Day 4 - Clothing trends and Mateo tidbits.
Not too much happened today. Rafi and I ran a few errands while Mateo stayed and played with his abuelos and then again later when he was napping. Rafi is a very skilled driver here, which is good because you need to be. I know I could do it, but I'd be a bit slower and more methodical with my driving decisions.
We met a new friend today. Rafi named her Boobina. I'm not sure why she's armless. Or why she wears so many hats. Or why her bangs come down to her nose. Looks like she was a bit cold.
Which leads me to another topic - women's clothing here in Panama. The women here dress very nicely in general. Having your hair and nails done is the norm. And bodies like "botellas de Coca Cola" are sought after (tiny waists, curvy busts and booties). However, I've noticed over the last 7 or 8 years that the fashions have slowly become a little more casual. My first visit here, every woman wore heels. I felt different because, me being on vacation, I didn't want to wear heels. But just the other day I saw a woman in sneakers and and another Crocs of all things. Even I don't wear Crocs. (Yes, yes, I hear they are miracle shoes, but they feel/look like bulbous cartoon shoes when I try them on.) Also, you don't see anyone wearing shorts. I've been told it's carry over from the Noriega days when wearing shorts in public was prohibited. If you wear shorts (and are gringa like me), you are most assuredly a tourist. Therefore, I only wear shorts at the beach or around the house; not in public. The women's clothing here also seems to be a *smidge* looser than in previous years; but still it's very common to see very tight fashions on the younger crowd. That fashion trend I can not hang with for a few reasons (one of them of course NOT being a mommy belly. Obviously. Because I'm very svelte. Really. Like a runway model.). I digress...
Even with these slight changes in trends, I still find it difficult to purchase clothing here. The jeans are much too tight for my taste (and my thighs), and I hate having to buy an extra large (or bigger) for, what is to me, a comfortable fit. That said, it's still worth trying, as you can find great deals. Just today we bought Mateo an entire outfit (Thomas the Train shirt and matching shorts) for $3.99. Now, keep in mind that you might be buying a "Tommy Hilfinger" or a "Ralf Lauren." I plan to go back to Saks (most assuredly NOT 5th Avenue) next week to do some serious bargain hunting. I saw some "7 All For Mankind" (as opposed to "7 For All Mankind) jeans there that might warrant a second look ($5.99!).
As for the men, they also dress nicely. Their hair is always combed and in place. They wear ironed shirts and nice pants. I notice more cologne being worn here, too. Really we could all follow the people of Panama's example when it comes to our dress. Does anyone really need to wear socks with their sandals and a fanny pack with cargo shorts? And yet one sees it at Six Flags all the time.
Moving on to a different kind of shopping, I really like shopping at Arrocha. It's a pharmacy that has about anything else you could need - toys, books, home decor, makeup, handbags, food items, electronic items, etc. Since my very first visit there years ago it's been a tradition for me to purchase notebooks. It feeds my list making addiction.
----
And now for some Mateo tidbits.
Mateo is really into Finding Nemo. REALLY into it. This evening he was playing with a pair of dice. One was Nemo. The other one, Nemo's father, was strongly telling the Nemo die "Do NOT touch that button!" (FYI, in the movie the kid fishes mistakenly call a boat a "butt," which Mateo somehow interpreted to be button - probably because we use the word "hiney" instead.) Very cute. He'll be uber excited tomorrow when we give him his new Nemo kickboard at the beach.
He's also into the ornaments on the Christmas tree. He pulls a little blue chair right up to the tree and sits in it, pondering the beauty of the tree. He really likes this heart.
Which leads me to another topic - women's clothing here in Panama. The women here dress very nicely in general. Having your hair and nails done is the norm. And bodies like "botellas de Coca Cola" are sought after (tiny waists, curvy busts and booties). However, I've noticed over the last 7 or 8 years that the fashions have slowly become a little more casual. My first visit here, every woman wore heels. I felt different because, me being on vacation, I didn't want to wear heels. But just the other day I saw a woman in sneakers and and another Crocs of all things. Even I don't wear Crocs. (Yes, yes, I hear they are miracle shoes, but they feel/look like bulbous cartoon shoes when I try them on.) Also, you don't see anyone wearing shorts. I've been told it's carry over from the Noriega days when wearing shorts in public was prohibited. If you wear shorts (and are gringa like me), you are most assuredly a tourist. Therefore, I only wear shorts at the beach or around the house; not in public. The women's clothing here also seems to be a *smidge* looser than in previous years; but still it's very common to see very tight fashions on the younger crowd. That fashion trend I can not hang with for a few reasons (one of them of course NOT being a mommy belly. Obviously. Because I'm very svelte. Really. Like a runway model.). I digress...
Even with these slight changes in trends, I still find it difficult to purchase clothing here. The jeans are much too tight for my taste (and my thighs), and I hate having to buy an extra large (or bigger) for, what is to me, a comfortable fit. That said, it's still worth trying, as you can find great deals. Just today we bought Mateo an entire outfit (Thomas the Train shirt and matching shorts) for $3.99. Now, keep in mind that you might be buying a "Tommy Hilfinger" or a "Ralf Lauren." I plan to go back to Saks (most assuredly NOT 5th Avenue) next week to do some serious bargain hunting. I saw some "7 All For Mankind" (as opposed to "7 For All Mankind) jeans there that might warrant a second look ($5.99!).
As for the men, they also dress nicely. Their hair is always combed and in place. They wear ironed shirts and nice pants. I notice more cologne being worn here, too. Really we could all follow the people of Panama's example when it comes to our dress. Does anyone really need to wear socks with their sandals and a fanny pack with cargo shorts? And yet one sees it at Six Flags all the time.
Moving on to a different kind of shopping, I really like shopping at Arrocha. It's a pharmacy that has about anything else you could need - toys, books, home decor, makeup, handbags, food items, electronic items, etc. Since my very first visit there years ago it's been a tradition for me to purchase notebooks. It feeds my list making addiction.
----
And now for some Mateo tidbits.
Mateo is really into Finding Nemo. REALLY into it. This evening he was playing with a pair of dice. One was Nemo. The other one, Nemo's father, was strongly telling the Nemo die "Do NOT touch that button!" (FYI, in the movie the kid fishes mistakenly call a boat a "butt," which Mateo somehow interpreted to be button - probably because we use the word "hiney" instead.) Very cute. He'll be uber excited tomorrow when we give him his new Nemo kickboard at the beach.
He's also into the ornaments on the Christmas tree. He pulls a little blue chair right up to the tree and sits in it, pondering the beauty of the tree. He really likes this heart.
Labels: Vacation
posted by Jodi C. at 6:16 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home