DOES THIS MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG?

I just love all the really fun boots that are out there this winter. I used some Christmas money to buy a super cute pair of champagne colored mid-calf boots with big laces up the front & a zipper on the side you don’t have to tie them every time.

Being somewhat older than the average female fashionista, I have had some difficulty finding pants that will fit smoothly in the boots without bunching making it look like I’m wearing a pair of fatigues & combat boots. The tights that many young women wear look great if you weigh 85 pounds & don’t jiggle. Not me for sure!

Having reached the age of 60-something, I just will not wear something that is totally uncomfortable anymore no matter how great it looks. That pretty much eliminates the skin tight, & I do mean SKIN tight, jeans that many women wear now days. I’ve seen plenty of women with their “muffin tops” exposed & their jeans so snug that you can see pretty much every nook & cranny of the feminine anatomy.

Whatever happened to stirrup pants? I know they went out of style sometime in the 80s – or was it even earlier? But they were wonderful to wear with boots. Maybe they will make a comeback.

Currently, there is a clothing item on the market known as “jeggings” – a cross between leggings & jeans. Well, I bought a pair the other day that are really stretchy & look like jeans except that they are basically skin tight but remarkably comfortable. Fortunately, they have some substance to hold in most parts without cutting off your circulation.

I put them on this morning with my super cute boots for a lunch date with a friend. I tried looking at myself in the mirror from every angle to make sure things weren’t bulging out somewhere that they shouldn’t be. Finally I went downstairs to get Lou’s opinion.

We have discussed the age old question, “Honey, does this make my butt look big?” a couple times. I’ve told him I will never ask him that particular question because we both know that there is only one right answer, “No, of course not”. And besides, if I’m being honest, I know when something makes me look fat. Here is the conversation:

Me: Okay, I want your honest opinion. I promise I won’t get upset or angry but I need to know if these jeggings make me look too fat or to bulgy or like an old lady wearing something inappropriate.

Lou (in a pleading voice):  You are not supposed to ask that question.

Me:  I’m not asking if my butt looks big. I’m asking if anything is bulging or rolling or if it is just too much.

Lou (after looking me over):  No, it looks good, very stylish.

Me:  Are you sure? If you saw me walking down the street, would you think, ‘Look at that old woman trying to look like a teen-ager’?

Lou:  No, you look fine. Very nice.  And no camel toe (he added a few seconds later with a smile).

Me:  Okay, thanks Sweetie, that’s good to know.

I’m sure I heard him breathe a sigh of relief as I left the room to finish getting ready for my lunch.  My friend, Judi, confirmed that I did indeed look just fine & she added that she has seen far, far worse. I know what she means. I recall a middle-aged woman in the Paris airport a few years back who would have made a plumber blush when she bent down to get something out of her bag. Yikes!

I’ve always been a bit of a rebel & love to push the envelope a bit when it comes to fashion choices but I really don’t want to offend anyone’s sensitivities. I just want my pants to stay tucked in my boots. Is that too much to ask?

NEW COLD WEATHER BOOTS

Since we are headed to the Super Bowl in New Jersey in a few weeks, & since the Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a huge blizzard during that time, we decided to use our New Year’s Eve jaunt to Old Sacramento for the annual fireworks celebration last night as a test for our foul-weather gear.

First of all, Old Sac did a fantastic job with the fireworks last night! We have seen them many times & they were cool, but, hey, fireworks are fireworks.  This year the city hired a new company that had four staging areas & they did a bang up job – pun intended! I was quite impressed & who doesn’t love multi-colored fireballs exploding everywhere? It was sensory overload at times.

But back to the cold weather clothes. I had my heavy hooded down jacket & my new “guaranteed warmest” thinsulate gloves that I just purchased. That was paired with my old after-ski boots that are toasty warm for traipsing through the snow. Lou had bought some new snow gloves, too, along with a pair of insulated boots & extra warm socks. He dug out a really cozy fur hat he bought in Russia years ago along with a brightly colored knit neck scarf.

Well, it turns out we were woefully OVER-dressed for the 38-40 degree weather in Sacramento & probably looked a little silly all bundled up. We saw several men dressed in shorts with sandals & a few women in mini-skirts. Come on people, it wasn’t THAT warm. But, hopefully, that means we will stay fairly warm in what could be a freezing snow storm back east.

However, I did learn that my trusty after-ski boots are great for a few hours of minimal walking but aren’t going to cut it long term. I figure I need to be prepared to walk miles & wear these boots all day long since it will likely be a nightmare getting to & from the stadium on Super Sunday.

Armed with some of my Christmas money (which I love by the way since it is such fun to shop without spending “my” money), I headed to the local sporting goods stores today to find some new boots. Of course, I wanted them to be warm, waterproof, somewhat stylish, comfortable & affordable.

It turns out that one store was closing out its winter clothing & boots. It was all up front in the store away from the footwear department with the benches for trying on shoes. Things had been picked through a bit but there were still a few choices in my fairly normal size 8. Now, if I was a size 6 or size 10, I would have had tons of choices.

With no chairs nearby, I ended up sitting on the floor with several boxes around me trying on lots of cold weather boots. Fortunately, the store wasn’t busy & no one bothered me so I spent a long time sitting, standing up, walking around, sitting again, changing boots & doing it again while deciding which pair best met all my criteria.

Finally I had decided on a pair that met all of my requirements except the tag on the display boot said $49.99, no sale price. Damn it! Several others were marked down to $34.99 but they just didn’t feel as good or look as good. I finally decided “what the hell” I’m going to get them anyway. After all, Christmas money is meant to be spent on things that you wouldn’t normally buy. And I love a sale as much as the next person, but I thought these are the ones, don’t quibble over 15 bucks, Kath.

As I cleaned up my make shift shoe department area putting things back in their boxes & on the shelf, I moved the display boot of the one I’d chosen. And guess what? The tag flipped around & it was on sale for $34.99, too!  Woo Hoo!!! SCORE!