rone | Entries tagged with clothing

About 3 months ago, my niece sandollar17 announced her wedding to her fiancé, Garfield, and soon thereafter, both asked me to officiate. I was tremendously flattered and, although at first a little apprehensive, i accepted.

First off, a quick trip to the Universal Life Church Monastery for a free membership to the Ordination Nation. I chose to go by 'minister' over 'reverend' due to etymology; 'minister' is "from Latin ministrare “to serve, attend, wait upon”", and 'reverend' is "from Latin reverendus “(he who is) to be respected”." On their special day, i was there to attend them. I also considered what i'd wear, and decided that, unless i could secure a formal jacket to wear with one of my kilts, i'd stick with my suit. I called The Celtic Shoppe just a few days before the wedding and, luckily, they had a tweed Argyll jacket and vest in my size.

Next up was, as you might expect, writing a short speech exalting marriage, which i whipped up with help from the Internet and from 2wanda (who regretfully could not attend, as she needed to be in DC for a work-related conference in which she would be awarded a scholarship):

( mawwiage is what bwings us togethew today. )

Other than a couple of small booboos on my behalf, it went perfectly. Sandy and Garfield are a couple who genuinely like and love each other, and all of us there witnessed and felt it. Best wishes to the happy couple! We love you!

Current Music: Gabriela Montero - Toccatta in D minor

I've been wearing my Utilikilts (i have three Mockers now) for almost 3 years and i love them for all of the usual reasons: stylish, comfortable, can be casual or dressy, draws attention to myself. I never realized, or maybe i realized but wouldn't embrace, the fact that i'm a complete attention whore; i suppose that it might be obvious when i think of my online behavior over the last twenty years (yes, i have been online for twenty fucking years, and i know that's not as much as some of you, but still, that's over half my life), but it was certainly not something that i quite got when it came to my physically present interactions. A lot of it comes from increased maturity, as well as the increased confidence that comes from being with 2wanda. But it wasn't until i put on the kilt that i felt like i looked good, and that i liked looking good. Now i'll enjoy a nice buttoned-up shirt with my jeans instead of just T-shirts, and i found comfortable dress shoes so it's not sneakers or hiking boots all the time. And i enjoy picking out a nice tie once in a while.

As for the kilts, i got some brown Doc Martens to go with my first olive kilt, then i went a little crazy and got these monsters.

20-eyelet black patent boots

I mostly wear them under my jeans as they're a bit too sassy to wear to work with my kilt (but they're fun for the occasional dress-up party). Then Kim suggested these after i got my black kilt, and they also go well with the grey kilt.

10-eyelet oxblood boots

I also got an array of knee-high socks from Sock Dreams to complement them when i'm wearing shoes.

There is some irony in that i feel pretty darn manly when i'm wearing a skirt (although i do feel that the Utilikilts marketing people hit the "BE MANLY!" button a bit too much in their copy, as do their fan-submitted videos, sometimes leaning on chauvinist stereotypes), but i think it's just that i like the way i look, and that is an unequivocally good thing, and it's also fairly new. OK, i'm an attention whore and i'm vain.

Current Music: U2 - City of Blinding Lights

a woman modeling low-rise jeans cuffed to below the knee with a crotch that sags past mid-thigh, and grey suede platform pumps a man modeling cotton grey elastic waistband capri pants with a crotch that sags down to just above the knee, and two-tone golf shoes with no socks

This is all lifeinbeta's fault.

Current Music: King Crimson - Requiem

a woman modeling low-rise jeans cuffed to below the knee with a crotch that sags past mid-thigh, and grey suede platform pumps

This is all lifeinbeta's fault.

Current Music: King Crimson - Requiem

2wanda and i flew to Seattle on Friday to attend the nuptials of rimrunner and the darkly funny Mr. Darcy. We caught up with her relatives Gary and Marguerite (who are friends of Bill Rieflin, and i just had to drop that name because i think it's pretty damn cool), who happened to feel unwell enough to skip the Mariners-Athletics game that night, so we went in their stead. Not the best of games, but it was close until the end.

On Saturday, we spent the morning shopping. I'd had an idle interest in a Utilikilt for some time, but i never wanted to spend that much money until recently. The trip to Seattle came at a good time, because the kilts are made there, so we went to the store in Pioneer Square and were enthusiastically helped. After that, we went to the John Fluevog store and Kimmy bought a pair of red shoes. With my kilt instead of pants, and her sandals instead of boots, we managed to stay cool on a sunny afternoon where the ceremony was wonderful, the couple was beautiful, and the guests were all well dressed. I was far from the only bekilted attendee (rwx also wore one), and it was, all in all, a wonderful event to wear a skirt in public for the first time. The kilt really is everything they promised it would be. It's a hefty garment that is very comfortable and i was a little disappointed the next day when i put my jeans on.

At the reception, we shared a table with xythen and cor_tenebrarum, who were delightful people and a delightful couple. In lieu of champagne for toasts, Tokaji Aszú was served, which idea i heartily endorsed (up to and including drinking the Tokaji left behind by the other guests at my table... whoo!).

I still feel quite at home in Seattle, despite not having lived there in over 14 years. I realized that part of it is probably the sight of Mount Rainier to the south echoing the sight of Cotopaxi (see icon) to the south of Quito. I wish drivers in Seattle used their turn signals, though.

I regret not being able to see more of my Seattle friends. I hope to correct this soon.

Current Music: The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)

rone in olive utilikilt

I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

Current Music: George Michael - Freedom `90

rone in olive utilikilt

I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

Current Music: George Michael - Freedom `90

Mike Nolan, head coach of the 49ers, had asked the NFL to allow him to wear a suit and tie on the sidelines when he first got the job two years ago. The NFL nixed the request, on the basis of their exclusive licensing agreement with Reebok. Well, Reebok "designed a black suit with a white collared shirt and a black, red and gold tie with an imprinted 49ers logo" for Nolan, and he wore it in today's game (with the NFL's blessing). That's good marketing by Reebok, although they should've jumped on that two years ago, really. Nolan has permission to wear the suit one more time this season, and Jack Del Rio, head coach of the Jaguars, will also be wearing a suit twice this season.

mike nolan in a suit