Monday, December 1, 2008

Makeover Mishap or Magic?

These are busy, busy days which leave little or no time for writing. I miss it. But most of my time is being spent with other people (AKA: friends) and that is a very good thing...a legitimate reason to relegate writing to the sidebar of my life.

Of course, in addition to all the "normal" activities that require my attention, there are holiday shopping and cooking to be done, gifts to be made, wild heads of hair to be tamed, and parties to attend.

And speaking of parties...for most women, the mere mention of a party conjures up one all-important question: What am I going to wear? That's not to say that some men don't wonder the same thing, but they wouldn't readily admit it. My husband is one of those who would never...ever...in a thousand millenia, ask himself what he was going to wear. When it's time to get dressed there is only 1 question to be asked: Can I wear my Levi's? Yes, he calls them Levi's. If the answer is yes, he happily dons them with one of his wide variety of shirts which we affectionately refer to as "Uncle Gary" plaids. If the answer is no, he somewhat happily dons his pleated, cuffed khaki pants with the same Uncle Gary plaid shirt. End of story...life is simple.

Well, little does he know it, but I am about to un-simplify his life. Oh, yeah. I bought him a stylish, manly, ensemble today which I expect him to wear to a party on Saturday. I have attempted to buy clothes for him in the past with very little success. Anything that strays too far from his slightly-dated-comfort-zone feels ostentatious to him and he just can't bring himself to wear it.

My hope is that this is conservative enough and close enough to his comfort zone to be successful. The first picture shows what he would choose to wear Saturday apart from any input from me (which is normal), while the second showcases what I will attempt to entice him to wear instead.

Whad'ya think? Will I be successful? Is it ostentatious? Is it a step up style wise? Hmmmm....

To be continued...

15 comments:

Angie B. said...

Uh-oh...I like outfit #1 better. Of course, my fashion instincts aren't exactly hip, or anything close to it. Let us know what happens!

Lori Waggoner said...

WHAT?!! Work with me here, Angie! That picture doesn't do justice to the thorough ugliness of that gold plaid shirt! Oi-vay...

If all goes as planned (which it rarely does...) I will be posting a picture of him looking dapper in his new get-up...stay tuned.

jennifer h said...

I am just chuckling away at this post! I have seen him wear outfit A (or something very much like it) several times. Outfit B is very hip and very "what not to wear" for men. I don't think it is ostentatious, though. Maybe if the boys tell him how great he looks it will help. Take a picture of him wearing it!

Lori Waggoner said...

O-K...I'm not very culturally savvy, so when you say Outfit B is very "what NOT to wear" for men, is that a good thing?

I actually ask myself 2 questions when I want to get clothes for him. The first is: would Jeff Keane wear it? If the answer is yes, then I know it's probably TOO hip for Steve. The second is: would John Keane wear it? If the answer is yes, it's stylish enough, but probably conservative enough as well.

Ashley @ Joyful Creations said...

I love the new outfit. My husband would choose the new outfit over the old one any day. Good luck and great style!

Lori Waggoner said...

Thanks, Ashley. I have my work cut out for me...

Jennifer, he will like it if Grant compliments him, 'cause Grant is somewhat fashion conscious(in a moderate manly sort of way), but the kicker will be if Maggie and Debbie tell him he looks nice. Then he'll feel studly and he'll WANT to wear it again!

Anonymous said...

You know that I will play along!

I do like the outfit and I think your litmus test is a good one!!

...ARGH!! What am I going to wear on Saturday?!?!?

Did you shop for your new outfit, too?

Lori Waggoner said...

Thank you for your cooperation! And nothing new for me this time...as you like to point out, I have plenty of "new" clothes already!

I tried some new pairings last night and none of them struck me as the right combination, so I still don't know What To Wear.

Sometime I'll tell you my litmus test for my own wardrobe. It includes a couple of Keanes as well.

Anonymous said...

I'm all ears...

Hey-I don't think I have ever said "plenty of 'new' clothes"...I am just very observant;)

April said...

Lori,
Those hangers aren't the same color and are going different directions. Was that an oversight?

I'm thinking he wore that new outfit and looked real fine.

But, I bet he didn't want anything to do with the jacket, just a guess.

Lori Waggoner said...

April, the hanger thing is part of my therapy for overcoming my OCD. I have to purposely misalign or mismatch things in order to fully recover. So, I think I'm doin' alright. Thanks for noticing. This particular episode only induced 2 mild seizures...which is an improvement!

He hasn't worn "the outfit" yet (do guys wear "outfits?"). He just got in from out of town tonight but I was gone. I left it lying out for him to see and try on, but he was asleep by the time I got home, so I don't know yet what he thinks. I'll know tomorrow.

The jacket is a replacement for his old 80's style leather that he told me I could toss last year. I did it immediately, before he could change his mind!! He wanted a new one of those...but he wanted BLACK...to go with his Harley "look." I quickly informed him that The Fonz is no longer "in" and that he really needed brown. He never conceded, but hey...I did the shopping so....we'll see!

Angie B. said...

>> I quickly informed him that The Fonz is no longer "in" <<

That made me lol!

jennifer h said...

"What Not to Wear" is a show on TLC where the two stylists ambush someone who has little to no style at the request of some loved one. The ambushed one is then flown to NYC, has to throw out all their old clothes, and then is given $5000 to buy all new clothes with the help of the stylists. Mostly women get ambushed, but men are on the show from time to time. The male stylist wears clothes very similar to what you chose for Steve. I am sorry he didn't like the jeans. Good job keeping your protestations to yourself!

bestie said...

Lori - coming in late on this one. I feel your pain. In fact, I'd like to take the opportunity to one-up you if I may. The FIRST outfit is too outlandish for my dear one, and as much as I love the second, I'd be happy if mine would even consider the first. :)

My results are the same as yours. him shaking his head from side to side while I sit there tight-lipped, telling myself I'll never try again. Then the next day, I return the clothes and try again. :)

Lori Waggoner said...

At least I wait months - and sometimes years - before trying again!

Hey...he ended up wearing it afterall (thanks to his sons!). I just haven't had the time to blog about it yet!