Vanity, definitely my favorite shin. (photo: Rotten Tomatoes)

I remember when I used to fold my Jimmy Z’s into a neat line, with a raised knot, right above obnoxiously thick white socks.  You know, it was the 80’s and “the fold” plagued playgrounds from one valley to the next.  I didn’t shave a line in my head, but I did wake up and place the fold on each leg.

It was origami with my pant leg, and I’m afraid that even at that young age I was well aware that my fashion statement came at a cost: it accentuated my slender ankles.  I guess the fold was my heels.  It was fashion first, and it was a statement.  I wore blue Vans with a white streak and my friends could see my kicks, but only because my hem was wrapped up into a neat package.  Was it vanity?  Maybe.  But there had to be something more than that, because I was in elementary school (crazy assumption that you can’t be vain in third grade).  Maybe I just wanted to fit in.  I didn’t want my calves to stand out in the sand box, and as a price I’d show my skinny ankles.

Or maybe I wanted to be fashion forward.  No.  That’s not me.  Odds are I didn’t know what the bloody hell I was doing.  But I put that fold in my pants.  And when the fold wouldn’t hold, I would staple it.  It’s true.  Dad had a shoehorn, and I used an awesome staple remover to help me get undressed.

There was something more to fashion in that sandbox.  Whatever that something was, I need to remember it on Monday when I pull a suit, shirt, and tie from my wardrobe.  Just maybe I should wear that paisley knot my wife keeps hinting at.  Just maybe I should make a statement, even if I don’t know why.  Otherwise, I’m just another grown kid on his way to work trying to fit in.

Categories: Bloody Hell, I Remember When, Life, Prompt

Tags: blue vans, pant leg, staple remover, writing