Wear, Watch, Want #108: The Loose Outdoor Lesbian Edition
Wear: Baggy (And Cheap) Overalls
I have been on a hunt for overalls for YEARS. I kept trying them, and then returning them, or taking some into a dressing room and knowing when I had them past my knees that they weren’t going to work. One of the issues is that today’s overalls are styled to be tight, and if you, like me, have a difference of an entire FOOT in your waist to hip measurements, a full body garment that’s made to be slim all over just isn’t going to work. I found these overalls on Amazon, and they are constructed in what I would describe as a bubble shape. On the model, they’re baggy and loose, but on me? I figured they’d just FIT! Plenty of room for a big butt, but then also appropriately loose or tight in the waist and chest. They also have ties on the straps - no buckles or buttons - so you can really tailor them to the look you want. AND they’re $23. The sizing is somewhat confusing (I ended up with an XL, which says is for size 12-14 but I’m more of an 8-10), and I bought one pair that technically fit, but was too big for the look I wanted, so I returned them and ordered one size down. I would recommend narrowing your size down and then getting two that you think may work, then return the one that’s not as good. There are tons of reviews on Amazon attempting to help you narrow down your size, but I read 50 of them and still ended up with one size too large, so just order two and figure it out for yourself. Then bask in the thrill of finally finding overalls that fit.
Watch: Gentleman Jack
My mom was here the other day, just for a few hours before she had to catch a flight. And I spent at least 30 minutes of her minimal time with me talking about how much I love Gentleman Jack. I had never heard of Anne Lister before this series, and now my search history is all Anne Lister, all the time. This is a quick, helpful primer on Anne Lister, First Modern Lesbian. Heather Hogan wrote that piece, and while I have mentioned before she is my favorite person writing about television today, she also wrote a far more superior synopsis than I ever could, so I’m just going to link that here.
I tend to do that obnoxious thing where despite watching TV or a movie, I pull out my phone to play a game or scroll through Twitter and end up paying half-attention to both of my endeavors. Gentleman Jack, however, is a show that I watch with such attention that I wouldn’t dream of looking away, for fear I would miss one of Suranne Jones’s stares straight into the lens of the camera, sharing an intimate moment with me. This breaking of the fourth wall has been compared to Fleabag, which, ok, sure. But it is such a small bit of perfect genius in Gentleman Jack, because it allows the writers to use direct excerpts from Anne Lister’s diaries, AND it gives the viewer a sense of what it would be like for Anne Lister to talk to you, to think you were special and worth sharing some small moment with. Anne Lister seduced women across the whole of Europe, and she’ll woo you to the point where an eight episode miniseries isn’t nearly enough of her (but don’t worry, there’s going to be a season two).
Want: Patio Dining Furniture
I have a glorious backyard that both the dog and I love to spend time in, but it could use a few homey touches. There was a picnic table in the back that was moved to the front this week, in order to be donated to Habitat for Humanity. A picnic table is not useful to me, a person with mobility issues, but seeing a table on my lower patio did inspire me to look into getting an outdoor dining table and chairs. I particularly have my eye on these chairs at Target, and a corresponding table. ADDENDUM: I found the chairs at my local Target for $15 less (each!) than online, and I’ve also ordered this table to go with them (thank you, 4th of July sales!). Mission accomplished.
