Is this a reasonable thought process for a woman getting dressed?

[joy_of_cooking]

Context: Emma is a widowed mother of four about to have coffee with a guy about half her age. She's white, with platinum-blonde hair and fair skin, and probably a few pounds heavier than she'd like.

Emma told herself she wasn't going to get excited about this coffee...meeting. She refused to call it a date. Nor was she going to fuss over her hair and makeup. She was too old and too busy for that nonsense, especially for a guy who was only going to run screaming the other way.

She did put on a dress. The day had dawned ten degrees warmer than yesterday, with clear blue skies. After weeks of dreary grey, Emma couldn't resist.

She picked out a fit-and-flare number in a bold floral print that fairly screamed, "Spring!" It had long sleeves and hit below the knee, a necessary concession if she didn't want to be re-applyng sunscreen all day. She added a big floppy straw hat, to shade her face.

A pair of cute beige ankle boots completed the outfit. They had a bit of a heel, more than she usually wore these days, but nothing compared to the chic stilettos languishing in the back of her closet. Those days were behind her.

Two questions:

1. Is this a plausible way for a harried mother of four to dress herself, by non-porn logic?
2. Is this consistent with Emma maybe caring a little more about how she looks today than she will admit?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

As a harried mother-of, few pounds, etc:

Where are you (they) that spring means sunscreen and a hat? Northern Australia? I can't imagine anyone wearing boots in shady-hat weather. If it's that hot, sandals or shoes. Equally, I'd never put sunscreen on my legs unless planning a long hike in shorts or a day at the beach, because it's not needed here.

What's her income level? Is this dress an old favourite that's flattering, and she's glad of an excuse to pull it out, or does she own a closet full of dresses because she was minted even before getting the life insurance? That'll make a big difference.

Personally I can't see beige boots as attractive, and 'cute' isn't a word used in British about clothes, unless you want to sound like an excitable teenage girl, but the bit about low heels vs high heels works.

 

[TheLobster]

#1 seems like it to me.

But #2, probably not. I would have the primary reason for her choice of long sleeve to be the concealment of an unflattering jiggle in her arms. Sunscreen can be mentioned offhandedly as an excuse but the real motivation should IMO be more evident.

@Kumquatqueen sunny-but-still-colder is common in spring across parts of certain US states, like Colorado, California or Nevada.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I think it's fine, but if I may make a suggestion, it would read stronger if she decided between the floral dress and another, plainer outfit. That would subtly make your point.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Yes, this is not off the mark at all. I'm believing it. I'd probably mention something that makes the boots cute (like a rolled ankle cuff or some sort of buckle straps) rather than just stating that they're cute. They're probably something that she loves and wears often. I'd also probably give the dress some color like say bold floral with lots of yellow and orange or something.

I must applaud here as nine out of ten writers would have dressed her in a napkin, and even if they gave her something tasteful it would have been nothing more than "blue dress". You actually gave her dress a cut and a pattern. That is quite rare for these parts.

 

[Britva415]

The "keep reapplying sunscreen" bit seems unlikely. How long does she expect to be outside? Hours and hours and hours? Aren't Australians very used to using sunscreen routinely? Why would there be a burden of repeated re-application?

And I can picture a fit-and-flare dress that "screams spring" but long sleeves on it would scream the exact opposite, to me anyway, no matter what the color and pattern.

None of that has to do with woman-specific or man-specific thinking, so...

What I wonder, @joy_of_cooking, is whether you already have something in mind which is making you think you've gotten this wrong.

My answers to both questions 1 and 2 is Yes.

2. Is this consistent with Emma maybe caring a little more about how she looks today than she will admit?

It's not just consistent with it, it actually shows it. Well done.

 

[Bramblethorn]

The "keep reapplying sunscreen" bit seems unlikely. How long does she expect to be outside? Hours and hours and hours? Aren't Australians very used to using sunscreen routinely? Why would there be a burden of repeated re-application?

FWIW, standard recommendation is to reapply sunscreen every two hours when out in the sun, though how many people follow that advice is another question.

- your friendly neighbourhood ginger

 

[Cagivagurl]

Why would she apply sunscreen???
A below the knee dress, coupled with boots....
Sorry sunscreen doesn't read true.
I think if it's her first date in a while. She would be self conscious, and would probably flit through her wardrobe checking different looks.
Unless she is a very confident woman, she is going to have concerns about looking her best.

My thoughts only
Cagivagurl

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I'm assuming this is for the chain story?

I think it sounds great, but since we are talking about a story set in NYC I don't think the concerns about sunscreen are necessary.
Maybe our NYC contingent will jump in and correct me, but I can't see many of them worrying about that when she is just going to a date/meeting at an indoor location.

Otherwise I think it's consistent with what we've seen of Emma so far in the story.

 

[lovecraft68]

Long sleeves and boots throw it off for me.

I can tell you that when Spring comes along my wife always comments about it being sandal weather and is excited about it.

I agree with @MelissaBaby that some indecision between that dress and something more proper than playful, then going with playful would go a long way towards how she wants to see this going.

 

[OffNSFW]

This is a lot of good ideas for descriptive details being poured into a bucket that's probably too small for all of them. Pick one hero detail that really captures what you're going for, and maybe a secondary detail to lock it down. Save the rest in case you need them later.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

Thanks, everyone. I added a plainer outfit for contrast, swapped out the boots for espadrilles, and dropped the long sleeves / sunscreen stuff. (I'd been under the impression that people with sufficiently pale skin just slathered themselves in sunscreen every day.)

What I wonder, @joy_of_cooking, is whether you already have something in mind which is making you think you've gotten this wrong.

Nothing specific, just...I'm not a girl and have approximately no idea how their clothes work or how they dress themselves.

Here's what I ended up with:

Emma told herself she wasn't going to get excited about this coffee...meeting. She refused to call it a date. Nor was she going to fuss over her hair and makeup. She was too old and too busy for that nonsense, especially for a guy who was only going to run screaming the other way.

She would at least put on a dress. The day had dawned ten degrees warmer than yesterday, with clear blue skies. After weeks of dreary grey, it only made sense to take advantage. She reached for an old favorite, a belted maxi dress in deep Klein blue poplin. It had pockets.

As she pulled it off the hanger, the bold floral print behind it caught her eye. Nothing quite screamed, "Spring!" like a skater dress with a massive fuchsia tulip by your hip.

Emma glanced out the window. She could do without pockets for one day. On a whim, she pulled out a floppy straw hat and a pair of cute espadrilles to go with the dress. They had a bit of a heel, more than she usually wore these days, but nothing compared to the chic stilettos languishing in the back of her closet. Those days were behind her.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Oh, the eternal pocket debate... nice!

This is probably just me being from a different region, but I have no idea what Klein blue is, and haven't seen poplin mentioned as a dress fabric since Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne Shirley. I imagine the stuff still exists?

I was going to add I hadn't seen espadrilles with a heel, but actually I know what you mean - I'd probably call them espadrille-style sandals, because they aren't cheap things you just slip on.