Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Time to call in the big Gunn

I've been out searching for sweaters to fend off the coming cold. It's not going well. Mind if I vent?

First, WHAT is the deal with the proliferation of short sleeved items in the knitwear section of Ann Taylor? Store/Loft/Outlet--I've tried them all. Not a full sleeve anywhere. Have their designers ever been north of the Mason-Dixon line? Do they understand WHY we expand our wardrobe come autumn to include wool? To leave the sleeves off of a sweater is, in my humble (and shivering) opinion, to seriously miss the point.

And it's not just Ann Taylor. I've tried Macy's, Express, every store in the TJMaxx/Marshall's chain...Nothing. In desperation, I dove into the "these sweaters don't fit/look terrible/were ruined in the moth invasion of 2007" bag I found in the back of my closet. I pulled out several of the items, convinced myself that anything that warm (and full sleeved!) couldn't possibly look that bad, and put them back in my closet. Then Tim Gunn came along and ruined my celebration.

Have you seen the new season? So good! I love him. Even though he told a girl with similar proportions to mine--wearing a sweater almost exactly like one I'd just pulled from the discard bag to put back in the rotation--that she looked like a giant cableknit cube. Sigh. And her sweater didn't even have moth holes...

Today, those holey, ugly, pilled disasters went back in the trash. If you don't hear from me, it's because I'm huddled under a blanket, trying to keep warm. Hard to type from there...

8 comments:

Melanie said...

Oh Trish...I love you and your honesty. :) I have sweaters from almost 10 years ago...I can't part with them. It's the Dutch-ness in me coupled with I LOVE to feel warm and cozy. I say, what Tim Gunn can't see, he can't criticize! :)

Anonymous said...

I've seen several short sleeved coats...sigh

Leslie said...

Im loving the new season of Tim Gunn! And Im with you on long sleeved sweaters- dont shoot sleeve and wool defeat the purpose? I must say however that I was at Kohl's this evening and they had some fabulous turtleneck sweaters for CHEAP! (Im sure I'll be showing off my new purple one on my blog in the next week!!!)

Myowne said...

Trish, I thought I was the only one. I mean, for Pete's sake, I need to be fully clothed this winter like you, and I have noticed that sweaters that used to be warm as blankets have slowly begun to feel like undershirts. I am not trying to look cutesy when it's 10 below here in Michigan. Oh and I love Tim Gunn, though he makes me feel like crap about my lack of style. Oh well...I need his wise words.

Larramie said...

Fads come and go with each year. In Fall 08, designers are looking back to the 1960's -- a la MAD MEN and Jacqueline Kennedy. HA, one is a TV show (working under hot lights) and the other wore fur coats to keep warm. ;)

Alyssa Goodnight said...

We have the opposite problem down here. People are optimistically dressing in long-sleeved cold-weather clothing, I suppose hoping the weather gods will take pity on them and bring the temperature down out of the eighties.

Why not swing down to Texas to do some shopping?

Grits said...

So tired of short sleeved sweaters! What is the point? It's too warm for sweaters and too cold for chilly weather. What I wouldn't give for Tim Gunn to come and take me shopping!

Paige Jennifer said...

I've worked at Banana Republic for 13 years now and what's more disturbing than that just shared fact is that we have something like 3 short sleeved wool sweaters and nary a turtleneck. I'm both baffled and freezing my tushy off.

I think this is their way to manage rising costs? Charge the same for less.