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Ready-to-wear in the dirt
Are you a sensitive bachelor with a green thumb, a good job, and a talent for culinary arts? How about a sweet retiree who only breaks from pruning to prepare sweets for the grandchildren? Perhaps you're the envy of every woman in the surrounding three subdivisions, not for your supple dahlias but your brazen dash towards middle age sporting the same, size-six coveralls from your teen years? Well, if any of you think that gardens grant immunity from the merciless grasp of popular fashion, you may be right. Even so, being comfy out there is important, but nothing says you can't look good. Gardening well is one thing, doing it in style makes the neighbors throw their hands up in despair.
Hat trick
Time has dismissed the straw hat with a decorative sunflower or bow. It may be dangerous to discard a style altogether, but it is certainly dated. The way to go now is a canvas hat with a downward facing small brim, similar to a Gilligan cap. White should be too tame if you plan on making a statement in your garden. HableConstruction.com has a selection of vibrant patterns that will compete with your impatiens.
Yard waist
Ditch the khaki utility belt too. HableConstruction.com also carries durable canvas garden belts with pockets and loops for hanging tools. Jonquil offers a similar product, stylish and useful as any. Come to think of it, there's no reason these pastel, beaded tool belts can't be worn by a seasoned carpenter.
Invest
A quick look around will demonstrate that the coveralls have gone by the wayside along with the straw sunhat. Unflattering, unwieldy, and unattractive, their job has been completely high jacked by the garden vest. Well-ventilated and capacious, the garden vest is still discreet enough to foil the stares of area husbands and neighbor boys. Sloggerstore.com has consummate, unisex garden vests.
Kicks
Finally, footwear. Depending on your area of the country, you may need some serious footgear. Sloggerstore.com offers up good-looking boots and clogs in several colors. The reviews say they last a long time, but it doesn't hurt that they'll match your new orange hat. Mens styles are available too. Sadly, the gentlemen's options amount to two shades of gray.
Don't let your escape to the garden free you of all those social norms that populated your closet with designer apparel. Remember high couture rests for no one, man or woman. Plus, a quick preening session before pruning could give your garden the update it needs.
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