With the Right Underwear, Anything can be an Outfit

Is this what the youths call a vibe shift?????

Some of the most fun of these newsletters to write are ones where I set myself up for a ~challenge~. Like this one, or this. Doing these is in exercise of wrapping my brain around something that isn’t intuitive to me. It’s the purest part of playing with clothes, dressing up for the sake of dressing up and trying something new.

I feel very back to school, itchy for something new, I’m feeling very shoppy, and beyond that, it’s hard to shake the literal back to school moment where you could reinvent yourself as anything. Show up on the first day as someone totally new. With that said, Connecticut Dad feels a bit worn to me. I’ve reached peak camp counselor, and I don’t have the words yet to describe what’s next, except - Horny, Rich, and Lazy. As always.

But then I saw this outfit my friend Gabby posted -

Isn’t she hot? The skirt is Doen, I forget where the shirt is from. And today I saw this:

Miuccia Prada fitting Carla Bruni in 1994 via Cabmate

And now I’ve (finally, a few years after it became a thing) decided I’m ready to try out some sheer stuff. I never really messed around with it because it felt too trendy for my 80’s Volvo driving persona. Beyond that, I think it’s important to remember that just because something is a thing doesn’t mean you can’t like it - it doesn’t make you any less creative or interesting or good. I get stuck in my anti-ness a bit and end up trying too hard to avoid things that feel of the moment, when really, sometimes the moment is good! And I will also say, it feels good to be part of something! It’s a little exhausting trying to resist everything popular, you know? Is sheer the most trendy of trends? No. But initially I resisted because it felt like too much of a thing.

Can you tell I’ve been working on this letter for too long? I started it before I went on vacation, and picked it back up just now, and it’s a little all over the place.

So what is Horny, Rich, and Lazy now… It’s slinky fabrics and overwashed poplin, soft skin, exposed forearms and shoulders, draping, drawstrings….flip flops…big girl jewelry…color! I’m putting away my earth tones for a season or two. I want sillyness and pointlessness - Joy! I don’t fucking know, it’s clothes that make you feel like a lightbulb, rubbing your freshly shaved legs together like a cricket under the table at dinner outside, a slit that goes too high, and sheerness. Sheerness! VPL on purpose, or maybe just VP (visible panty - to that end, please fill out this survey for me).

Long story short, I tried on a bunch of sheer stuff and I liked it.

SHEER PANTS

To be honest, I ordered these just for this project. And when I opened the bag I thought…wow…this is a challenge. My brain immediately went to Love Island contestants wearing “cover ups” over neon thong bikinis. It’s a terrific look, but it’s not my look. But then I kinda got into them!