Many Shades Of Black

New footwear, Bird Legs and "The Batwings"


Shrinkage has some surprising benefits, and the more I shrink, the more benefits I am discovering.  I have been on a little bit of a buying jag lately, mostly online shopping for sale items or things I needed to replace.  Weight loss has affected my feet and I am back in shoes that I haven't worn in a long time.  For years I wore open-style comfort shoes, Birkenstocks mostly, and a lot of my Birks are now too large, so I have bought a few new shoes and boots.

It started with a sweet new pair of Converse Chuck Taylors just after Christmas, black with double tongues and pink trim.  I was afraid they would be too narrow but they have worked out wonderfully and I wear them at least once a week.  Then I decided it was time for some new serious winter-weather booties, pile-lined, warm and waterproof.  I love online shopping with a mission!  I pored over websites for weeks and finally decided on a pair of waterproof black, suede booties with 2 zips up the sides in front and a sturdy, stable lug sole.  They arrived 9 days ago and I've already worn them 4 times!  LOVE these new little boots, and again, my concerns over width were unnecessary.  I am also looking forward to the next big rain because I found a pair of wellies at a ridiculously low price.  They are black with red lipstick prints all over them.  Perfectly fitting for a Diva like me, very cute and they should keep my feet and legs dry in the rain/snow/sleet, and the shafts are plenty wide enough for my pant legs to fit down into.

Because I work in an environment where the temperature is a little cooler than I am comfortable in, I have also been looking online at various kinds of  "warmwear", fleece-lined clothing and the like.  I found some black, fleece-lined leggings at a good price in the right size, so I bought a couple of pairs, reasoning that if they were not suitable to wear as pants I could probably wear them under my jeans as a warm layering piece.  I took the plunge and wore my leggings to work this week with a longish sweater and my suede booties.  This was a risky move for me, as I haven't worn leggings in years, even around the house, much less in public!  Looking in the full-length mirror in the ladies room it struck me that my thighs don't touch anymore.  I don't know when this happened, and I can't remember a time when my thighs haven't rubbed together.

A friend at work joked, saying, "You have bird legs."  I said, "Bird legs, really?"  Then he clarified by saying that I was just really slimming down.  And I replied that that was the idea, after all.  Slimming down, getting healthier and feeling better.  Bird legs are better than painful legs any day of the week.

The chorus I sing with has specific concert attire, a sort of uniform.  The men wear black tuxes and the women wear a plain, sleeveless black dress with a black chiffon jacket on top.  I have always referred to the jacket as "The Batwings".  When I returned to my chorus in 2009, at my largest size, I ordered my Batwings.  My bust measurement was such that my jacket was a custom order.  It was embarrassing and expensive, and because of the expense of the jacket, the lady in charge of dresses at the time told me that if I had a simple black ankle-length or longer dress to wear under the jacket, I wouldn't have to order the dress.  So I've been making do with a couple of different black dresses under my Batwings all this time.

My Batwings have never fit properly.  I suppose it is always easier to hem up a too-long sleeve than to have not enough length in the sleeve to begin with, but my sleeves have always been way too long.  Since we are holding up music folders, the sleeves slide up my arm anyway so it hasn't really mattered all that much.  I never bothered to get them hemmed.  My old Batwings, however, have seen their last concerts as of this past fall season.  I got measured in January with a few new members of our chorus and I'm happy to report that next week's concert will be the debut performance of my new, smaller Batwings.  I can either give my old Batwings away or I may keep them to use as a swimsuit cover-up.  It's just so great to have a new jacket in a smaller size.  Maybe next year, after I have reached my goal weight, I will order the official chorus dress as well, but it doesn't make sense to do it before I've finished shrinking.  I kind of like wearing my own dresses anyway,  because they don't have a slit up the back and the official dress does.  I'm not a huge fan of the slit.  I don't think I have the legs for it.

Even if they are Bird Legs.