November 03, 2007

Is it that time of the decade again?

As I type this, I am wearing leg warmers.

On Wednesday night I observed my friend Dan rocking a calculator watch and puffy sneakers along with big glasses and an off-center baseball cap. All at once.

The leg warmers were an idea that I had yesterday to stop my ankles aching after cold bike rides (which they have been doing unacceptably often in this here frozen northland). I thought vaguely to myself that the whole 80s retro thing is doing well at the moment, what with the, you know, gold-lamé leggings at American Apparel and all. Ergo there must be leg warmers for sale. I thought I'd just go by the mall and get myself some.

The mall, right? Turns out they don't have any. I did go into numerous stores and ask for them while trying to subvocally communicate my practicality, unconcern for fashion, and singleminded focus on cold ankles to everyone around, but it totally failed to score me any embarrassingly hip legwear. I had to get them in the socks department of the totally un-fashion-forward Fred Meyer, and I'm still trying to work out whether they had them because they are cool or because they are uncool.

They're comfy, anyway, for the record. And I can't speak to the puffy shoes but I am willing to believe that the calculator watch is nothing but handy. Maybe I should look into it.

Posted by dianna at November 3, 2007 06:10 PM
Comments

I'm stuck on the fact that you keep mentioning a store that carries items as disparate as food, yarn, and legwarmers. What is it, some kind of Portland-specific Walmart? (I typed "Portmart" without meaning to.)

I guess maybe yarn and legwarmers aren't that disparate in the general scheme of things, but in terms of shopping logic they seem to be. I say this only because I haven't been to many stores that sell both cows and ice cream.

Posted by: katie at November 3, 2007 07:13 PM

Kind of, yeah. I've been thinking of it as a Target glued on to the side of a Safeway, and it kind of makes sense that way.

I also got chenille slipper boots there, but I didn't see the source item for those. Potted chenille plants? Tiny baby chenille monsters? Actually, they probably do have those.

Posted by: Dianna at November 3, 2007 07:39 PM
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