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June, 2014 - The Seventh Sphinx - Page 7

the pearl solitaire

I often have detailed visions of what I would like to wear and do. This little manual vignette is one I have been wanting to complete for a number of years now, as it took some time before I could find suitable candidates, satisfactory actors for the roles I had in mind.

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That I like pearls has been established, and a pearl ring, an extremely simple one, has been on my mind for a long while.* I settled on this 10mm beauty from Pearl Paradise. A single ivory-toned freshwater pearl of excellent quality mounted simply on a plain gold band.

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*An ornate one has been on my mind, too, separately. Admittedly.

The other part of the vision was a micro-pave band (what is in the land of engagement rings known as an eternity band) to stack with the pearl solitaire. These are tiny, relatively inexpensive diamonds (eBay). I am not especially attracted to diamonds, what with their problematic history and origins (and I like a bit of color), but I wanted something set like this…and bands like this set with alternate stones (and set in gold, platinum, or some other hardy, long-wearing, tarnish-resistant metal) are quite rare. So, diamonds it was. It took a long time to find a design that wasn’t framed top and bottom, or otherwise too bulky, or otherwise too ugly.

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The gold plated wire band on my forefinger is incidental (not part of the original vignette/vision), from a set of stackable knuckle rings in all sizes. I often gravitate toward simple bands like this, so unobtrusive and easy to wear. Almost like wearing nothing but critically not quite like wearing nothing.

It must be due to marital connotations that the ring finger is known as the ring finger but I agree: I like to wear rings on this finger. I am going to look married… but this is a coincidence that cannot be helped. There is a wabi-sabi balanced asymmetry to a spot of adornment there (I wear a ring on the ring finger of my right hand as well). And this finger isn’t first into the fray (especially on the left hand for right-handed me), so a set stone, something with a profile, is less likely to be in the way there.

I have a hazy, alternative version of this vision wherein there is also a gold thumb ring, a plain band. I can’t see if it is on my right or left hand that it is meant to go. Will have to experiment there. The thumb ring, done well, has an elegant edge to it. There is a purposefulness and an approachability about it. I think it’s only a matter of time.

 

tennis whites

Anyone looking at the number of tennis skirts I’ve amassed would guess I play a lot more than I do. The process of shopping for my tennis wardrobe is a prime example of aspirational acquisition. I want to play more, and I want the way I look to reflect that. Want to look as if I do play.

[Which I do, though, while I am not bad, I am not what I would call good yet, either.]

I want to be inspired to be the kind of player I look as if I might be, and dress like the player I want to be (dress “up” – ready parallels here with dressing like the person you want to be). There is always power in looking the part.*

*Did you see this video of the homeless veteran who has a makeover that changes his life? Did I mention this already?

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And tennis has the best outfits.

I know that the tradition of white is all tied up in the sport’s aristocratic heritage and is fundamentally impractical…but I love white. And white just looks better and better as the summer wears on and I gradually bronze up and bleach out.

I mentioned planning to feature some tennis gear a while ago when I mentioned getting this watch, but somehow or another kept getting thwarted.

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I prefer skirts to dresses, tennis-wise, but the dresses have their charm, too. They are both so adorably unnecessary. Such a quaint holdover, dismissed long ago by every other sport I can bring to mind.* Such an instantly recognizable uniform (and any uniform may also be a costume: I was a tennis player for Halloween once, effortlessly). The option to wear them is too good to pass up.

*I could think up some feminist issues with this but I don’t feel like it. They are cute. I like them.

This particular dress is forgiving of how out of shape I am at the moment.  [Shall we blame winter? Even though it was a while ago now? Let’s blame winter.] You may not be able to tell…so much the better.

Pure Lime tennis dress, Fila visor (this is key), Adidas racquet bag (this one is enormous, I carry everything in it), Wilson BLX Pro Open racquet, Saucony sneakers. I like tenniswarehouse.com for this kind of gear, which has great sales now and then and a number of useful guides. I like to pick and choose across brands in this context as in any other.

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Yes, I really do wear the wristbands.

I’ll have to show you some of the classic pleated tennis skirts I have, which have to be my favorites. Or do I like the sleeker ones best? It matters not.

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