By GRETA OHAUS and ELENI TOUBANOS
A week from now many Cornell students will be leaving for Thanksgiving break. For most of us that means a relaxing day of family, food and wine. We love all these things, but we are so excited about the wine in our near futures, specifically the red wine, that we treat ourselves to a glass of Pinot Noir, as we brainstorm what to do with our article this week. Which leads us to an interesting conversation about matching your drink to your dress:
GO: Thanksgiving is kind of a dressy event for my extended family. It’s fun because we all have such unique styles but there is a common color scheme of deep red, forest green, navy and, of course, black. After all, it is transitioning from fall to winter, but I’ve always thought when it comes to drinking red wine you have to wear dark, rich colors.
ET: Thanksgiving has always been super casual in the Toubanos household. Ever since I first watched the Gossip Girl Thanksgiving episode, I have been inspired to wear what I want no matter how much my dad makes fun of me for being overdressed. This year, I am thinking of wearing my leopard print dress with a black turtleneck underneath to tone the pattern down for my vegetarian, Woodstock-attending, Merrell-wearing aunts and uncles.
GO: Omg stop! I was just toying with the idea of wearing my leopard print dress too, but with sheer tights and your leopard print loafer heels — um, can I borrow those please???
ET: I think if I wore heels to Thanksgiving my family would throw mashed potatoes at me, so they’re all yours.
GO: Leopard print works so well with red wine; it’s kind of sensual but with the right neckline and hem length it’s totally polished. Velvet is like that too.
ET: Red wine is usually the only alcohol served at my Thanksgiving dinner, but my mom on her most recent visit (to Ithaca) picked up a Dr. Konstantin Frank Finger Lakes Riesling because she said it would contrast well with her burgundy poncho… Okay, Mom. I think that white wine is timeless, just like a little black dress or your favorite leather jacket.
GO: Rose and hard cider, not so much. They’re both so seasonal. Cider is for those autumn-loving people who wear their Frye boots and neutral colored sweaters at the first sight of leaves changing color (#applefest). Yet Rose is best sipped while outside in a sundress. I’d personally opt for my Madewell white shift on a lake dock.
ET: The beer aficionado would rather be caught drinking Keystone than wearing a dress. If it’s Thanksgiving, you’re wearing jeans and a plaid shirt ready to play in the traditional Turkey Bowl or to watch the game with a hoppy IPA in hand. Who’s playing again?! Foreign concept to the both of us.
GO: Equally tough for me to figure out the rules of football and what type of shoes a girl should wear. Boots? Sneakers? Sneaker wedges? Whatever — I avoid beer, football and sneaker wedges, anyway. I’m more of a whisky, poetry and loafers type of girl. Is it weird that I always think of those together?
ET: I just associate whiskey with my 11th grade Creative Writing teacher. He wore all black and frequently recounted his previous night spent at the bar. He was so hot in an attractive older man way though. I hope my future husband looks like that at age 48.
GO: So whiskey’s all black with a hint of aged sex appeal, but when you’re drinking one of those fancy mixed drinks, you know those ones with a million brand name vodkas and elderflower, you should probably wear a fancy silk blouse and an interesting lipstick to leave behind on your glass at Beauty & Essex. I’d suggest the Masterly Touch and a dark pink lipstick if you’re fond of vodka or the O.D.B. “Old Dirty Bramble” with a corally/orange lip if you’re more of a tequila person.
ET: One out-of-the-ordinary Thanksgiving, my uncles asked me if I wanted to do tequila shots with them. My 12-year-old-self politely declined in a furry scarf over a sweater dress. The furry scarf screamed for attention, just like the tequila consumer. At the more appropriate and legal age of 21, a tequila drinker would probably wear a low cut sparkly top that is more suitable for Amateur night than Thanksgiving dinner.
That being said, we’ve probably drank all of these in our matching PJ sets, Exhibit A pictured below. (Greta and Eleni are fans of pajama sets)
Hint: If you feel like getting your favorite Daily Sun bloggers a Christmas gift…
We share a major, we share a house, we share clothes. So why not share a column? Eleni Toubanos and Greta Ohaus are both Fiber Science & Apparel Design majors in the College of Human Ecology. Their column is intended to be a conversation between their two unique perspectives as a designer and fiber scientist. They can be found lounging around campus, on their porch sharing a bottle of wine or at [email protected] and [email protected]. Talk is Chic appears on alternate Tuesdays this semester.