Holiday Dressing: Naughty Or Nice (Glam Slam)

My family (pictured) and I hit the tree lot this weekend for our annual search for the perfect Christmas tree.

Since the lot was very busy and there was a long, long line of people waiting to buy their trees, I had a lot of time to check out what everyone was doing and what they were wearing.

It was a warm afternoon in Los Angeles, so we did not have to bundle up. In fact, many people had on short sleeves and there were even some shorts. Plaid shorts to be exact. There were a couple of surf style tees, a few pairs of aviators. Very sunny SoCal.

Some of the girls were looking cute in tall riding boots with short, flared skirts paired with cardigans. Others wore plaid shirts, jeans and booties. Many looked like they lifted their entire outfits from Madewell, which was kind of perfect for the occasion.

In fact, I usually picture the L.L. Bean or J.Crew catalogues when it comes to festive attire for classic, traditional events like Christmas caroling, tree trimming or a sleigh ride. However, there are plenty of folks in LA who have far different ideas about what constitutes “festive attire.”

Like one woman ahead of us in line. I thought she might be heading to a nightclub afterwards. She had on the tightest, thinnest, pale colored jeggings I have ever seen. She had on massive amounts of eye makeup and a very shiny Hello Kitty bag, despite the fact that she was well into her 30’s. She also had on super-duper high platform sandals. I have never seen anyone wearing such high heels, or any heels for that matter, at a Christmas tree lot. I was almost worried for her safety as she teetered around.

But that’s the thing about Los Angeles… anything goes. As my boss always likes to say, “That’s why there are 31 flavors,” referring to Baskin-Robbins. And he’s right… everyone has different tastes.

And while, it may not always be my style, it’s always interesting and even entertaining at times.

— Ryan Patterson