will keep it short and sweet.
Till next time!
Umm maybe I should think of wool for our cruise.
It really helps with packing and washing. We can chat about it offline, I think you have my email.
Ha! I almost put elegant in my elephant poem! And elegant is something I’ve rarely been associated with.
We are kin!!!
I mostly wear natural fabrics as well. Feeling good in your clothes is such a wonderful thing.
I’m amazed at how much more comfortable I am now…
Your prom photo is gorgeous and definitely elegant 🙂 I am so glad you have found what works for you and your lifestyle. I’ve never been elegant either and am definitely and jeans and graphic t-shirt woman but I have a couple of go-to nicer pieces for the occasional event. Thanks for sharing about the wool, I will dive deeper.
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So many benefits to wearing merino…I learned to be careful and check out the % of wool. Early on I bought a couple of things that were less than 20% merino. Now I strive for 80%+ but won’t go less than 50%.
Merino wool is so soft and light. Most of my thermal are merino wool has it helps to keep warm in the cold Sydney winter.
Yes! I’ve learned to keep track of the gsm for my wool clothes to help deciding what to wear. Early on it was mostly lightweight tops and I was always cold unless I layered.
Natural fibers are best, I agree 100%. A friend of mine who lived in the Catskill Mountains raised merino sheep for their wool. Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago. I have a scarf I made from his sheep’s merino wool and I love it! So soft! As to other fibers, I wear 100% cotton whenever I can. My skin likes it. Polyester is the devil to me, even though I wore polyester pants when I still worked because they are wrinkle free and easy to wash and hang on hangers to dry.
You look very pretty in that picture.
I still have a couple of pairs of synthetic leggings and tops – good to wear when I get my hair cut. My fine hair sticks to wool like glue!!
Another layer of heat 😉
I am team elephant! Jeans, T-Shirt and sneakers are my go-to. UGG boots in winter, and with winter I mean September through March 🤪 Even wedding dress shopping – apparently every girl’s dream – felt like a dreadful chore.
Unless I know I have to leave the house, it’s socks & slippers for me, at least until it’s warm enough for flip-flops. LOL! I feel you pain on the dressy dress shopping. Not my thing, for sure.
It’s interesting how a change of clothes and a splash of jewelry can have such an impact. I like wearing a t-shirt, sweater, and jeans. The other day, I switched out my shirt and sweater for a dress shirt and put on a necklace and bracelet, and my son was inquisitive about why I was “dressed up?”
Great A-to-Z post. Thank you for sharing.
I don’t think I could have done the 100 day challenge when I was younger but there are so many fantastic working women who doing it. I love following their photos in the FB groups.
I like that you are wearing all natural fabrics. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of wool underwear for women!!
With merino wool, it’s so much more comfortable. Mine are from Branwyn but many other companies (Woolx, wool&, Simply Merino to name a few) have them, too.
I’m fascinated about transitioning to wool. What a neat concept.
Feel free to chat offline if you have more questions. Tons of info in my other blog, https://myprimeyears.com
When I started to crochet in 1970 wool yarn was easy to buy and that’s the first material I used for my crocheting. There is nothing like wool for the winter and I wear wool blend socks exclusively during our long New York State winters. Elegant? I didn’t even wear a dress for the formal nights on the cruise we went on last year, but I did dress up more than I normally do. Alana ramblinwitham
I crochet with merino wool and it is so soft! I am bog fashion girl but, as much as I like dressing up, I like being comfortable. My everyday is pretty laid back and I like flowy pants, tanks, long cardigans and dusters. All of the fabrics you named, especially cotton and linen I really like. We are going on a family cruise and I haven’t been on a cruise in probably 10 years. I have already thought about easy comfortable clothing. Enjoyed this post.
At 77, comfort is definitely #1 but I still want to look good. My current wardrobe provides that.
You look beautiful in your prom photo! Casual elegant sounds good. Comfort is the key! 🙂
Comfort is definitely number one for me!
Your senior prom pic is super pretty, Donna. And I like how you are wardrobe conscious in a meaningful way. Lovely read there 🌸🌸
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Thanks so much and I appreciate you dropping in!