Leggings

Ah, the thing about age and appropriate dress…I have so many “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” running in the background so quietly that I am almost unaware of the rules…and leggings on a woman over 55 is one of them. That’s a rule of fashion, right? I thought so. Until this happened this morning:

So, do these look so bad? Compared to the alternative, the dress without the leggings, I have to go with the leggings. What do you think?

I found these leggings as a set with a boat necked top made from the same stretch lace, back in 1986 or 87 in a high end lingerie shop in Los Angeles. I used to love to haunt those shops and buy merry widows to wear under my lawyerly suits with my back seamed silk stockings. I guess I was pretty weird but not having a sewing machine that works can do that to a girl. That’s my story anyway.

My fancy lace merry widows have all been given away and stockings are no longer part of my regimen. But the set remains in my lingerie drawer, a reminder of the luxury lingerie shops that can be found in large urban areas.

Given that the leggings are 22 or 3 years old I could not avoid buying 3 yards of new stretch lace from Ann at GorgeousFabrics.com when she described the lace as being soooo soft. I tried to avoid, in fact, I successfully avoided for at least 2 weeks, but then I could hold out no longer and “thump!” I fell. So. There. You. Go. My latest insanity.

Ann’s done a few different things with this fabric already, but I’m sure she hasn’t made leggings out of it, yet. And I see it’s on sale right now. And I missed the sale. I should have held out longer. But I might have come to my senses if I had. I’m glad the fashion police don’t have a jail.

sewing hugs all