Do you remember when life was simple? Well, at least simpler? I ask this question of those you who are old enough to remember a time before technology. And by technology I mean anything more advanced than a colored television and a turntable stereo…
THE STORY
…I remember spending hours in my room with my little blue and white plastic portable turntable listening to Cher albums and staring at her pictures on the album covers wishing from the bottom of my heart that I would look like her when I grew up. An elfin sized pale skinned blonde girl…I had big dreams my friends, I was just certain I would grow up to be tall and thin with pin straight black hair and tanned skin. Ya, you can see nature (and genetics) had other plans for me. Do you remember though, that scratchy background noise when listening to a record? And if you wanted to play the same song over and over, you would have to lean down and see exactly where to place the needle on the album to hit the beginning of the song. I’m here to tell ya, the introduction of 8-track tapes in my life rocked my world. The first one I owned was Pink Floyd-The Wall. I swear I played that thing until it snapped.
Most of my daytime hours though were spent outside playing in the woods around our house (okay, trailer, but you know what I mean). I would head out in the morning with whatever accoutrements were necessary for that days make believe world. I would stay out there all day lost in my make believe world, or sometimes I’d be perched way up in a tree simply surveying my kingdom until I heard my mom yelling for me from the front door.
There were no video games or iPads or iPhones. Phones were still mounted to the wall or sat on an end table with a short cord and rotary dial. There was no constant entertainment provided on television. We had three channels and they all went off the air around 12:30 a.m. You would hear the national anthem usually with an image of an American flag blowing in the wind and then boom…nothing on the screen but snow and that hissing sound it made.
And Saturday mornings? Oh yeah. That was the day. Kid heaven. First thing in the morning on Saturday until early afternoon, nothing but cartoons. I remember scrambling to the living room with my bowl of Cap’n Crunch and parking my little butt on the floor directly in front of the television where I would remain until the last cartoon played. After that? Off to the woods I’d go to be a princess or Mighty Isis or perhaps Daphne from Scooby Doo.
Occasionally during the last few months with my aunt, my daughter and I would step outside for some air. My aunt and uncle live right at the edge of those same woods from my childhood so my daughter and I would walk through the trees for a bit and talk. When I explained to her why I love the woods so much and how I spent so much of my childhood there she asked, “What did you do out here?” I replied, “Played.” Her response? “But what did you do?” I simply played. Or sometimes sat quietly in a tree and read a book. I amused myself and developed a vivid imagination full of exciting adventures and stories. No technological enhancement necessary. Ahhh…the good old days.
THE OUTFIT
Speaking of simplicity, today’s theme for Project Sister Act is the simple white tee or SWT for short. What is Project Sister Act? It is the brainchild of the lovely and always entertaining Sheela Goh. It’s a genius idea in that one theme is taken on by a variety of women of all ages and interpreted in any way they choose. How fun, right? See below to be awed and inspired by the looks of all of the other lovely ladies rockin’ their SWT’s. In this case a SWT is something that probably just about everyone out there owns in one form or another. It’s one crucial basic that you should always have on hand because it can truly be one of the most versatile pieces in your closet.
I chose to pair my tee with my slouchy crop pants and then for a little print mix action I threw on a plaid shirt, polka dot bandana and leopard wedges. So while the base of the outfit is simple and basic (SWT and olive green pants) all of the extras make it fun. While it’s true that it may still be too warm for the plaid shirt while outside, I always take a shirt, kimono, cardigan or some type of top layer if I’m going to be out and about. You just never know when you’re going to run into Arctic air conditioning. The nice thing about a shirt is if you aren’t wearing it, you can tie it around your hips and it still adds to the overall look.
THE TIP
In regard to the SWT I believe that you should own an assortment. But it’s a white tee, you may be thinking…why do I need more than one? A white tee is something that you should have in a variety of cuts and shapes. This slouchy one from H&M is one of my favorites, but I also own more form fitting white tees. Depending upon what you’re pairing it with you may need a slightly shorter or longer tee; cap sleeve, regular sleeve and longer sleeve white tees also serve a purpose. Different shapes work with different outfits. Hence the reason it’s a good idea to have several to choose from.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
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Tee: H&M; Pants: JCPenney (Similar); Sandals: JustFab (Similar)
Teens: Eve (theworldaccordingtoeve)
20’s: Jalisa (thestylecontour)
30’s: Alice (typenu)
40’s: Sheela (sheelawrites)
60’s: Carmen (fashionableover50)
