Friday thing : groovy vest

Or, Once Upon A Time I Was Effortlessly Stylish

Today is my half-birthday, which I thought was a thing everyone understood and probably celebrated because why not? But when I casually mentioned it to my family last night, explaining how I knew for sure today was the 23rd, I got blank, confused stares. My mom even asked what that means, when SHE of all people ought to know because she was there when I was born six months from now in 1968. Anyway. Today is my half-birthday.

The thing I’m celebrating this week is my beloved beaded-fringe leather vest. I don’t actually know about its origins or how I came to have it, just that I loved wearing it when I was around 4 or 5. I remember moving the beads around on their fringes because it felt good & satisfying (though I was careful¹ not to let them fall off), and I’m 99% sure I smelled the leather every time² I put it on. I remember feeling very hip & cool when I wore it, as evidenced by this photo of me:

I am so in love with my utter confidence here. And also the multiple patterns + various shades of brown. #Hey1970s

I tried to get each of my kids to wear the vest when they were small but no one was ever captivated, not even for dress-up. So it hung wistfully in their closets until finally I gave it a place of honor in my office a few years ago, inside the armoire with other cherished garments like christening gowns, fairy crowns, a homemade kid-sized firefighter coat, my husband’s letterman jacket, and our inflatable T-Rex costume.

Maybe my preschooler nephew³ will be excited to put it on when we stroll around the neighborhood one Saturday this spring. And if not, that’s okay; not everyone can be as cool as 5-year old Me.

A picture worth a thousand whiffs.

1. #Virgo once again

2. …because I still do whenever I come across it in my house.

3. Though he’s a Taurus so I’ll have to act like I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT want him to wear it…#SavvyAunt