#106 attention to detail

Back in February we spent a rainy day on the island of St. Lucia. While we were huddled under a balcony, avoiding the rain drops, I saw a sight that has been in my mind since that day. It was a woman, probably in her 60s or so. She was wearing immaculate white crop pants and a lovely black and white patterned blouse. Her sandals had a bit of a heel; her bag was just the right size, simple and stylish. Her hair was cut short and perfectly styled. She was completely elegant, even in the drizzling rain. Maybe she was French. French women seem to pay particular attention to details of their appearance. At least that's what I've read. I'm sure there are some sloppy French women.

I remember looking at myself. I was wearing my blue and gray Speedo flip flops and I think my green beach cover-up dress with the 3/4 sleeves. My hair was just a mass of messy curls as it was that entire vacation. I wasn't wearing make-up. I was carrying my camera bag. I did not look good, but I looked like most of the people around me. When I saw that elegant woman, I wondered if I would ever be that together.

Here's what I think: it takes effort to put yourself all together. It's hard when it doesn't come naturally. Does it come naturally to the French lady in St. Lucia? Most of the time when I look in the mirror in the morning, what I think is, "It is what it is." I would love to think, "Dang! I got it together today!"

But here's what I know: when you do make the effort to try to get it together, it can be pretty cool. And it is all in the details. The other day I put on a sweater and some jeans. The sweater is just a light blue 3/4 sleeve boatneck sweater that I've worn 50 times. I've worn the jeans many times also, and I will say that they fit pretty well. The crotch is where it should be, they are a lower-rise jean than I've ever had and they feel good. I like the dark color of them. (Note to me: gotta get another pair of two of those jeans!)

The kicker was that I wore a pair of new shoes with this tried and true outfit. The shoes are white with tiny flowers on them. They are sling-backs with a minuscule kitten heel and pointy toes. You know that Paolo Nuttini song that was popular last summer, "New Shoes"? He sings, "Hey I put my new shoes on and suddenly everything is right." It was like that. People were checking out my shoes and the outfit and saying I looked good. I'd straightened my hair and painted my fingernails, and I sort of felt like for once I had it all together. I paid attention to the details. And it feels good when people say you look nice, even though by the end of the day I think they were just messin' with me.

Still...I liked looking down and seeing those little pointy tips of my flowery shoes. No, they weren't that comfortable and I was glad to get them off at the end of the day, but sometimes comfort is just plain overrated!

Someday I aspire to be like the woman I saw in St. Lucia. I don't know if it's possible for me. I think it has been too long since I "let myself go," since I took the easy way (general sloppiness) instead of paying attention to the details. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think I've ever done a very good job of paying attention to those little things that some girls do. I don't have much skill with hair styling. My make-up is simple and looks like it. I dress of comfort and not really for style. Plus I'm a big girl so it's easy to look sloppy even when you are trying not to.

I'm not sure why I am thinking of this so much. What is the point? I guess the point, for me, is that maybe someday someone will see me walking somewhere and think, "Wow! That lady has it goin' on," just like I thought about that lady in St. Lucia.

OY! I've got so many thoughts running around in my head about this! Am I being shallow? Does anyone really care?

I read a book a couple of years ago about an Australian woman who goes to live in France. She meets a French guy and they move in together. One day she has to run down to the butcher to get some meat for a dinner party they are having. She pulls on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, pulls her hair back into a pony-tail and grabs her purse to leave the house. Her boyfriend asks her if she is going out like that. She says she is because who is going to see her? He tells her that all the people she passes will see her and so will the butcher, "and it is not nice for the butcher." Isn't it strange how I remember those words from a book I read two years ago? (The book, by the way, is called "Almost French" by Sarah Turnbull. I read it in December 2005. Yes, I'm a freaky list-maker.)

I want to look nice for the butcher, and for all the other people I pass. When I play golf I always try to wear appropriate golf clothing because if you look like you play, you do play. Does that make sense? Maybe I've just been watching too much "What Not to Wear." Maybe I have an unhealthy fascination with the French.

Sorry for the long post. I guess it's on my mind. What do you think?