Up & Coming Weekly

March 25, 2014

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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MARCH 26 - APRIL 1, 2014 UCW 5 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM A friend of mine swears he can tell the economic status of any community by the quality of women's yoga pants. Sleekly fitted, black, with lots of Spandex and a subtle sheen equal an upscale community. The bodies in those yoga pants drive fancy, imported cars. Baggy with french fries on the floorboards. You get the picture. More and more yoga pants, sleek and otherwise, are turning up in all sorts of places besides yoga classes. Scan your neighborhood grocery store, the movie theater lobby, malls, even non-fast food restaurants, and you will likely see more than one bottom, toned or otherwise, clad in black yoga pants. Some of them look pretty much like fashionable leggings, and some of them are not even close. So the question arises. What constitutes appropriate public attire these days? OK, this is not the most pressing issue facing our community, state, and nation. It does not address world peace or solve the mystery of Malaysian Air flight 370. It is, however, a nagging dilemma for plenty of Americans who regularly ask ourselves, "What the heck should I wear today?" The Cumberland County Courthouse and many other establishments post signs declaring that shirts and shoes are mandatory to enter courtrooms and that halter tops are not allowed. They are reduced to such postings because some people simply do not know what to wear for their day in court, for a job interview, to meet one's significant other's family, for a meal in a restaurant with tablecloths and countless other occasions life presents to us. There was a time when there were rules, or at least strong suggestions, about appropriate attire. Certain occasions required girls and women in dresses or skirts. Boys and men wore coats and ties, sometimes suits. Weddings after a certain hour meant formal dresses and tuxedoes. Those days are long gone, even though I have no idea where the rules went. Sometimes I actually miss them, not because I am dying to put on a dress instead of my comfy and beloved yoga pants but because rules, or at least guidelines, take pressure off the decision making process. Let me give you some examples. Invitations arriving at chez Dickson these days often come with what I am sure are intended to be helpful hints about what to wear to the upcoming event. Words like "dressy casual," "business casual" and "festive attire" are used, but what on earth do they mean? Do they mean that our blue jeans should be starched and ironed with creases down the legs? Do they mean it is OK to take off the suit jacket and loosen the tie? Do they mean donning a silk blouse or a blinding sequin frock? Often when I follow such directions I go out the door with a nagging concern that I will be underdressed compared to others present, or — heaven forbid — overdressed! I have a burning memory of being the only family formally attired at a friend's wedding many years ago. This happened because my mother somehow missed the "helpful hint" to forego formal gear since the bride's father was boycotting the entire event because he disapproved of the groom. My father even grumbled that he now understood why men called tuxedoes "monkey suits" as he gazed at the other male wedding guests in shirtsleeves. If there had been no helpful hints, everyone would have been in formal dress for evening nuptials, and I would not have been emotionally scarred for life. So, since we have few rules beyond wearing some kind of clothes in public as opposed to no clothes at all, I have a suggestion. When in doubt about whether an outfit is appropriate for a given occasion, ask yourself, "Would my grandmother want me to show cleavage to a prospective employer?" "Would my grandmother want my parole officer to see my boxer shorts?" If the answer is no, change clothes. If the answer is maybe, tone it down a notch. If the answer is yes, you are good to go. My beloved grandmother, whom we called Gobbie for some reason, was never in doubt about what she should wear — or about what I should wear. She knew the rules, both society's and her own. White shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day only, for example. So the next time you see me rifling the tomatoes in the produce section in my not-so-sleek yoga pants, rest assured that I have channeled Gobbie on this issue, and no thunderbolts have answered. I take that to mean she has moved with the times and thinks yoga pants are all right for grocery shopping. Or maybe she is just thankful I am not wearing a halter top. No Halter Tops Allowed by MARGARET DICKSON MARGARET DICKSON, Contributing Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com.. 910.484.6200. THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET Contest&RequestLine: 910-764-1073 www.christian107.com KeepingtheMainThing...theMainThing. visitusonline FocusontheFamily 20Countdown Magazine Adventures in Odyssey Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-2:30 pm Daily Specials • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Fresh Seafood • Hand Cut Steaks • Homemade Desserts • Italian & Greek • Children's Menu Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests What constitutes appropriate public attire these days? Halter tops? Yoga pants?

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