I'd like to think that I dress pretty well. Scratch that. I know that I dress well. I've been told. It's on that list of things that I somehow do well without really trying.
Many people are fortunate enough to understand taste and can throw together a fine meal in minutes. I happen to know how to put together an outfit without looking like an idiot.
I'll just go ahead and put that on my life resume filed under skills that don't lead to jobs.
Somehow in Korea I misplaced the motivation to utilize this trait because I feel invisible. Of course, this is highly imprecise because, in fact, I stand out more than ever. I am tall, blue eyed, have the Western high nose, and among that, I now have a piercing on my face.
I'm not exactly blending with the background.
Still there's a freedom that inspires me to go in public looking absolutely ridiculous. This last weekend I was walking through downtown in seven shades of green, a swim suit top over my shirt, leg warmers, confetti pants and a Hitler stache.
Yes. I had a Hitler mustache in board marker on my face. I have no idea how I got nominated for that. It was my friend Tammy's birthday and she wanted to have a K-themed party simply because she wanted to dress as a kimbap (Korean sushi roll). I was a "kiwi kaleidoscope," which at some special point in the day turned into a "Hitler kiwi kaleidoscope."
During a moment of reflection I stopped in the middle of the street to announce,
"You guys realize that in two weeks I have to be a proper human being."
It seems I'm always wearing mismatched clothes because I threw the wrong shirt in the bag or the temperature shifted twenty degrees midday.
I am interested in why we do this. I say "we," because I am completely not alone. Truly, my incident is not isolated. Katie wears heart-shaped sunglasses everywhere. Tammy sports capes. It seems there's always a themed gathering going on and I've seen a decade's supply of animal costumes.
There's a festive bunch out here. That's undeniable. I'll miss these wacko's and as I slowly deplete my wardrobe, I'll think of you as I rebuild.
Here's to looking silly -
to utilizing props,
to letting your guard down,
to being festive
and to making it work.
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