I'm not the most fashionable dresser.
Yeah, you've probably noticed.
I think/hope I'm not the worst dressed on the block, but I know I'm not the best. I don't flip through fashion mags, and I don't buy high-end clothing or even their cheaper knock-offs. I like to think I dress neatly but conservatively, in clothes that fit my body type. But as for a pair of skinny jeans? I couldn't bring myself to take them any further than the dressing room.
Amid all of the excitement of moving to New York two and a half years ago, I must admit I was worried about my clothes. Hey, I may not spend much time on my wardrobe, but I'm still a girl. I knew the city wasn't completely filled with Carrie Bradshaw wannabees-- more like 50 percent, right? As I quickly found out, it's much, much less. In fact, practically non-existent in most neighborhoods and exactly all of the restaurants and bars I frequent. Clans stick to their own, I guess, and I'm not in with the Vogue crowd.
I remember the exact moment I knew I was going to fit in just fine. I was coming into the city one August day from LaGuardia by myself -- Paul had flown in earlier in the day for the job interview that eventually brought us here -- and I noticed a girl about my age in a simple dress that I can only describe as bohemian hipster. I can't even remember what it looked like, but I do remember thinking that she had the same tired damn-it-all expression I would have used on a hot, humid, below-average morning in Ohio. Heck, there are so many Midwestern transplants in New York, that she might have been from Ohio.
In any case, my point is this: this girl made me realize that New York is just another city. It's buildings are a little taller and its inhabitants live a little closer, but everyone's still just trying to get on with their lives. There's just better food in New York to help us do it.
I don't shop at Barney's or Bloomingdale's. I still wear sneakers far too often and heels far too little. But I don't feel out of place. I'm just a grain of sand in the fashion mecca of New York, and that's okay by me.
You should see how they dress in Annapolis!! Everyone looks like they're about to board their own personal yachts .... which in many cases, they are. It is prepster central. One time last summer I was downtown with a co-worker and we saw a dude wearing a pink polo, green pants and boat shoes. I like Lilly Pulitzer and some preppy things, too, but that was just way too much.
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