A Pressing Concern About His Blue Jeans
Dear Fashion Police: My boyfriend insists on wearing pressed jeans. I’ve told him that nothing says “Ozarks” more emphatically, but he insists.
Should I break up with him?
--A PRESSING ISSUE
Dear Pressing: Just out of curiosity, have you been to the Ozarks lately and actually seen people wearing pressed jeans, or is this just a guess? Because if you’re using “Ozarks” solely in the pejorative, we’ll bet there are some people who are a little ticked off at you right now.
Anyway, it sounds like your boyfriend is both excessively neat and stubborn. The neat aspect might not be such a bad attribute if it translates favorably into other areas, such as washing dishes more than once a month, using a dumpster for trash instead of the back seat of his car, and not having to don a Hazmat suit to clean the bathroom.
In any case . . .
Since the sight of these jeans seems to send you into fits of despair, you might try using some positive reinforcement. If you can persuade him to put his jeans on without pressing them first, keep remarking on how great he looks. Don’t, however, pick out other guys on the street and remark how great they look.
Nagging and belittling your boyfriend about his perceived sartorial shortfalls won’t make him give up his iron, especially if he is the stubborn sort. But if wearing pressed jeans is the worst trait of this man, consider yourself lucky. There are plenty of other, more meaningful things to break up over. Like wearing shorts with dark socks and sandals.
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Dear Fashion Police: Why do designers place tags on beautiful scarves? These tags are annoying and hard to hide or remove.
--ANNOYED
Dear Ann: If you were a big, famous designer, do you think you’d forgo a tag with your name on it? No way! Anyway, the tag also tells the fabric content and provides care instructions, which might look odd if they were printed on the scarf itself.
It’s not impossible to remove the tag. Take a little stitch ripper and gently cut the few threads that hold the tag in place. Then, with matching thread, make a few hem stitches so the edge won’t unravel. If you are completely clueless about sewing, have a friend do it.
It’s no great sin to keep the tag on. We even know some people who purposely leave the tag hanging out to make sure everyone sees the designer’s name. Classy, no?
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Bra Strapped: Thanks to our resourceful readers, we have more solutions for “Falling Down,” who wrote to complain about pesky bra straps that won’t stay up where they’re supposed to.
The No. 1 suggestion was a racerback bra. Instead of the straps going straight from back to front, they angle in a “V” toward the center of the back, so they don’t creep down. However, this configuration tends to pull the straps toward the neck, so if you’re wearing a wide-neck top, this might not work.
One reader suggested that if a dress or blouse comes with shoulder pads held in with Velcro, slip the straps between the Velcro strips to hold them in place. She also suggested pinning the straps to the garment’s shoulder seams with safety pins, but, frankly, that sounds like it requires more manual dexterity than we’ve got.
Another reader offered this solution: Sew a tab with a snap on it at the shoulder seam of your clothes, and slip the bra strap through that. Again, we’re talking about a time-consuming task, so it’s up to you.
And yet another reader swears by a product called Body Glue, from BeautiControl Cosmetics in Dallas. It rolls on clear like an antiperspirant and adheres clothing and accessories to the body: It holds camisole straps, bathing suits, socks, strapless dresses and even wigs and toupees in place.
A company spokeswoman said that whatever garment you’re adhering should have a lining (bra straps are OK). Even though the product is safe on most fabrics, it could damage others, hence the lining recommendation. Apply it to your skin, put your clothes on, then wait for three minutes until it’s dry. While you’re waiting, don’t move around too much.
Body Glue is water-soluble and should stand up to perspiration. It won’t stay on through a swim, though. And be sure to try a little on your skin first to see if you’re allergic.
Body Glue is $25 for a three-ounce bottle and can be ordered by calling (800) BEAUTI--1.
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