Monday, April 07, 2008

NJW

I haven't worn pants that aren't made of denim in over a year. I own pants not made of denim from the last time I worked in an office. But if you were to ask me today how my life has changed since getting a book contract, my answer would be, "I wear jeans (or flannel) every day." I have swank dress jeans, slightly hip tapered jeans, and beat up jeans for walking the dog. In my mind, denim is suitable for every occasion.

This wouldn't be a problem, except that I have several events coming up where jeans are not welcome, where I'm expected to wear normal pants of some sort, and I'm absolutely at a loss as to how to do this. What shoes do I wear with normal pants? What belts? What do I do if I spill coffee? (I mean, denim hides everything...) So this week is officially No Jeans Week in the Ryanhood, so I can spend seven days practicing...if you see me out and about with some absurd looking outfit, please be kind and know that I'm re-learning the basics of dressing myself.


24 comments:

Unknown said...

i don't wear belts, so i'm no help there. but i wear practically any type of shoe with slacks. presently i'm wearing a "dressy" sandal/flip-flop. :)

i'm sure it'll come back to you. like bike-riding and such! :)

Colleen said...

I work in an ad agency and wear jeans every day. Some days as I commute to work I feel like a college kid who left her backpack at home. So, basically, I'm not much help on the dressing advice. Until summer, when the jeans are often replaced by lovely skirts. Just not until the pasty white legs are a little more like cafe au lait.

j said...

Ooh, I hate when a change of wardrobe is necessary for a job or special occasion. It's hard to flip the switch. I have a lovely pair of trendy loafers that go brilliantly with jeans, khakis, and dress pants though. I love them to death because they're so cute and they're comfy.

Anonymous said...

It's all about the black pants and black kitten heels... those two items pretty much save me every single Monday morning.

Good luck!
xox

Larramie said...

What is it about the majority of creative writers who claim to be lacking in fashion sense? You're kidding, aren't you, Trish? ;)

Beck said...

I don't own a belt, which should let you know how adult my wardrobe is. But I do own some pants made of corduroy! Corduroy is an adult fabric, right?

Rachel H. said...

I definitely wish that I could wear jeans everyday...I spend most days in business casual type slacks. It's not a whole lot of fun! I need new jeans!

Nilsa S. said...

I can echo your sentiments. Ever since I started working in an office with no dress code, I have somehow managed to rationalize it's ok wearing cut-off cargo pants to work. No one complains and it certainly doesn't affect my work productivity or output. But really? At work? I need to be a better dresser. Maybe when I have better cash flow after my condo sells...

Anonymous said...

Please don't' wear the fancy pirate pants that I blogged about a few weeks ago. I wear jeans a lot myself, so that's really all I know at this point. Pirate pants = not good

Anonymous said...

Black pants are always a winner ... hey - try black jeans! Dark enough and they will never be able to tell the difference!

Vanessa said...

Jeans aren't normal pants? OY! I'm in trouble! ;)

Anonymous said...

This is funny! I am envious you get to wear jeans everyday. That is my dream for any work place.

I'm sure it's like riding a bike, just get back on and you'll find what works well with what.

Two Date Diva said...

I would love to wear but jeans and flip flops for about a year. That would rock! Good luck!

L Sass said...

I sometimes find my non-denim pants quite comfortable. You may be surprised!

robin ann mcintosh said...

man, you live a nice life.

by the way, how and when did you get a book contract?

can't wait to read your masterpiece!!

Unknown said...

It depends on how long it's been since I've done the laundry as to what pants I wear......oops! I don't think I'm actually supposed to admit that!;)

Jess said...

I suck at non-denim pants too. That's why I always wear skirts if I can't wear jeans. Good luck! And if you learn anything useful, let us know.

Allie said...

I think I must be your kindred spirit because I too rely completely on jeans, unless I'm wearing a skirt (which is not often). They're just the best item of apparel that has ever been invented.

xxxx said...

I wear jeans to work too .. I would not even know where to begin!!

LEstes65 said...

Black boots always look hip with any long pants. And in my book, you can never have too many black boots, nor can you have too many different styles of black boots.

Get thee to a tanner. And get thee some black boots. I'm partial to the ones in my 2nd to last post. But I'm sure you'll find some very "Trishy" boots.

Jen A. Miller said...

Oh, I am SO in the same boat, though I don't even wear jeans every day (sweatpants, I heart you).

Since my book's about the Jersey Shore where everyone's on vacation, I can get away with jeans, though I've been stocking up on casual breezy jersey dresses that I can throw a cardigan over for indoor events, and that I can still wear outside on hot days. I did buy a new pair of black pants, and I'm having one of my older suits altered to wear to more formal stuff like chamber of commerce meetings and the like.

But whenever I'm done with one of these events, I can't wait to change back into my 'regular' clothes. I'm sooo lazy!

Amy Timberlake said...

Hey, if you want great looking clothes that are simple and yet very comfortable, try Patagonia. I know that sounds odd, but I love their every day clothes and they've got every day wear stuff. It's very nice looking! (And I promise they don't look like you're going to scale a mountain after the event.) They make clothes to move in and that makes all the difference for me. For shoes, I wear Birks. Not fashionable, but Anne Lamott says there are two things that make a person feel good in their skin -- shoes and pants. I'm with her one hundred percent. (By the way, that's a bad paraphrase of what I heard Anne Lamott say at a writer's conference...)

Barrie said...

I'm still laughing... Hope the re-learning process is going well. :)

Marybeth Whalen said...

Check out Shari Braendel's blog for fashion tips! www.sharibraendel.blogspot.com. She's great and you can get her to coach you about what pants to buy. I say go with basic black. But I am with you on the jeans or sweats. I just went out this weekend and bought myself three new pairs of sweats to replace the ones I have literally worn out. These new ones have the very hip stripes down the side, so I now refer to them as my "dressy" sweats... I am not sure what that says about me, that I actually have "dressy" sweats.