When boots meet midi skirt, there’s a snag
Dear Answer Angel
Ellen: I love rocking boots with a midi skirt at this time of year: Good look and practical too. Except for one teensy thing: The boot zipper becomes the hem ripper! One false move, and I’m dragging a lopsided skirt. Got any solutions? The problem is the zipper pull catches on the hem of my skirt. — Kathleen And this …
Dear Answer Angel
Ellen: I’m heading for a long-planned trip to Mexico with my best girlfriends, and we’re having a friendly fashion dispute. What is the proper color of underwear to wear underneath white or light-colored pants? It is almost impossible to find pants in pale colors that are both lightweight for warm weather that aren’t slightly sheer. — Marie O.
Dear Kathleen and
Marie: I’m forever amazed that clothing manufacturers don’t bother to test their boots, shoes, shirts, pants and other clothing before mass production. I’m thinking of all the shoes I’ve bought over the years that chew up my heels and/or toes and are unwearable. Or the itchy tags in T-shirts and blouses. There are also zippers on coats and pants that don’t work after a few wearings. Or how about those pants that you can virtually see through? Granted, these are problems you run into more frequently with lower-cost clothing, but I’ve encountered similar problems with well-known brands I’ve paid plenty for.
Back to your questions. While you and your friends would probably be inclined to wear underwear the color of the pants (white or pale pink etc.) your underpants will be less noticeable if you match them to the tone of your skin. Some women solve this problem by wearing thong underwear, but many of us find that uncomfortable. The obvious solution (too late for that in this case) is to try on the clothes in bright light to make sure you can’t see your underwear before buying. Or wear a tunic top that covers your posterior.
For the zipper problem, carefully cover the pull tab (also known as a slider) with black electrical tape (or whatever color tape the pull is). Another solution is socks with boot leg cuffs (aka leg warmers or topper socks or boot socks), which — depending on the sock style and dimensions — might have enough cuff to go over the troublesome zipper part. Amazon has many options.
Dear Answer Angel
Ellen: I like to wear multiple necklaces. Is there any way you or your readers know of that keeps them from tangling and/or twisting when wearing them together? Not only does it look dumb but one can do damage to the necklaces when separating them. — Linda V.
Dear Linda: This is a common problem, especially now when wearing multiples with fine chains is back in style. You can find a “necklace spacer” or “necklace detangler” on amazon .com and etsy.com, although some of them get poor reviews. These are specially made clasps that you attach each individual necklace to (no tools required) that keep them apart.
Dear Answer Angel Ellen:
Is it worth saving boxes/gift wrap for next year? — Penny N.
Dear Penny: The two most common approaches on this are: 1) save everything; and 2) save nothing. But the right answer is: It depends. The crucial factor is how much storage space you have. You don’t want to waste precious space on a couple of dollars’ worth of ribbon, paper and boxes — unless you’ve got tons of storage room. However, it is convenient to have wrapping stuff (for birthdays and other occasions, as well as holidays), so you don’t have to go to the store every time you need to wrap a gift.
There are many, many plastic bins and such designed to efficiently store all manner of wrapping paper — like the long rolls — available in big-box stores like Walmart and Target. Gift bags and tissue paper, which fold flat and don’t take up much space, are always worth having on hand. I confess that when I get a gift wrapped in great paper (especially vintage paper), I unwrap carefully and keep the paper to reuse. Same goes for the really nice satiny ribbon. But they have to be pretty special to take up space in my closet.
Dear Answer Angel
Ellen: Cold weather is crimping my style! How can I stay cozy while avoiding hat hair? — Marian J.
Dear Marian: This is a question for the ages. Earmuffs, either the kind that go behind your head or the bandless ones will solve the cold ear woes. But for your whole head they’re useless. A warm scarf tied loosely is better than nothing — providing it’s not windy. A hood does less hair damage than a tight cap. But hatwise, your best bet is a loosely knit beret style that covers your head but doesn’t squish your hair too badly. There are no perfect solutions.
Reader rant
From Arlene H.: “I have noticed, in the past few years, how many more people are putting their feet up on the train seat in front of them — to stretch out and get comfortable!! Where are you — at home in the family room?? And it is not just men — some women too!!
“And now a new twist has been added — people are taking off their shoes — so now we have stinky socks on the seat cushions!! Something tells me their logic is — ‘OK, I won’t mark up the seats with the dirty bottoms of my shoes, I’ll do everyone a favor and remove my shoes, so now we just have my smelly socks’!!!
“The other day as I was about to get off, I felt like telling the woman across from me not to forget her shoes when she gets off the train at her next stop!!!’”
Now it’s your turn
Send your questions, rants, tips, favorite finds — on style, shopping, makeup, fashion and beauty — to answerangelellen@gmail .com.