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Some things belong in bedroom
WINDOW ON MAIN STREET, BY BARBARA CHRISTIAN
Some things belong in bedroom
We here at Window Central are not in the business of fashion, but we know fad from style and what is proper dress in public.
And so, from time to time, we feel it is our duty to pass along a style tip or two and the occasional do's and don'ts in an effort to make the Chagrin Valley a more beautiful place.
Topping the list of don'ts is one fashion fad that refuses to die and which is working at cross purposes to the above-stated goal. It's fashion that is designed to highlight one's underwear. Personal choice is one thing; forcing us to look at your personal choice it is another. Note: It's called "under wear" for a reason.
Yes, we know they are crazy popular, but those ski hats with animal faces and odd projectiles coming out? Really? They give the impression that the wearer has been partially eaten by the animal.
And then there is this. Last week, we were enjoying a nice lunch at one of our local non-fast-food restaurants when we saw a middle-aged woman in full Chagrin Valley uniform -- sweatshirt, parka and Uggs. It was the lower half that was startling. Pajama bottoms complete with drawstring hanging limply from the waistband.
Is there anything that screams, "Attention, everyone, I have given up on life," more than wearing pajamas in public?
We've seen this PJ fad on teenagers. But teenagers are supposed to test their boundaries, the patience of their parents and the uniqueness of looking different while looking alike. But a middle-aged woman? Theoretically, she arrived at the age of reason a long time ago. Pastel kitten-print pajama bottoms worn on a lunch date is not reasoned thinking, in our opinion.
Just as we had decided that was an anomaly, we caught sight of a second middle-aged woman also wearing them. Hers were bright plaid but had that signature dangling drawstring.
The two sleepy-time gals did not appear to know one another, so that ruled out the notion that they had just come from a pajama party. There was no music, so they weren't part of a flash mob, and it was way too early for April Fools Day. Were they part of a sleep-in? But what on earth could they be protesting other than the cause of good taste?
Maybe their goal was simply to attract attention. As we all know, there is good attention, and there is bad attention. How many folks who saw those two women thought they had wandered away from a psychiatric facility?
It appears we are no alone in our judgment that pajamas in public do not advance our civilization. Michael Williams, a legislator in Louisiana, has suggested a new law which would ban pajamas in public places. He was inspired after a trip to a local big-box store, where he saw a young man in pajamas and was shocked to see more dangling than the drawstring.
"Pajamas are designed to be worn in the bedroom at night," Mr. Williams said. "Today it's pajamas, tomorrow it's underwear. Where does it stop?"
We yield to the gentleman from Louisiana and would like to suggest that his law go national.
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