fashion

Fashion Trends, Virtual Meetings, and 3D Digital Projections

Updated post

Fitness and comfort have influenced the fashion style of work from home (WFH). As technology continues to make working from home more commonplace, it won’t be as necessary to pack a suitcase for a business trip. In the near future, we could be going to work in a digital outfit.

A few years ago, WFH became a household word and began a trend that continues today. When that switch happened, many people became uncertain about what to wear for work.

Home was where you walked around in PJs, fuzzy slippers, or gym clothes. Were you expected to dress up in slacks and a shirt while working in your home office? People continued to dress the way they did for the office because it was familiar. Later, the fashion became a hybrid of styles. At virtual meetings, people wore business casual tops for the camera, and shorts or yoga pants for under the desk.

As the years continued, people accepted that the worlds of work and home could be blurred, and they showed up to virtual meetings wearing clothes that they could do housework in. Work-from-home fashion became more casual and influenced by sportswear.

For example, fashion has become cardigans, sweatshirts in material that’s too nice for gym clothes, comfy dresses with pockets, and pants with a jogger waistline. These pants have a flat front and elastic back like very casual slacks.

Fashion continues to evolve.

In the near future, video calls will be replaced with 3D digital projection. The technology will reduce travel costs – an important consideration with the rising cost of EVERYTHING from inflation. Consider the time saved from traveling to and from airports and the money saved on hotels and airfare!

In these futuristic meetings, your image is beamed from your location to the meeting location. Your image will be able to look around and interact with the people in the meeting room – you’ll be much more lifelike than in current 2D calls!

For the 3D projection to work, you will stand in a portal surrounded by cameras and microphones. However, you will need to dress up for the presentation (unlike a virtual meeting in which you only need to be presentable from the waist up).

We wouldn’t be able to shake hands or hug people during a virtual call yet, but we’re getting closer to that technology.

Perhaps the next advancement in virtual meetings and networking would be alternate projections. Just like our current capability to create virtual backgrounds, you will be able to roll out of bed with your PJs and project a pre-programmed image of yourself to your meeting.

There won’t be a need to dress up or check your appearance. Your pre-selected meeting outfit is ready to be projected with the press of a button. As technology advances, the possibilities are limitless.

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October 1, 2024

Your life or mine: What is the last thing you learned?

Sometimes, you see the past with 20/20 vision and wish you could repeat the day.

Daily writing prompt

What is the last thing you learned?

View all responses

She had to pick up her mom’s prescription medication on her way home and that errand took her past a beauty salon with the best assortment of skincare products. She had passed it many times, but today she walked in, attracted to the newest line of skincare displayed on the counter. Her favorite movie stars and singers endorsed those lovely creams that made skin radiant and flawless.

“How much?” she asked the woman behind the counter.

“Three thousand for the entire set,” said the sales clerk. “Might be a bit pricey for someone as young as you.”

“No,” she lied, lifting her chin. “Of course I can afford it.” She had $3050 in her bank account.

“This is a special price for today only. It will go up tomorrow.”

“Can I try it?”

“Sure. We just have the hand cream as a tester. Not the others.” The sales clerk opened one of the jars. The fragrance of roses wafted into the air.

“Just like on TikTok,” she said, dabbed a sample, and smoothed it on the back of her hand. It felt like a cool, tingly massage. As she rubbed, a long scar near her knuckle vanished. Imagine how envious her friends would be if she was the prettiest one in the group. Imagine all the guys who would be asking her out. Imagine if people stopped calling her ugly. Imagine….

Her phone rang. It shattered her thoughts. “I’ll take the whole set,” she said to the sales clerk as she frantically dug for her phone in her purse.

“Sweetie?” Her mom’s voice was weak over the phone.

“Mom? Are you ok? I’ll be home soon! I’ve got your med-”

“They’ve taken me to the hospital. It’s going to cost $3000. Could you come to help pay it?”

“No!” Not $3000! “I’ll call you back.” She turned toward the counter.

“Is your mom ok?” asked the sales clerk. She presented a shiny gold gift bag with the skincare set inside.

“No, she’s… not. Can’t I… can’t I come back for this? The price is really going to go up?”

The sales clerk nodded. “You need to choose between this skincare or your mother.”

She picked up her phone and pulled up her mom’s number again. She mumbled to herself, “I can get more money later. Take out a loan. Borrow cash from my cousins.” Then dumped her phone back into her purse. She took out her wallet and handed her credit card to the clerk. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

The clerk took the card. “I said I hope you enjoy your choice. You will be as beautiful on the outside as you are within.”

“What?” She felt the skincare sample on her hand tingle again. The sensation spread down her fingers and up her arm. “What’s happening?” Her purse slid off her shoulder as she tried to grab the gold bag. Her feet were rooted to the floor. Her legs were stiff. I can’t move! Can you hear me? I can’t move!

“Well,” said the sales clerk, admiring the woman’s face. “Now you’ll look this young forever. I’m going to put you in the store window so everyone can admire how beautiful you are. It’s what you wanted, after all.”

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March 9, 2024

How World War II Changed the Lives of Women

The Second World War permanently changed the lives of women. Most notably, the war opened new career possibilities and changed women’s fashion. Here are some examples of these changes.

Jobs

World War II, (1939-1945) resulted in a shortage of people in the workforce because thousands of men had gone to fight in the wars. Prior to the war, women who held jobs usually worked in clerical and service sectors. During the war, they started to work in heavy industry and wartime production plants, in jobs that traditionally belonged to men. They worked as engineers, truck drivers, and construction workers, to name a few examples.

Rosie the Riveter became an icon of World War II. She was a symbol of the working woman, especially in defense industries.

Women’s fashion also changed because of the war. Skirts became slimmer and shorter (around knee length) to save fabric and meet regulations. Stockings disappeared and women went barelegged because nylon for civilian use was restricted.

The Women’s Land Army were women in the rural workforce in Britain. Women from towns and cities were employed to do dairy work, join rat-catching squads on farms, complete horticultural tasks, operate heavy machinery to turn over land for food production, and source and prepare wood from forests. They wore a special uniform to do their work.

November 13, 2023

Halloween Humor and Celebrations

All aboard! To go where? It depends. So many people think of Halloween as the perfect time of year to scare others and to be scared. However, Halloween is more than that. It is a time for everyone. Here’s why.

You can visit so many Halloween-themed displays, such as the train above which has temporarily been commandeered by skeletal pirates. Or check out how well people have decorated their houses.

If the freaky and spooky aren’t for you, and you’re the cheerful type, you can enjoy some Halloween workplace humor:

How do ghosts send letters? Through the ghost office.

Why don’t mummies take time off? They’re afraid to unwind.

Why do vampires not want to become investment bankers? They hate stakeholders.

What is the mummy’s holiday job? Gift wrapper.

Why did the ghost leave his job? He hated the graveyard shift.

What did the mummy film director say? That’s a wrap.

What do skeletons order at a restaurant? Spare ribs.

Credit for the humor: source unknown.

Children and adults can dress up in costumes and have a little fun trick-or-treating or going to a Halloween party. You can enter a pumpkin in a pumpkin carving contest.

And for those who like history and aren’t into all the costumes and dress up, the origins of Halloween may have more appeal. It is a night when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. For those who have lost friends or family members, Halloween is a time to reflect and reconnect with loved ones from our past.

Photo credits: Alex Fotos, Jill Wellington (Pixabay)

October 31, 2023

Fashion Tips and Trends for Writers

Part 2: An update.

Most writers I know are introverts: shy and unseen. You read about them and their work. Unlike news reporters, teachers, actors, or nurses, you don’t see them while they’re working. So does it matter what writers wear?

Of course, writers wear clothes, but what are this elusive group’s fashion trends and preferences? The mystery is about to be solved. Here are some fashion tips and trends for writers… and anyone who wants to dress like a writer.

What should a writer wear?

A search through Google images showed me a wide range in fashion: a suit and tie (while standing in front of the stereotypical bookshelf, because what is a writer without books, right?), a dress with a newsprint pattern (why read the paper when you can wear it), and frumpy clothes (these are the work from home writers).

These days, I rarely see anyone in a shirt and tie. I’ve never met a writer wearing a scarf and sunglasses, or a newsprint dress.

In some of my writer groups, people write about lounging around the house in gym wear or PJs while they sip a glass of wine at their computer.

Some easy fashion tips

A Google search gave this result: “Writers can wear anything, as long as they wear it with confidence. You can start with black clothing, a basic uniform for many writers.” Uniform? Writers have uniforms? (If you’re a writer and wear a uniform, raise your hand.)

When I’m writing, I like to dress incognito. The clothes I wear around the house when I’m working blend in with the crowd when I go shopping, walk at the park, or hang out at the coffee shop. If you’re observing people to write about them in your stories or blogs, it helps to mix in with your surroundings.

If you write genre fiction, you can dress like a famous person if you write history, an alien if you write sci-fi, or a vampire if you like horror. Then, wait for the reactions of your friends and fans as they ask about your latest book. You can also reuse your costume at your next Halloween party—or book promotion, where you dress up as your protagonist.

The possibilities are endless.

If you’re a writer, what pieces of clothing define you? What clothing characterizes you so that when you’re famous, your fans can recognize who you are with one single glance?

September 29, 2023