I Hear Stovepipe Hats are Back in Style

Some things never go out of style. A black pencil skirt, for example. Buy a good lined skirt, try not to gain any weight, and you’re going to get a lot of use out of it.

But some things kinda came and went, didn’t they? Is there a Nehru jacket in your closet? A dashiki? A pair of gauchos? (Which amuses me to this day, as I believe a “gaucho” is Spanish for “cowboy”, in which case I may not have a pair of gauchos in my closet but would certainly entertain the idea of adopting a couple – for altruistic purposes, of course.)

I told someone once that I would wholeheartedly endorse a work uniform; and I’m still up for it. Hell – I’m thinking of doing it without it being a requirement. Would anyone notice if I were to, say, come in to work every day in a blue skirt, a white blouse, and maybe a scarf around my neck, just for a bit of “look-how-I’ve-dressed-this-up” jauntiness?

And it’s not just clothing. Even foods seem to have eras. At one time in the U.S. it seems that every fast food joint had a “potato bar”. Chili on your tater? Cheese? Sour cream? Jellied eel? Honestly, who doesn’t want to see how much stuff they can pile on a baked potato?

And when was the last time you had fondue? Don’t you think it’s time?

We get bored, I think. How else to explain that this year’s “teal” is different than last year’s “aquamarine” or that the square-toed sturdiness of a Birkenstock differs from the square-toed sturdiness of a pair of Börns?

Or maybe it’s not boredom. Maybe it’s the need to be able to judge others based solely on having the right shade of blue on. Or maybe it’s a way of generating year-over-year profit.

Either way, I’m thinking a nice, proletariat “work uniform” never goes out of style.

Now where's my crinoline?