the FASHION thread

Tina, because we live so close I don't use the mail order service, but we have gone online to look at options with the bridal/prom gowns. Everyone in the store is great. They will help you find just the right thing for that special dress. I have signed up for email messages and check out their site frequently.

One of the ladies in the guild flew in last week after driving her mother north to her summer home and her husband had to pick her up at the airport. She told him she had to stop at MJ's and he was coming in with her, she used the 'I always go with you to Home Depot/Lowes and look at what you want to buy, now it is your turn.

Sheila

Well, as I mentioned over on "makeup," I'm looking for a cute bikini to both accomodate my anticipated new boobs and to be comfortable for wakeboarding, the sport I'm hoping to take up this summer (when i regain full use of my arms, that is). I found this suit, a Patagonia surfing suit and am thinking about ordering it once I have a better idea of my size: http://tiny.cc/M2Fs7 The big pic is, of course, the halter top and the bottoms are in a small pic below. I'm considering the shown print or a solid (maybe turquoise?). In previous years, I bought almost all of my suits from Victoria's Secret, but I find that this year's collection leaves me totally cold!

Now I need to think about cover-ups. What do most of you wear over your suits?

~Marin

Marin, that's a really cute suit but do you think it'll actually stay on when wakeboarding? LOL  Anyway, I'm sure you will look dynamite in it!

Dotti's idea about the man's shirt is a good one; nothing like looking casual about being sexy.  Offhand, like, "I am not even thinking about how I look, just wearing this old thing."  Men love that.  If you want sun protection at all (I know, I know, the tan's the thing.) you could buy a man's shirt in that SPF material.  There are tons of them out there now.

Don't forget the big hat or a baseball cap with long visor, at the very least.  Oh, and have fun.

Hello, my peeps.  I'm sorry to say I may be experiencing a new fashion challenge.

My recent negative mamm turns out not to be so negative.  Got a written report from the local radiologist saying that an area of concern needs another look at some point.   Then got another report from the radiologist my BS associates with saying there are more calicifications in my breast and I need more imaging now.

Now I know why women with DCIS get masts.  May have to opt for one myself.  I can't keep going through this.  Hopefully, I'll be getting another mamm or stereotactic biopsy soon so we can see where we're at.   Shoot.   I'm not a happy camper right now, ladies.

Marin, If you can wear a suit like that.....WOW! I guess you aren't dealing with stretch marks, or extra weight or surgery scars....you go girlfriend! 

Kathi...This is probably not exactly comforting, but that kind of nebulous, ooops-we-think-we-see-something result has happened to me several times already since I finished treatment 3 1/2 years ago and I expect that it will happen again. And you're so right- that's why so many opt for mastectomies when they have the choice. I know that if I get a recurrence, unless it's teeny-weeny and I'm assured that it's limited to the small area, I'll be headed for a bilateral for sure. But so far/so good and I'm happy with the decision I initially made, despite the bi-yearly scares.

Hang in there, girl. I'll bet it's nuthin' but necrosis or some other benign anomaly (my last one required a biopsy and it was, indeed, necrosis). And if you decide that you really don't want to go through this crap over & over, maybe you should consider masts. It certainly makes a lot of sense. In the meantime, though, I'll be thinking benign thoughts for you!

~Marin

And btw, i LOVE the men's tuxedo shirt idea! What is it about wearing giant men's clothes that makes not only us feel hot, but our guys to think we are too? maybe it's the helpless female thing? Whatever.

I guess I assume that the suit will stay on since it's sold in the outdoor stores like REI for the purposes of surfing. Maybe it has rubber grippers inside or something? 

And barbe, I am kind of slim and since I never gave birth, I'm lucky not to have stretch marks. I do have scars though and....okay, are ya ready for this?....I think that scars are sexy, so I just let 'em hang out! I've got a giant one, in a smiley-face pattern, right across my chest from the thymectomy I had for myasthenia gravis years ago. People stare at it all the time, but I forget it until I notice the stares and then I just ignore them.

~Marin

I've been thinking that if my BB scar is obvious after all this fuss I will just tell people that I had a BB ring that someone ripped off in the heat of passion.

Of course with his teeth!  But, we digress.

I wish it would warm up so I can get out of my winter fleece.  I ordered a really great white blouse from Neiman Marcus (on sale) by Go Silk and it came yesterday.  Oh, it is really lovely.  I checked their site but couldn't find it there so may scan the catalog picture to show you later.  I have a computer hospital appt. at noon, then a date with my web mistress at 2 with more year-end bookkeeping in between so time is precious so I'd better get offline ASAP!

Oops, just found it!

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod57430047&ecid=NMALRFeedeL3W0LN_nyI&ci_src=14110925&ci_sku=T1L0D

I want one too! You guys have good taste...

This is a great thread! Thanks for starting it!

I am in the fnal stages of reconstruction, and for the last several months now, all I can think about are clothes! It's almost as though I feel like I am human again, after a long road of treatment (chemo plus 3 surgeries in 12 months), and I want to flaunt it. I am trying to stay "age-appropriate, but it's hard to know what that is sometimes. I'm 50 and in reasonably good shape, so I try to make sure dresses and skirts are to the knee, and I naturally don't want to wear anything really low-cut or really tight. But are there any other real no-no's for somebody my age?

Lately I can't get enough of Banana Republic, though I barely noticed it before I got BC. But you can get some pretty good deals online, and their clothes seem to be of very good quality. FWIW.

Janet

I'm not exactly a fashionista, but I wear anything that I love and that includes stuff like low rise jeans, hoodies, semi-mini skirts and little camis. If it makes me feel happy wearing it, I do. And....dah-dah-dah-dah -  I'm 56 freakin' years old!!!!!!!!!!!!! Age is, SERIOUSLY, only a tally of your years lived and, for me, that is all it is.

But that's just me. Some may think me silly....oh wait, I AM!!!   

~Marin

Janet, what a happy problem to have!  How wonderful you are feeling so much back to normal and are enjoying your new shape.  You have every right to revel in you loveliness.

I think sometimes we take our age too seriously.  If you are in good shape, wear youthful clothes but don't show wrinkly skin or bulges, etc.  Anything extreme is a no-go for me but, of course, I am on the conservative side anyway.  Maybe a toned-down version of most any trend is the way to go but there is so much leeway.

Stick around here; we like to share pics/links of what we are interested in so we can get some feedback.  That might be useful for you to do, too.

Hoodies.  Now, I never thought of them as youthful because they've been around almost constantly since I was a kid.  Personally, I hate ANYTHING with a hood because they're always in the way, esp. when driving, and they tend to pull the neckline out of shape.  But, that's a personal comfort sort of thing, not a fashion statement.

If I could wear really skinny jeans I would but I have a big butt.  My thighs are not big.  Can you imagine the bubble butt I would have in skinnies?  I love tights/leggins, etc. but always have to have something long over them to avoid making a fool out of myself.

Thanks, Barbe1958, FitChik, and Tina. Sometimes it's HARD being in your 50s (and being a woman) because of all the contradictory messages you get about how you're supposed to look, both physically and in clothes. I think that, if you look reasonable good in something, and it's not over the top, you should feel free to wear it---but I still find myself worrying about other people's perceptions. It's frustrating.

I am tall and thin (could be a little thinner), so if I wear clothes that are too loose and baggy, I look like a scarecrow. And when I try to wear clothes that fit me closely, so that I have some shape, I sometimes feel like I'm pushing the limit.

One thing IS clear: I worry too much. Fortunately, I'm starting to loosen up. For example, I'm hankering after a slim little wrap dress from athleta.com. Has anybody ordered from them? I just got a catalog for the first time.

Janet