So check it- yesterday I had jury duty here in Miami. Although waking up at
the crack of butt to get to court on time was a pain, I was tolerant of
serving in general, and always find it slightly intriguing as well as a
privilege to serve and do my part. (Toyed with being a lawyer at one point
in my early days, but decided to move to NY instead...)
already read (drat). So what's a girl to do with no reading materials and a
lot of time on her hands? Do an insane amount of people watching that's
what- if you are at all voyeuristic, jury duty is a good place to get your
fix. But if you're looking for glamour, look elsewhere kittens. I say this because I noticed something fairly shocking- the male lawyers
strut around the courthouse looking rather natty and dapper- but the female
lawyers? Oy. Every last one of them looked like they had ransacked a Dress
Barn. It was painful. Some of them had good haircuts (I spotted a perfectly
Fekkai like blonde choppy bob that looked super out of place) but the
clothes were not to be believed. The suit fabrics looked itchy owey, the
cuts super unflattering and power 80s, and the color palette dowdy. Don't
even get me started on the shoes...Was McBeal like that? I can't remember
because that show always irritated me, but I digress... All I'm saying is this is a stellar opportunity for retailers to make some
clothes for women that have to "suit up" for work. I myself have always been
fortunate to work in a casual environment where flip flops and jeans are the
norm. (Thank you Lord). I totally get that suiting can be very expensive,
but hey Zara, Uniqlo, or H&M- can you hook these ladies up with a little
less than spendy workplace love? Don't all the mags tell you how to dress
for work and look cool? There is no reason a 30 year old woman with a law
degree needs to dress like her Aunt Florence from Peoria. I know court is
not a fashion show- people's lives are on the line and it's serious business
for real. But does that mean you can't be fashionable? I'm not talking about
anything funky. I'm talking about a well cut suit or dress and jacket, with
a little bit of nice jewelry and some decent footwear. Is that too much to
ask? My sister works in marketing in a major hospital and has always worn suits
to work. She claims it's a challenge as you certainly don't want to blow
your whole wardrobe budget on work clothes but there's not a lot of thrifty
options that are chic, so you have to suck it up. Then the weekend comes and
you have nothing to wear. Not cute. Retailers, listen up. You've got a real opportunity here to makes some work
clothes for women that are not dowdy, do not look like Mel Griffin's
wardrobe in "Working Girl", or made of fabrics that gives us hives.
(Literally and figuratively). I know workplace attire has changed tremendously, but surely there's a place
for women who still have to dress for the office but don't work for Conde
Nast? I get that women need to be taken seriously in the law or any other
"professional" ventures, but does that mean they have to sacrifice fashion
too? There oughta be a law against that. It's really a crime against
fashion. And that's what's up on this Wednesday. I myself am sitting here in
a vintage dress and flip flops and feeling most grateful I don't have to
dress up. XO