It’s no secret I don’t get out much. Well, unless you count Walmart, the grocery store and the occasional mandatory school function.
I guess I should say I don’t dress up much. Really, the only time you’ll see me going for any look other than extreme casual is if somebody gets married or dies. But the possibility of my going to RWA Nationals in NYC next summer is teetering precariously on the brink of probability and one of the things that crossed my mind was that it’s way too hot to wear nylons in NYC in July. (I hate the word pantyhose. I’m not sure why. I’m weird.)
Then it occurred to me that women don’t seem to be wearing nylons anymore. My husband and I went to his goddaughter’s wedding last month (Catholic ceremony & big, fancy reception) and I think I was the only woman under fifty wearing nylons. There were dresses and heels…but bare legs.
I admit I have some weird ideas in my head and I don’t know where they came from. While browsing shoes for the above wedding, Jaci shared a link to a pair, but they were open-toed.
Holy hell, you can’t wear open-toed shoes in a church!!!
While I couldn’t actually see her, I’m pretty sure Jaci laughed at me and rolled her eyes. She also told me that not only do you not burn in Hell for wearing open-toed shoes in a church, but that I’m probably the only person on the planet who worried about such a thing.
So tell me, am I also the only person on the planet who still thinks a woman’s not “dressed” if she has bare legs?
I swear, I’m only thirty-seven!
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I have the same problem, Shannon. However, I grew up with a mother who wouldn’t even consider wearing shorts without nylons underneath.
I will go without, but it definitely depends on the dress. If it’s “dressed up” then def nylons. (Besides, my legs are so pasty white I fear I’d blind the other attendees with the glare. Snort.)
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I’d probably only go bare-legged if the dress came to the half-way point of my shin. (Which is my preferred length anyway). And I’d definitely have to invest on a spray-tan or something. Nobody wants to see my bare legs.
If I go, my wardrobe will probably consist of a half-dozen different tea-length sundresses with matching cardigans. I’ll be the June Cleaver of the conference.
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Roasting in hell is standing graveside in the heat of the day wearing black with sleeves, nylons and your closed toe pumps sink into the dirt…
I grew up in Florida and have attended plenty of functions in the sweltering heat with nylons…my Gramma wouldn’t have left the house if I were half dressed (no nylons). These memories leave strong memories about certain things (forget the Priest, my Gramma can put the fear of ‘WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK”…
)
Having said that, other than church functions (weddings, funerals), I’m not as bad as I use to be about nylons (and “WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK”).
Plus I’m sure if I’m going to burn in hell it will hopefully be for something other than flashing bare toes in church…
…JUST KIDDING… 
One thing you will figure out when you get to RWA…no one really pays attention to your wardrobe, they are just excited about all the stuff going on and getting to meet you in person…
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Minute the temp hits 70, pantyhose are OUT. And I wear strappy sandals to church all the time. ‘Course, mine is not a white-gloves-lace-collar-and-hats church. People just wear what they want. I do dress up, though — ’cause I’m prissy like that — just with bare legs.
My very pale, bare legs. Which match my very pale, bare arms and very pale face. Learned to embrace the pale a loooong time ago.
I’m seriously considering RWA in NYC, too. Boys want to go back (Chase is practically salivating at the idea), so we’ll see. Hoping by that point I can face NY without Jack (we met, married and had our first two kids there, so lotsa memories).
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I wore open-toed shoes and no nylons to my own wedding!! Maybe it’s a regional thing? CA standards are very lax.
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Hmm. I don’t hit fifty for another five days, so I’m still young enough to comment, I guess.
I know the bare legged thing is out there, but it doesn’t work for me. Probably because my usual attire consists of jeans, T-shirt, some variant of sneakers, and either crew socks or ankle socks. This means the only thing tanned on my body is my arms from the elbow down, my hands, my face, and part of my neck. Dark hose are a must.
Until about three years ago, I’d only worn a dress three times in my adult life (or close to it). Then, I guess because the lifetime accumulate of weight gain just made it easier, I bought two lightweight two-piece dresses — one black and one black with a pattern. Now, if I have to dress up, that’s what I wear.
Tea length sun dresses and cardigans sound great to me. BTW, thigh high hose work just fine and are much cooler than “pantyhose.”
For shoes, I wear flat pumps — which also go well with pant suits. If the heel is more than 1/4 inch high, I fall off and sprain my ankle while trying to walk. I guess that’s what a lifetime of sprained ankles and two arthroscopic knee surgeries does to your balance.
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I hate to say it, but I think men invented this whole travesty.
They loved the whole garter/stockings thing (gads, even gave them as presents to women in the WW’s) but now aren’t real fond of pantyhose. We, being rather gullible, went for the pantyhose rather than the garter belts. Look at this new idea, panties and nylons in one. Most uncomfortable and ill fitting garbage ever.
I’m all for stockings and garter belts to spice things up, but where is the spice in having to yank the pantyhose up at the waist and from the ankles constantly?And trust me, not advocating garter belts either. They remind me (age showing) of the old way we had to use feminine pads. Strap yourself in.
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No pantyhose. No. Just no. Not only no but hell no.
Pasty white legs are just fine. REally, no one gives a shit what level of white/tan you are. But you will die in pantyhose in July and toss them the first day. Heels too. Trust me on this. Go for comfort. Most people run around in capri pants and flip flops anyway and save the fancy dress up shit for the parties.
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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but nylons are a fashion faux pas. You may wear tights in the winter but in the summer I will fine you if I see you in nylons.
Nylons do not ‘disguise’ any issues (ie veins, white skin, etc). Instead they draw attention TO your legs as they are dated and wrong. Wrong I tell you!
You can trust my advice as:
1) I am a Southern Belle
2) I am a former Beauty Queen
3) I had to take a 12 step program to wear white after Labor Day
4) I worked in the fashion industry for 20 years
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Pantyhose is a very weird word. Saying “nylons” shows ur a New Englander, baby!! And at least in my generation, NO ONE except PCC lifers wears nylons.
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Aja, we call them hose here. So. What is a PCC lifer?
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PCC is a particularly…strict Christian college. (I’ll be nice.) Aja’s my sister and did her time there. Hot, sweaty time.
Okay, if Annmarie says no nylons, that’s it. And if anybody mocks my pasty, white legs at a conference, I’ll take down their names and sic her on them.
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Adding a new title to my name: Anti-Hose Enforcer
PCC sounds scary. Poor Aja.
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Okay, I’m going with Annmarie. To heck with it. If it’s now a fashion no-no, I’m passing on those nasty things.
Get your sunglasses out, world, to stop the glare. Jewell is going nekid legged.
(Which totally reminds me of my very first book signing. At RT. Sitting next to Connie Mason. Entirely commando under my beautiful dress…to calm my nerves. Instead of imagining others nekid, I was nekid, to a point. LOL)
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Late commenting (as usual). I hate pantyhose AND thigh-highs because they just don’t work with my body any more. I don’t care what anyone’s legs look like. But they are GREAT for two things: making dress shoes and foundation garments comfortable. I used to wear a girdle, yes, I admit it, and even though Spanx don’t have the same association, they are just as uncomfortable on bare skin. They slide easily over hose. And feet just feel weird in dress shoes, whether they’re flats or heels, without hose. So most of the time, I wear pants with knee-his.
And I’m not much older than you, Shan, chronologically. But boy do I sound like a fuddy-duddy! LOL