St Patrick's Day - Fashion Parade or Parody...???

There are few public holidays that can be associated with style and grace. Indeed, whenever I think of any bank holidays my thoughts tend to veer towards images of ‘girls gone wild’ as opposed to ‘God, what a country’. Any Fourth of July party I’ve ever attended could have been cast and directed by the illustrious Joe Francis. From the bad 'stars n stripes' t-shirts to the Statue of Liberty foam hats, people tend to present themselves as parodies of the festivities as opposed to actual proponents of it. But, few holidays can measure up to the fashion road kill that is St Patrick’s Day. Now I know, I know – this is not an official holiday in the U.S of A but, let’s face it – it may as well be.

Ah St Patrick’s Day. A Holy Day of Obligation for us Irish at home.  A celebration of our Patron Saint and one of the most unflattering colors known to mankind. To be fair, us Irish were never really given a fighting chance. With our pale skin and alcohol-induced red faces – supermodels we were never destined to be but the emerald tones so associated with our country must have been the brainchild of the British as another means to keep us down. Nobody looks good in it.  Throughout the years, I’ve collected an array of St Patrick’s Day accoutrements. From the ever classy ‘Kiss Me I’m Irish’ t-shirt to Heineken logoed braces and the always-stylish green cowboy hat (cos as we all know, the cowboy hat is a staple in Irish daily fashion wear) – you name it and I’ve got it.

So with the onslaught of Paddy’s Day emails (no, not Patty's Day - get it right, Americans) threatening various pub crawls and green colored alcoholic treats I got to thinking – how does a girl stay fashionable in the face of fashion road kill?? Let me tell you, if you are looking to don the color of the Emerald Isle but would like to steer clear of any items of clothing that feature imagery of either shamrocks or leprechauns there are slim pickings out there. The trick with this atrocious color is the old ‘less is more’ rule. Unfortunately the fellow I met en route to the Prince concert last week was blissfully unaware of this. He was sporting a green and white paisley jacket, green corduroys and a wide-collared green shirt. The ensemble literally hurt my eyeballs and that it was not an ode to this Irish festival was even more baffling. On St Patrick’s Day, I’m more interested in wearing a green tank under a chiffon black cardigan, or a casual little sundress with ballet flats. Here were a few of my favorite finds…….or if I’m to be a little more honest……these were pretty much the only wearable items I was able to find after trawling the internet for well over an hour.

Old Navy $14.50



Target $18.00



Old Navy $19.90



Zara $29.90

                                         

I repeat - sliiiiiiim pickings!  Try as we may, there are few real fashion trends that lend themselves to this day and it is fair to say that those who truly embrace the festivities of this holiday can only ever end up looking like St Patrick's Day  vomited all over them.  Nonetheless, when I look at the picture below I can't help but smile.  Sartorially savvy??  Absolutely not but the craic must have been mighty.........

Happy (almost) St Patrick’s Day!!

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