What to wear to the grocery store

Well, you wouldn’t even be going to the grocery store at all, except that when ballet class was over there was a text from your husband saying Oh Noes! Need Limes! Limes! Limes Now!

So you might be wearing a bright fuschia Pro-FIT seamless yoga bra under one of those strapless ruched-front leotards things, in black, from American Apparel. And you might still have on your ballet-pink convertible Capezio tights, all converted up into silly looking leggings, under an olive drab mini skirt you made from a pair of army surplus cargo pants with a star-shaped leather patch your husband put on with a walking-foot sewing machine before he gave you the pants, and you might be wearing your black suede Simple sneakers, with the grosgrain ribbon laces, which your ballet teacher has only a grudging approval of: approval because they are neither crocs nor flip-flops, grudging because they are not very ladylike. He much prefers your patent-leather Mary-Janes.
Oh, and you might also be carrying your canvas bag, embroidered with the phrase:
Ballet, Bitches. Word.

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About adultbeginner

Had my first ballet class Ever at the advanced age of thirty-two. Yikes.

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16 Responses to What to wear to the grocery store

odile53 says:

September 13, 2011 at 3:23 am

WHATT????? No Uggs???!!! Got to keep those ankles and achilles tendons warm!

Actually, my favorite post-ballet outfit features a pair of cut off sweat pants in the summer time (yes, with the Uggs,) or a pair of wool hunting pants thrown on over studio attire in the wintertime.
A shrug, hoodie, and appropriate outerwear complete this haute couture. In short, I look like a refugee from the Salvation Army!

- adultbeginner says:
  
  September 13, 2011 at 4:49 am
  
  Haha!
  Liking this wool hunting pants idea.
  But no Uggs! Sheesh! The name says it all!!!!
  
  - papershaker says:
    
    September 16, 2011 at 4:48 am
    
    Uggs don’t have any arch support to speak of so they aren’t the greatest choice for us dancers. I do the whole leg warmers with sneakers look to keep my ankles warm after class.
    
- Kaija says:
  
  September 13, 2011 at 2:23 pm
  
  Yes! I rock the thrift store chic as well….gotta love practicality of the “derelicte” look But hey, we might just be fashion-forward; a friend sent me an email with this link, gushing over this chi-chi “Italian fashion site”, and I thought, “hey, *this* is a look I can pull off thanks to my exclusive couturier, Value Village!”
  
Johanna (@PointeTilUdrop) says:

September 13, 2011 at 9:58 am

How to dress for success at work? How about wearing your (new) warm-up overall, the one in jeans blue with the ballet pink / mauve / lilac stripes, combines with a lovely salmon coloured cashmere knit, and let´s not forget the nude ballet slippers!

I kid you not, this was my outfit this morning. I probably should mention that I got caught in torrential rain, came in soaked to my toes and figured I´d rather get curious looks than pneumonia. Luckily we have one of those drying-thingies, so I´m back in my regular clothes already. But I do miss that romper!

- adultbeginner says:
  
  September 14, 2011 at 2:44 pm
  
  Ha!
  Oh man, that romper-plus-cashmere sounds super comfy. I bet your co-workers were jealous. I bet their curious looks were really just saying, “Dang, why aren’t I wearing that?!”
  
Kaija says:

September 13, 2011 at 2:17 pm

LOVE IT! I have also visited the grocery store apres ballet class in some very interesting outfits that looked half fashion/half homeless I feel right at home on the subway with the other weirdos….

PLEASE post a pic of the embroidered canvas bag?

- adultbeginner says:
  
  September 15, 2011 at 2:14 pm
  
  Picture coming soon!
  Meanwhile check out The Daily Drew , it’s all photos of dancer Drew Jacoby waiting for public transportation in some pretty sharp get-ups.
  
Hannah says:

September 13, 2011 at 9:53 pm

I always love your illustrations! And I LOVE the outfit!

- adultbeginner says:
  
  September 15, 2011 at 2:06 pm
  
  Hey there, Juliet!
  
  - Hannah says:
    
    September 16, 2011 at 12:14 am
    
    haha, yup, that’s me.
    
book ballerina says:

September 14, 2011 at 12:52 am

Last Saturday I stopped at Subway in a royal blue Capezio short-sleeved leotard and fitted capri work-out pants. With pink convertible tights underneath. Yeah, baby.

- adultbeginner says:
  
  September 15, 2011 at 2:19 pm
  
  You were like, “Ballerina needs her a sammich! Now, bitches! Don’t make me jeté over that counter!”
  
Acacia says:

September 14, 2011 at 3:27 am

And when you will be selling said tote bag?

- adultbeginner says:
  
  September 15, 2011 at 2:24 pm
  
  At this very moment! There’s a link on the Get Some page
  
papershaker says:

September 16, 2011 at 4:58 am

Oh man, embarrassing story about ballet clothes in the grocery store. I went to Safeway after class to pick up some major carbs. Sushi rice, fancy bread, and donuts were on my list. I needed them now! But I couldn’t find any of the things I needed! So I picked up the two other things on my list and figured I’d get the rest the next day. I’m standing in the check out line and an old friend comes up behind me. She starts asking me about how long I’ve been studying ballet (noticed the pink tights bunched up around the ankle and black leotard, of course) and then all of a sudden she looks down at the checkout belt and says, all shocked like, ‘Is that all you eat?’ I look down and realize that my bag of grapefruits and case of Perrier looks kinda ridiculous on the belt all alone. I felt judged lol! I tried to explain that I actually wanted to buy much more fattening and delicious stuff, but I just couldn’t find it!

But I still go anywhere in my ballet clothes. Anywhere. I have no shame now.