Weighing in on perfume at the gym: OK or discourteous?
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Can you referee a dispute I am having with a friend in my yoga class? She says it is perfectly OK to wear perfume to class. I think it is discourteous to others (like me) who find it distracting and unpleasant to breathe in somebody’s choice of fragrance — especially in a closed room with lots of people. I think the same goes for the gym. What do you think?
— Sarah P.
Dear Sarah: I’m on your side. I think it is inconsiderate to wear fragrance while exercising with others in relatively close proximity. There are no clear rules on this. If someone’s perfume is overwhelming you, ask the studio manager to consider posting a note telling clients to refrain from using fragrance as a courtesy to others. If the perfume makes you ill or allergic, that’s a different matter. But if health is not an issue and those in charge don’t want to rile the clientele, you’re on your own. You can tell the offender her fragrance is making you uncomfortable, but don’t expect a cheery apology. You might be viewed as the skunk at the garden party.
Dear Answer Angel Ellen:
Like a lot of people during the pandemic, I’ve become a more casual dresser. I hope to be going out in public now and need some guidance. I wear my shirt out (not tucked in). Some shirts are longer than others. What’s the fashionably acceptable length for wearing your shirts untucked?
— Tom F.
Dear Tom: For starters, your shirt needs to be long enough that when you bend over you’re not showing any bare flesh. At the other end of the spectrum, if you’re shirttail is too long, you’re going to look like you’re wearing a tunic — or a tablecloth. Here’s a guideline: Stand up straight with your hands by your side. Your shirt should reach no longer than to the end of your thumb.
Dear Answer Angel Ellen:
Where do you find non-baggy jeans for men??? Please help!!!
— Diana T.
Dear Diana: My bet is the problem is not the jeans, but whoever is buying them. I’m thinking he’s opting for comfort and buying his jeans bigger and baggier than they need to be. Until they’re washed, many new jeans are stiff and unyielding, inclining some men to size up when they buy new ones — which explains the baggy butt syndrome. The old standbys Levi, Lee and Wrangler jeans can fit nicely when purchased to fit. If jeans are marketed as “relaxed,” they are designed to be roomy.
Angelic Readers
Reader Leslie L. has this good advice: “In your recent list of reader suggestions for covering up or fading dark facial spots the best advice for preventing dark spots from forming: Wear SPF 30 or higher every single day. Period. I use it on my hands and arms in the car too. I’m not bragging, but am reminding readers that this is a way to protect themselves against unsightly marks and skin cancer.”
Now it’s your turn
Send your questions, rants, tips, favorite finds — on style, shopping, makeup, fashion and beauty — to answerangelellen@gmail. com.