Annie Rhiannon

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Picturing myself wafting about at festivals

Now that Ireland has heatwaves just like every other place on this latitude, I think I'll buy a summer dress. If you've been paying attention then you'll know that I used to be a boy called Tom, so this isn't quite as simple as it might sound. I don't have much experience of casual dress-wearing, but all of a sudden I like the idea — I can just picture myself wafting about in it at festivals; maybe I'll even tuck a flower behind my ear.

Unfortunately, the fashion of the moment seems to be swirly-patterned maternity wear. Now, apart from the great camouflage disaster of the 90s, I don't wear patterned clothes — because I already have patterned skin. All you people with smooth tans are welcome to these horrible prints, but if I want to make the most of my gingerness then I need something plain.

As for the maternity cut, well, I guess I could get used to it. Just as long as strangers don't try to rub my belly in that intrusive way that's usually reserved for pregnant women.

41 comments:

  1. I know exactly what you mean! Only came to Iceland for a month to postpone summer clothes crisis. In fact coming to Iceland every summer has meant have actually forgotten how to dress for summer. Only have two summer items, one of which is actually a nightdress (and this is the best one).

    Dreading inevitable trip to awful shops on return.

    God I wish I could be a boy and look good in tattered combat shorts with furry legs.

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  2. I hate those stupid maternity clothes out there right now. If you have a hint of breast tissue, you look like you're about to pop one out. Good luck finding something else. If you do, and they have a web site, please post the link.

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  3. Annie, there is nothing better than a summer dress to stay cool. The empire waist works for me because I have no real torso (I'm shaped like a frog) and that cut disguises that fact. Go when you have time to try on a couple of styles to find what works best for you. All you need is that, a bra, underwear, and sandals and you're set.

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  4. No sooner do you post about heatwaves and it starts chucking in Dublin!

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  5. Yes, if anybody has any links to shops with cute plain dresses in dark neutral colours that aren't too short or too long then please copy and paste like the wind.

    Also, how do you stop your thighs from rubbing together? Or do other people's thighs not meet in the middle?

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  6. My god, you're right, it's pissing down. Oh well, back to jeans it is then, huzzah.

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  7. I know exactly what you mean. I spent this past weekend searching through shops for something with as little pattern as possible.

    I finally found a great muted orange summer dress with just a touch of burgundy (sort of matches my freckles and the redness that is as close to a tan that my skin will ever know!)

    It can be dressed-up, or dressed-down.

    Unfortunately, I doubt that the Canadian shop where I bought this dress exists in Ireland. But I do wish you much success!

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  8. Oh, I forgot to mention that I wear a pair of short bike shorts to avoid the whole thigh-rubbing thing...

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  9. Don't get a maxi dress. In any colour. You would waft, certainly, but they are death.

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  10. Oh god, at least you don't have to battle with breasts the size of blimps. In which case the patterned maternity dresses are a)too small over the chest b)make me look 80kilos heavier c)pregnant
    And I was pregnant last year... and I only wore tight t-shirts and skirts.... and I'm sticking to it this year too. So thats my advice: Skirts, Tshirts and tanktops.

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  11. Oh, this is a great place to shop :p
    and in the UK
    http://www.bravissimo.com/products/clothing/dresses-and-skirts

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  12. Oh no. Those maternity shirts have made themselves a world wide trend, eh? So sorry to hear that, they really are not attractive at all.

    Good luck finding the cutest dress, Tom!

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  13. Only slightly related -- I don't know if they have these in Ireland, but over here a lot of the guys wear shorts-type things that go down to about the mid shin. In America, will call those capris and they are for girls.

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  14. Yes, Bjarni has a pair of Capris in black. I didn't realise they were for girls.

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  15. Gee I'm so out of touch with the whole fashion thing. Maternity wear fashionable? Isn't that one of the big downsides of the whole pregnancy thing, that you have to wear those maternity dresses. *confused*

    Still I'm sure you'll look fab in anything Annie.

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  16. There's a piece in The Guardian today (G2) about the difficulty of buying a decent summer dress now. Though it is written by an older person, well, older than you lot anyway, it is still relevant. I'm still wearing my ancient clothes and feel quite happy in them, one of the few joys of ageing.

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  17. Oh, and I offered a few of my old stuff to Annie earlier on and she said no!

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  18. actually she said 'No thank you'

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  19. I was just about to point that out to you!

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  20. Ah, the joys of chub chafe. Not fun at all. Good underpants help (boy shorts or something like that). Not that I'd know or anything...

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  21. OMG I have "chub chafe".

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  22. Just as long as strangers don't try to rub my belly in that intrusive way that's usually reserved for pregnant women

    Are you trying to tell us something?

    Oh, and regarding the thighs rubbing together, I'm told it's not a problem unless you wear nylon stockings. They may suddenly ignite.

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  23. I think the style you're after is a tea dress Annie. Sort of fitted but floaty and almost certainly button-through. Think frock.

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  24. Kinda like the whole tea dress style myself. I seem to remember there was a brief fashion, (at least here in San Francisco), of pairing Doc Martens with tea dresses, which I found very sexy back in the day.

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  25. Annie, good luck with your dress-hunting girl! Here are things to look forward to for me after moving to Dublin: find a good hairdresser/beautician, a good doctor, a few good shops for clothes shopping, pubs (I trust you are doing the preliminary pub-search on my behalf), nice restaurants, great friends, an O.K. job (wait I have to do that before I get there), hapkido school, tennis court, swimming pool, grocery store, etc etc. Can't wait!

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  26. How about this dress, Annie?

    http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=19551&storeId=12556&categoryId=67931&parent_category_rn=42344&productId=323580&langId=-1

    Do you have TopShop in Dublin?

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  27. Oh E, that's a pretty one! I must get shopping soon.

    Good luck, Annie. The dresses have to be out there.

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  28. Go for second hand (you can pay more and call it vintage) and talc between the thighs will work for hours!

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  29. Capris for boys = Manpris.

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  30. Oh, nice dress! There must be a Topshop in Dubs but I'm off to England for the weekend so I'll find one there. Thanks for the links.

    I'm going to try talc between the thighs. I wore tights with my skirt last night and spent the whole evening worrying that my minky was going to burst into flames.

    Gaye, I have found a tennis court, a good doctor, some nice restaurants, and a great swimming pool. I'm still hunting for the great pubs and great friends. I found one pub I really like but the rest have only been so-so. It's not like Galway. We'll have to get Niall to show us the secret places. Because he, er, hasn't lived here for years. Oh.

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  31. I can highly recommend the shirt dress. Plain and flattering and suitable for my size 16 curves.

    Such is the success of the shirt dress, I now have four different coloured ones.
    See H & M and New Look for details.

    Emblita has already recommended that-which-I-cannot-live-without Bravissimo and coupled with boy shorts to avoid the chub chafe *grimace with recognition*, you should be set.

    You could always walk in a John Wayne fashion, but I wouldn't recommend it.

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  32. Although it won't bring any comfort to you, I'm comforted to know that slim people get chafed thighs too. I thought it was just us fatties. Hurrah! I just don't wear skirts or dresses totally for this reason. Shorts underneath sounds a bit hot. Talc sounds like a good plan AND you can get the cutest mini Johnson's Baby talc that you could carry in a handbag (that's assuming you do handbags - being a boy and all).

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  33. I alluded to those daft maternity dresses in a recent post, stating "I just don't get fashion", I'd just had an argument with myself as to whether they actually looked completely unflattering, or whether I actually had no clue whatsoever about fashion.

    I have settled on the former.

    And of course, they appeared in Cardiff about three months after they appeared in London, so they'll be around for even longer. If I go to West Wales in three months, they'll be there too.

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  34. As further consolation for people sad about chafing - I'm no fatty and yet I've had this problem when wearing loose/baggy shorts in hot/humid weather.

    It just happens. Next time I'm in Sicily I'll keep the talc powder trick in mind!

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  35. Skorts are great if you want the look of a skirt with the anti-chafe properties of shorts. You can also go shorter and keep your dignity when the breeze blows if you have the legs.

    Which isn't a dress, but still.

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  36. I know what you mean about the maternity look - what is it with all the bloody smocking?? I look at most tops or dresses in shops and can't see how they're supposed to fit at all. Those tops that just hang striaght downwards once they get past your boobs = not flattering on anyone.

    I keep hearing lots about 'maxi dresses' in the press and assume they are 'dresses with long skirts'. I love long skirts so have been eagerly seeking out these 'maxi dresses' and finding none of them. Bizarre.

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  37. Hehe, Annie, you are right we should NOT ask Niall as he has NOT lived in Ireland for about 10 years. Besides he has one that is his absolute fav local pub, he'd go there everyday if he could, and it is called Birchalls in Ranelagh (sp?). Please keep sassing out different places for me, hehe!

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  38. Off-white linen summer dress, in fine, fine linen. Narrow green sash, maybe even neon-green. Subtle, thanks.

    Good, open shoes, remember to clean your toenails

    Asymmetric hem maybe, to go with your symmetric hairdo?

    Have a look at thesartorialist.blogspot.com.

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  39. Och, I had excactly the same phase last year. I just had to have a dress. I got my boyfriend to buy me a rather expensive one...oops! The shop is now closed so that doesn't help.

    I don't know if this will apply to you but it doesn't stop. It's over a year since my "dress phase" started and I now have more dresses than Jumpers....It subsided over the winter but it's back with a vengange and I've just stopped shopping. Its easier. If I dont see a pretty dress (which almost always make my boobs look small and my bum look massive) I won't buy one....in theory...

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  40. I have found the dress! It is a little on the long side but I'm thinking about snipping bits off it. It is raggedy and layered and plain dark brown and a classic cut that shows my boobs (or bits of them, at least) and I think it's quite cute. I will wear it to the Google summer party on Friday and post pics.

    Thanks for all your advice. I must remember to buy some talc.

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  41. pm 19701.1.08

    I am a big podgy boy. Whenever I wear shorts in the summer, they always tend to ride upwards and expose my bum fat, and also tend to rub uncomfortably in my genital area. Last summer, I was out pushing my little brother up a hill on his bike, when a little boy shouted - "Hey fat arse!" I felt so embarrassed, but at the same time, am used to hearing comments such as this!! It doesn't bother me, and don't worry about having a big bum or whatever - the important thing to realise is physical attributes such as this are highly desirable to many, and there are the odd few who will cover up for their jealousy by shouting out loud! Rise above it, and if you've got it, flaunt it!

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