TESS THE MISTRESS OF DRESS?

jasper update: still not eating, refusing milk. won't walk, only crawls and just wants to be held. falls asleep without dinner at 6pm, even when in the playroom with noisy sisters racing round him. a little concerned.

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i had a very interesting experience today.

i braved the COLD front courtesy of china that is blasting through hong kong and was walking through an area of central known as "the lanes". central, a district in hong kong is a delightful anachronism in itself. not two blocks away from tiffany, cartier, three blocks from prada and versace, are the lanes. the lanes are basically two street lanes about one metre wide, with stalls or walk in shops containing discounted, made in china goods alongside it. this time of year, pashminas, gloves, scarves, north face jackets and jumpers are accompanying the typical wares: purses, watches and children's outfits.

i slid into one shop, looking for jumpers for the girls. it was past lunchhour, and because of the cold there weren't many tourists around, so it was basically me and the locals. i am in this one shop, trying to find warm jumpers for the girls, when i notice that i am basically the centre of attention. whatever i pick up, my fellow shoppers root round the bins searching for the identical ones. it was very odd.

please do not think i was a fashion maven people would WANT to imitate. no no no no no no no. over my black t-shirt i was wearing a black cashmere turtleneck, over which i was sporting a jumper, and then a 3/4 length coat. i was wearing a long pair of black yoga pants, the warmest outfit i could conjure up. i was even wearing two pair of socks with my jp tod's. there was nothing "best dressed" about tess today....but plenty of warmth, which soothed my thyroid influenced bod.

is the fact that i am caucasian (and not even a preferred caucasian because i have dark hair and hazel eyes, although they are "round") make me an instant fashion dictator? was not my own decidedly bulky ensemble not enough to deter them? was the fact that my clothing selections were not adorned with the perennially popular hello kitty, powerpuff girls or disney characters not enough to deter my fellow lanes shoppers?it was a very odd feeling. i had never noticed when shopping for myself a similar situation, possibly because my body type is so different from the average asian woman's, but with all the pressure from parents for their children to be western, do they think that dressing them as a "typical" north american child will help improve their English?

i shudder to think. or maybe that's just the cold.

Comments

[Mo aka Maureen aka M aka grandmother :-)]

Tess!! you trend setter, you!! Such power, such influence :-)

Very sorry to read about JJ - I will continue praying for the little man.

Much love, M xox

[joeinvegas]

Sounds like one of those newspaper suggestions - 'You are a fashion maven, you influence others with your every selection, people follow you in order to copy your every move'
Perhaps you can start a new trend? Pantyhose hung on an ear or something, see if others do it. Be really surprised when you see photos of movie stars similarly adorned, and you can say 'I started that'.

[Auntie Pammie]

Tess, when will Jasper be seen by physician? Is he taking in anything by mouth?? water, juice? This is so not like him and if I was in your shoes I would have him seen.
A concerned auntie....
ps) you are so the trendsetter

[Sassy]

That's really creepy. I'd start picking up really ugly things and then watching the streets to see if you can start a fashion trend. Anything but powerpuff girls please.

[maggs]

It's your aura, babe. I'm not even in the same country adn I admire you so much!!!