SENIOR MOMENT: May I try this on?

By BETTY MUNSEY/Columnist

A very distinguished older lady was sitting in a corner chair of the doctor’s office and seemed to catch everyone’s attention with her striking good looks. From the top of her silver well-coiffed hair to the tips of her gray patent shoes, she was the picture of perfection.  Her appearance suggested that her outfit was well planned and not thrown together as many of the others of us waiting to see the same doctor. Her outfit wasn’t necessarily expensive and may have come from a thrift store, but the manner in which she assembled and wore it captured that special look of completeness.
Seniors have certainly seen a transformation is clothing styles and rules of dress in our lifetime. Years ago before entering the church doors, the well-dressed lady would adjust her “Sunday go-to-meeting clothes,” which included a hat and gloves while her male counterpart would give his suit, tie and hat a last-minute look of approval. Silence and stares would have met the woman who entered the sanctuary wearing slacks or the man wearing jeans. Thank God that he looks inside and doesn’t judge our exterior appearance as many of us wear more casual clothes including slacks to worship services especially in rural areas and for early services in urban areas.
During my freshman year at Virginia Tech (which is a lot longer ago than it seems) coeds were not allowed to wear slacks to classes. Pleated skirts and knee socks were the norm until several cases of frost-bitten legs and many complaints forced a transition to slacks.
Today’s coeds would be aghast that such rules ever existed.
The business world no longer mandates suits as the expected business attire except perhaps in larger cities and on Wall Street. Shirt, ties and the occasional sports coat are considered proper business wear. Weddings and funerals seem to be the major events still requiring the more dressed-up look in clothing although even today’s corpses may be buried in casual clothing.
Children love to play dress-up and will spend hours trying on adult outfits. You probably have a picture or two of your grandchildren trying to wear an old pair of high heel shoes or men’s steel-toe work boots with various other clothes askew on their bodies.
As we age, trying on clothes is one of our least favorite activities.  Due to changes in our body structures (everything’s gone south!) clothes no longer fit our bodies as well as they did in the past.  Plus much of today’s clothing is designed for younger bodies. We’ve become larger and dressing rooms have become smaller creating a cramped environment for checking the new look. We often have to open the door and step back several steps to get a full view in the tiny dressing room mirror.
At this point in life, not only do we have to consider how the clothing fits and looks on our bodies, we also must think about safety, comfort, warmth and ease of care. Clothing purchases must be carefully considered in light of the rising cost of apparel along with its required care, especially if dry cleaning is suggested.  So if styles don’t change too much and our weight remains about the same, most of us will have more than enough clothes to get us through our golden years without even worrying about buying more.
A retired Extension agent, Betty Munsey lives and farms in Bland County.