FashBlog.com

Have you ever noticed the irony of things? When you need sleep the most, that’s the very time you’re unable to get it. Two cases in point are colds and aches. If only you could just drop off for a straight 7 hours, you’d feel better. But no, get a bad cold or backache and you can forget about sleep, which makes having one even worse. The ironic thing is that we sleep best when nothing is wrong, which is probably when we need it the least…Then, say you have a bad night; you may not get up on time. Now, when do so, you’re tired to begin with and therefore need even more time to pull yourself together, but that’s when you have less time than normal. The ironic thing is that if we feel good when we get up, we move faster when getting ready, whereby when we really need that extra time to prepare, we don’t have it…So we rush. Inevitably, we break, scatter, or can’t remember where we left something. But we need whatever it was, so we have to make do, search, or repair. All this takes time that we didn’t have to begin with and that’s why we were rushing in the first place. The ironic thing is that when we have plenty of time, things flow rather smoothly and when we don’t, we make ourselves later and later…Such is the irony of life.

Now let’s consider fashion ironies, just for the fun of it so that we can all chuckle together. I once read that at any given moment, every woman has a least one thing that’s not working for her. Either she has a broken or chipped nail, a pimple, some grey hairs showing, a few extra pounds-something. Not only that, usually there is something that she’s wearing that’s not fitting right, has a spot or flaw of some sort, or is just plain unattractive in terms of color or style. I guess the writer’s point is that perfection is simply not possible, so don’t stress over the minor details.

With so much to worry about, we shouldn’t let little ironies get us down. We should just accept that something will go wrong on the day of the big interview, or the anticipated night out, and roll with the punches. But is there any other way to prepare? I think so.

First, as dull as it may sound, we can try to plan as much as possible and be realistic. If that skirt isn’t fitting now, chances are it still won’t fit in a week-so set your sights on another outfit now, so that you’ll have time to figure out what else should go with it. Check that second choice over really well to see if there are any stains or rips that need attended to, and try it on to make sure you have the right under-garments to wear with it. Wearing whatever will be closest to your face, experiment with lipstick and eye shadow colors, and then ask others of their opinion of your coloring choices, so there’s no surprise when you’re scurrying around and getting ready. (If it’s a big occasion, you’ll be anxious enough about other things.) Get out the purse you want to use and fill it ahead of time, so that if you do your nails shortly before leaving, you won’t chance ruining your manicure. Some time before you’re due to get ready, check your shoes to make sure they’re not muddy or the heels are coming off, and lay out the jewelry you wish to wear so that there’s no chance you’ll be unable to find that perfect item when the time comes.

You have little control over a skin imperfection, dark circles or dry hair, other than be diligent in daily maintenance, and possibly starting intense efforts a week or so before a special time, and remember that lots of products can work wonders, so don’t be afraid to use them.

There will always be some little irony of discontent, even during the happiest of occasions. But with a little foresight, you should be able to eliminate the really big glitches that can throw a wrench into those rare times of true and wonderful joy.