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a bit of personal history to vanish

Posted: 15 Apr 2018, 22:48
by noble
Sears has announced they will be closing their last store within the city of Chicago.
It was almost 60 years ago that I bought my first leotard and tights at that store.
Even though I didn't live anywhere close, I wanted to have zero chance that I would be seen by someone I knew.
The choice, as Henry Ford put it with the Model T, was "any color as long as it's black."
They must have been all cotton because there was no stretch, and they sure did itch. But XL, the largest size, fit fine.

The following summer, I went on a solo driving trip out west. And wore them when I used motel swimming pools.
Sure, I got some odd looks but my body was in good shape (compared to now) and there was no worry of trunks slipping off (as once happened to me.)
The one drawback was how hard they were to peel off when soaking wet.

I've gained weight over the years, and despite the nostalgia attachment, they were tossed out long ago.
Since then, I have bought many more leotards and tights / leggings, more colors, more comfortable (no itching), and larger sizes.
But I will still always remember that matched set which started me on this road,