As I walked my little one to school on
a bloody cold January morning, completely bundled up in a giant down
coat that could double as a sleeping bag, I suddenly wondered when I
stopped thinking about fashion and concentrated more on function.
I still remember as a teenager, I
avoided wearing things like snow-pants or winter boots like the
plague. In fact, the only time I ever wore my super warm Sorel boots
was when I was walking my dogs, and only if it was -30C outside. I
figured the only other people out at that temperature were other dog
walkers (or were crazy), and they, like me, were probably too busy
trying to keep their eyeballs from freezing off, but just incase they
glanced my way, I did not wear my snow-pants.
And then, in my twenties, when I used
to go out and did not think 9:00pm was very late, I chose freezing
over wearing a big coat, granted part of the reason was because of
economics – big coat required coat check, which meant less money
for drinks...
I believe my turning point towards
function happened one year while I was skiing. I was the proud owner
of a pair of skin tight ski pants that tucked into my ski boots. I
thought I looked very cool. And then I fell. I spent the rest of the
day skiing with a lump of snow wedged between my shin and my ski
boots. And then I realized that I was stuck with those stupid pair of
pants for the rest of the season, and a giant bruise on my shins
every time I fell. Yep, I learned that year that I am not the type
of person who will suffer for the sake of fashion; and the next year,
I bought the biggest, warmest pair of snow-pants that I could find.
These days, if I can walk around in
sweatpants and a blanket, I probably would. But, that is not setting
a good example either. I want my little girl to have pride in how
she looks, and to dress smartly and weather appropriately. However,
I really do not want her to put such importance on her appearance.
She already spends more time picking out her outfits and worrying
about different shirt/skirt combinations than I ever had.
I am desperately trying not to make a
big deal about her clothing choices, though by trying to not make a
big deal, I think I am actually turning it into an issue. For the
most part, I let her pick what she wants to wear. However that does
not mean we do not battle - really, is it so mean of me to try to get
her to wear a pair of shoes, that she wanted in the first place,
before she grows out of them?
So for now, I will try to live with the
turtleneck, sweater, pantyhose, and summer dress combination, as long
as it can be tucked under a nice warm snowsuit.
So which are you, fashion or function?
