Color coordination

[epershand]

This morning I caved to an impulse for secret color coordination.

I put on pink underwear, a pink bra, white socks with pink heels and toes, and a pink tanktop. And then I hid the whole ensemble under jeans, a green sweater, and blue shoes.

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone!

---

My undergraduate reunion is coming up in a couple of weeks, and the thing I am currently worried about is Laurel Parade. This is an event where all the alums and all the graduationg seniors, dressed in white, parade through campus and then sing "Bread and Roses" around the Founder's grave. Like you do.

I am having anticipatory white outfit worry. On the one hand, I don't really want to wear a dress, since I'm in a relatively butch stage at the moment (for me at least). On the other hand, I don't really want to own white pants.

All that being said, there is a not unsubstantial part of me that wants to go dressed up like Gerard in the San Francisco show of the World Contamination tour. I've got the hair, I just need the white polyester suit and the neck makeup. I'd be in Massachusetts in late May in polyester, so I'd even have the sweaty and smelly part down.

To be fully accurate, I'd also need the stage boner. But I live across the street from Good Vibrations, and I've kind of been having soft-packing impulses lately anyway?

Comments

[sassbandit]

DO EEET!!!! TAKE PIX!!!!!!!

[epershand]

JUST NEED TO FIND THE RIGHT CLOTHING TO DO EET. WANT TO SO BAD.

[aria]

The entire second half of this post is a thing of joy and beauty.

[epershand]

:D

[tei]

This is an event where all the alums and all the graduationg seniors, dressed in white, parade through campus and then sing "Bread and Roses" around the Founder's grave.

This... I... Woah, what? This souns like... The coolest ritual ever. And I vote YES to everything else.

[epershand]

It kind of is the coolest ritual ever. When I graduated, that was the even that mattered to me, 500x more than the actual graduation ceremony. It's like this concentrated Moment when you stop being a student and become an alum. "Bread and Roses" isn't a big deal for students, but it's a huge thing for alums because of Laurel Parade.

[meloukhia]

Ok, so, I am a total fan of secret colour coordination and 100% approve this plan.

Also, packing, YES.

[epershand]

Yesss secret color coordination Is the best. Also packing.

[oliviacirce]

I 100% endorse this plan. Also then you would own a white polyester suit, which would be brilliant and hilarious. And you already know I approve of your MCR cosplay tendencies.

[epershand]

The question is: would I wear the Gerard suit at WisCon, or should I dye my hair brown the week in NYC and be all Bden all the time at WisCon? :P

Do.not.yet.own.skinny.tie. Must.fix.

[oliviacirce]

This is crazy of me, I know, but I would sort of prefer you not to dye my bathroom while you're here. But I think we could do something about getting you a skinny tie.

[epershand]

LEGIT.

[digitalemur]

I have never been to the parade, but for THAT, I will attend!

[epershand]

Hee! Hopefully I will be able to find the necessary clothing! So far I have not had luck with my local thrift stores, but have epic plans to continue hunting next weekend.

Speaking of reunion in general, would love to grab a meal or coffee or even just some quality time lurking in your office talking about Bujold while I'm out there.

[eccentric_hat]

Responding just to the finding-white-clothes part of this, it'd be perfectly okay to wear some red, too, for parts of your outfit where you don't have anything white. I feel like the standards are more relaxed for alums.

[epershand]

My hair is currently bright red/pink, so it's a bit hard to find red clothing that doesn't clash :)

[sasha_feather]

Do it do it do it!!

[epershand]

Totally hoping to find the right clothing to do it. It's an oddly specific thing to look for.

[jesse_the_k]

When you sing Bread & Roses do you use the original 1910s tune or the Judy Collings revision? (The original is recognizable by its octave jump on last two words.)

[epershand]

It's the Judy Collins version. We also modify the lyric about battling too for men from "they are women's children and we'll mother them again" to "they are women's brothers and we'll march with them again."

[jesse_the_k]

Where's my guitar icon?

I'd love to collect all the evidence of the folk tradition that song requires and has inspired.

Back in the early 80s, and wow does this revision show evidence of middle class feminists:

If we go marching marching, we battle too for men
If solely we should triumph, what profit to us then?
We've lived our lives enfettered, all those choices merely poses;
Fight for a working union, bread and roses, bread and roses.

We also felt the "rising of the race" was a tad eugenic, so that line went

The rising of the women raises up the human race

[epershand]

Interesting! Your version seems... a bit less united than the original. Fascinating that it swaps out marching with men to protect him for marching with men for more practical reasons.

Ours was revised in 1990, and they made almost the same change to "the rising of the race":

The rising of the women means
all humankind we raise.

As we go marching, marching

[(Anonymous)]

Ahh, the memories of trying to balance ownership of white clothing with the reality of never wearing it... ever again.

SK

Re: As we go marching, marching

[epershand]

Yeah, annoying, isn't it? I made myself wear my laurel parade dress a couple more times (and I still own it but it's a bit small) but I always felt silly.

[februaryfour]

I love the "shhh, don't tell anyone!" on a public post. XD ♥

OMG, now I want to see you at the Laurel Parade with a boner.

[epershand]

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone!