Sunday, March 06, 2011

On Wearing a Skirt

During my first year at Cheungwon Kindergarten, I wore a dress or skirt all of twice. The first time it was because I had a funeral right after work (followed up by a party at my place which involved me in a black dress cooking with flour - not wise) and the second time because I was over at April's, it was late, it was snowing, and I couldn't be bothered walking home, but I had no work clothing with me, so she lent me a skirt and I put on my running tights underneath. I was the picture of elegance, I tell you.

The funny thing is, both times my co-teachers, the principal and all of my students were absolutely and emphatically pleased with my attire. I got more compliments on each of those two days than on the rest of the days combined. They tell me I look far more beautiful in a skirt.

And so, since it seemed nice, I wore a skirt for the opening ceremony last Wednesday. After all, I had to go on stage and bow to the combined elementary school and kindergarten and all of their parents. There were performances by the elementary school orchestra, traditional drumming group and the belly dancing troupe. It was a fancy occasion and I dressed accordingly.

I may well dress up again for graduation, or parents day, or something similar, but I won't be doing it regularly.

Interestingly, I love to travel in skirts. If you've ever been driving along the roads in the mountainous region of Togo in a bush taxi, I'm sure you'll hit on why - it makes peeing so much easier, and I find them cooler too. Plus, when you're trying to pack light, skirts are simply more versatile - change the kind of shirt you're wearing and you change how dressy you look.

My main problem with skirts and dresses hits once the weather cools - I'm not fond of tights. I have never, ever been able to find a pair that really fit me properly. Fat or thin is not the issue - my height is. I'm just that little bit taller than the average size, but not tall enough to wear the tall sizes. It's a royal pain in the ass. I love leggings for that reason - I buy them 3/4 length and they fit just fine.

But, you know, if running tights are apparently okay under a skirt while teaching, it might be worth taking up dressier attire so that I can hit the streets faster after work!

1 comment:

Sofiya said...

Send me your address again, darling (I lost it)--I'll mail you some tights from America. I usually have the same problem as you, but I found a brand that fixes everything.