Ah, the summer of 2001. I was part of a team of lucky ducks from my company driving cross-country. Sort of like a promotional tour, but symbolic of the company's move west as well.
So much fun! 8 days. The only thing I had an issue with were the polo shirts we had to wear. I was given 5 white, and 5 blue; imagine that, getting two extra! The thirty or so of us would be advised the night before as to which color to wear.
Another part of our uniform was chinos or casual pants, preferably tan or off white, though I managed to sneak a dark blue pair into the mix. It wasn't the fact that we were all dressed in similar fashion that got to me. Nope. The way I see it, the combination of polo and chino has to be one of the most unattractive outfits known to womankind, not so much if guys are wearing it, but on a female body. This garb is especially distasteful when the chinos are pleated in the front, suggesting a bad attempt at hiding an bulky tummy. Nothing like looking as sexless as one can get, devoid of anything suggesting female, and having a balloon in place of your stomach area to boot.
After that trip, I vowed never again to wear such square-offed, ill fitting, unsightly clothing. Over the years, all the chinos have “left the building”, except for one pair. I will drop them off at Goodwill tomorrow, I promise. The polos are all still here, gathering close to a decade of dust, in a seldom opened closet. And on a positive note, those polos are rather unique, proudly projecting the corporation name and the fact that this was a special tour. Not only was this acknowledged discreetly on the front of the shirt, one of the arms was badged as such as well. Hmmmm….eBay maybe? I wonder what Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear would say about this style of dress?
Well, for this gal, it's bring on the ruffles, bell sleeves, soft lines, flowing tops, sort and slightly more sheer materials, girly flower patterns (but only the tasteful ones), mod 60's patterns and happy colors! It's been wonderful not being forced to wear a polo! Ahh....
