Fashion, Fads, Haircuts

We really felt sorry for the sisters. We think someone with a good mind for fashion could make a million dollars developing an outfit for the sisters. You could not find many fashions in the Ukraine that could be worn by the sisters. Some one needs to come up with three out fits which are interchangeable and make the sisters look classy. The elders had it easy because all they had to do was wear a suit and semi-good tie. I loved how ugly the ties were in the mission. The uglier the better. The bigger the knot the better. Oh, how we let simple fashion rule. The cheaper the renok tie the better. I still feel very bad about the time when I commented on an Elders tie – “That is the ugliest tie I have ever seen,” I said to him and then he told me he had spent a lot of money on it and bought it especially for the zone conference. I felt bad but only for a few months. I’ll bet every time he puts that tie on he remembers Zap. I loved Ecco shoes. Still wear them. Still wear the ugly ones I bought in Donetsk. Best darn pair of shoes I’ve ever had. Some times ugly just feels good. I was speaking at a priesthood meeting for our stake and mentioned how I disliked hair that was parted in the middle. A man came up to me after the meeting and really took me to task about how ridicules it was to make hair style an issue. I explained my Vietnam experiences and told him it was me simply trying not to categorize missionaries as druggies. Didn’t phase him and he went on to tell me what a nut I was. I was always amazed with the worn out socks missionaries could wear. If I can feel my shoes through the socks I get a new pair of socks. Missionaries on the other hand could wear sock until they were held together by just a thread or two. I remember at a zone conference seeing the entire sole of a foot through the sock. I asked the missionary why he even worn the socks because they were so thin. He looked at me like I was nuts. Didn’t seem to bother him at all. I felt sorry for the sisters when we got in the Ukraine because we made them wear nylons. Prior to our arrival they could wear sandals with no nylons and they were pretty mad when we told them to wear shoes and nylons. I loved the use of duck tape. It was used to make wallets and to mend pant cuffs (staples were also used for this purpose).