Sitting Pretty

There was a time, it seems like another lifetime, when my clients were senior marketing execs of major travel and hospitality corporations.  It was part of my job to look sharp and professional, and as a person with an interest and education in fashion, my goal was to dress for success with a flair. I paid particular attention to my wardrobe.

Now I no longer work, I am in the scooter all the time and my dressing priorities have changed. Still, I want to be fashionable and feel good in my clothes, but I have to think about accessibility and movement and comfort in ways that never crossed my mind before. As a single mother with young boys, comfort was always a factor, but now it is a priority.

I went shopping. Catalogs for women with disabilities such as Clothing Solutions show dusters and house dresses or muu-muus, usually in a busy, little flower print – not exactly cutting-edge couture. I just did the best I could with the clothes I already had. Some things worked, but most things did not. My line had changed from upright to seated and there was the additional bulk of a scooter to consider as part of my silhouette.

I had to keep looking. I did find one eBook Wheelchair Fashion 101 offered by Tiffiny who writes for Disaboom and has a blog Beautyability. She has suggestions about clothes and where to find them. She described how a paralyzed person could put on a pair of pants, and I knew my movement limitations meant I was not able to follow those instructions. I took the easy way out and decided to wear skirts that I could pull over my head. I do miss my jeans sometimes. This little book was helpful and it gave me hope that something else was available, too. I continued my search.

I did find some online sources: New Mobility and Mobility Advisor, that recognize the need, but offer no specific solution. Tiffiny told us store names where she purchased the clothes she talked about.

I thought about what I know about fashion and what I know about disability, or specifically the changes my disability has brought to my dressing style. I am aware of my body, what it can and cannot do. Because of my MS, I cannot move easily and my poor balance limits the styles I can put on and wear. I no longer drive so shopping is no longer a carefree adventure. My new disability income further limits my options.

I adjusted my rules of dressing. Fashion should be fun. Remember to be me, be comfortable, feel pretty, and feel sexy. And do it all without adding extra difficulty to my daily life or adding strain to my budget. Sounds like a challenge to me.

What do I need to consider? The garment has to be big enough to fit over my head and strong enough to be stretched over my head and shoulders and spring back to fit my waist. Keep it easy. The fabric must be strong enough to withstand tugging, but soft enough for sensitive skin, and not bulky to bunch up and disturb my sitting. Okay, I have the specifications, but not the clothes. I have an idea.

I need to talk with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn of Project Runway. One challenge for the designer hopefuls to tackle is to design clothes for wheelers! Their models would be real people in chairs or scooters.

The challenge: Design an outfit that addresses each wheeler's specific issues, casual, dressy, formal. Through the fashion, help the wheeler be sexy, be shy, be flamboyant, be stylish, be whoever she wants to be!

This would be great for everyone. The designers would have a challenge unique to the four years of the show. This would wake up the fashion world to the relatively untapped market of wheelchair fashion; it would remind wheelers that we have a right to be fashionable beyond the muu-muu; and it would increase awareness for the able-bodied world.

This works for me!