"I fear that I'm sporting a 'get-up'," I typed to two of my co-workers this morning, in response to an email requesting my participation in a trip downstairs to the cafe for coffee. This is a term with which we're all very familiar. We frequently use it to refer to an outfit that we're sporting that seems a little bit thrown together.
The term was first introduced to me as a child. Since we lived so far from "town," my mother often didn't come home on Wednesday nights to get me ready for church when my father was working a shift that allowed him to be home with me and bring me himself. Dad, or in later years even I myself, would be responsible for getting me dressed and presentable for church.
As it were, my father has never been accused of being on the cutting edge of fashion. I, on the other hand, was quite the creative dresser. I loved mixing up a variety of combinations of garments, accessories, shoes, etc. Some personal favorites were suspenders, BIG earrings, and layers of scrunch socks. So, much to my mother's dismay, I often arrived for church wearing God only knows what kind of crazy combination of my (and sometimes even HER) clothing. I vividly remember a telephone conversation with her on one particular Wednesday, where she was giving me instructions for what to do before church, and she said, "Oh, and wear an actual outfit...not some get-up of yours."
Her criticism didn't stop with me either. I laugh when I think of the first time my mother met a co-worker of mine (one who was involved in today's "get-up" or "no get-up" verdict). We were in a store, when suddenly I heard my mother whisper, "Well, my goodness...that girl has jeans on under her dress..." I turned to see who/what she was talking about, and then shocked my mother by catching the fashion offender's attention by yelling, "Harmony...HEY!" My mother stared, bewildered, through the introductions.
I should interject here than I'm NO fashionista, by any stretch of the imagination. I'm generally more comfortable in jeans, a T-shirt, and flip-flops and have little interest in sporting the latest trends. That being said, I do love to shop, love a bargain, and from time-to-time..inspired by my childhood creativity or maybe even peer pressure...I will occasionally go out on a limb. Today was one such day.
Dressed in a short, beige, ruffled baby-doll dress, jeggings (the more modern and acceptable cousin of the jort), and cognac-colored flats...I was definitely the proud wearer of a "get-up," in my opinion. My friends, however, affirmed me as we headed downstairs. They told me my outfit was fine, it looked cute, blah-blah-blah...and then came the true test.
I was making my cup of coffee, and a lady older than my mother came up alongside me. I noticed that she was giving me the infamous up-and-down look. Here we go, I thought. She acknowledge me, smiled, and then said, "Well, you've got the idea haven't you?" I stared back blankly. "That's cute," she said, motioning at my outfit. "Thanks," I said. "I told my friends it's what my mother would call a 'get-up'." She thought on that for a second and then laughed. "Yes. I guess it is," she said. She laughed again. She was still laughing as I walked away.
The lesson here? A get-up will always be...a get-up. There's no changing that. The trick comes in making the right get-up work in the right era and for the right audience. That last party is key. If someone doesn't approve of your get-up, maybe it's not you. It could be them!
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