A Long Love Letter to Nigel!

by Marshain Ageless Style, Fashionon December 18, 2025December 18, 2025

Life lately…

As most of you know, I’m not, by nature, a calendar person. I don’t like using them, but I have discovered, with my docent responsibilities, they are a necessary evil. That being said, it really didn’t occur to me until Tuesday that next week is Christmas! I don’t even know if I’ve got everything ordered or delivered. I also don’t know what I’m supposed to make for Christmas dinner! Today, though, is the third Thursday of the month which means it’s time for another Ageless Style challenge. This month, I chose “The Oldest Thing in Your Closet.” Last month, Jodie selected “Vests” looks. In the past we have worn “Vests,” “Favorite Skirts,” “Colors of Fall,” and many other ideas. If you’re curious, you can find some of my looks here, here, here, and here. Next month’s prompt is “Tweed!” if you’d like to join us! Please do visit the other hostesses of the link party (oh, yes, there’s a link party) at their various sites!

A little story…

Do y’all remember when malls were the thing? You could go there, and you’d find a plethora of nice stores. Of course, there were usually anchor stores like Macy’s, Dillard’s, Belk, etc. In Fort Wayne, the big city near my hometown, we had Glenbrook Square. In the early days, there were some glorious stores, all owned by local people. I bought my wedding dress at Fishman’s. It was a lovely mom and pop kinda store but with upscale women’s clothing. Right across from it was a store called Hutner’s Paris, another mom and pop store. The anchor for that end of the mall was L S Ayres. Ayres, as we all called it, was a chain of family owned stores. It was bought out by the May Company then sold to Macy’s. Another family owned store was Nobbson’s. All three, Fishman’s, Hutner’s Paris, and Nobbson’s, were out of my price range as well as my comfort range. We had three other anchor stores (remember, this mall was a square). We had Sears, JC Penney’s and Hudson’s which was sold to Marshall Fields.

A little more…

As I said this mall was a square so you could walk all the way around the mall and find a variety of stores. In reality, it wasn’t actually a square because there were little hallways jutting off in some places, but the basic shape was a quadrilateral of some kind. You could honestly start at Sears, walk to Hudson’s/Marshall Fields, then to JC Penney’s, walk down to a central atrium, hang a right and end up at LS Ayres. Then, from Ayres, you would turn around, reach that central atrium again, take a little jog, and end up back at Sears! Sometimes, to test my memory, I’ll walk the halls in my mind and point to the stores. Dumb, I know, but it also puts me to sleep! I’m sure this won’t surprise any of you, but Nigel never got the hang of that mall. He couldn’t get from Ayres to Sears without directions!

Even more…

One of my favorite places was the Apple Orchard. Now, many of you probably don’t know this, but Johnny Appleseed (AKA John Chapman) died and was buried in Fort Wayne. In the mall, across from Sears was either an undeveloped area, or some store(s) had closed. For months, the area was under construction. When it was finished, the result was this cute little alcove of specialty shops as well as one of the Hall’s Restaurants. Don Hall was a restauranteur who recently passed away. I’m not sure how many Hall’s Restaurants are left in Fort Wayne, but at one time, there were probably six or seven. Each one was decorated a little differently, but they had the same basic menu. Our favorite was Triangle Park. It closed during the pandemic, but I don’t think it ever actually reopened. It was a rustic kinda restaurant with a deck overlooking a manmade pond, complete with ducks and swans. The servers would save the extra bread and rolls in a bucket. They would give that bucket to kids who could go out and feed the wildlife. If you wanted, you could also sit out on the deck. But, I digress…

Anyhoo…

Back at Glenbrook, the Hall’s restaurant there was called the Apple Orchard as was the entire little shopping area. It had a “deck” where you could eat “out” in the mall hallway. I preferred inside because it was almost like you were on display out there. I remember a popcorn place in there as well as a beautiful jewelry store. One time, there was the most beautiful large opal pendant in the window. I begged Nigel to buy it, but it was far out of our price range then. My favorite spot in the Apple Orchard was a shop called The Rustic Hutch. I love primitive decorating and would love to have my entire home decorated that way. Alas and alack, I just do not have the touch for putting together the various elements. I have a friend who was the mom of a former student whose home (are you following all that) has created the most marvelous home all decorated in the primitive style! I would be happy to live on her front porch…it is just that good! I would always make sure to stop in The Rustic Hutch and buy something. It was usually a doily or a candle, but I just felt joyful when I walked out of there with my paper bag printed with their logo.

So…

You’re probably wondering what in the world this has to do with the oldest thing in my closet, right? OK, here’s the story. And, surprisingly, I can say, “Nigel, do you remember that night we were at the mall…” And, he’ll know, immediately, what I’m talking about. One Friday night, we were at the mall. It’s funny because Nigel used to think (and still does) going to the mall was a cheap date. Little did he realize how much more I spent at the mall than I ever would at a movie! But, on this particular Friday, I was feeling really down. I had graduated the December before, and the odds of getting a teaching job were slim. I was born to teach; I knew that in my bones. I think I was subbing full-time at two small schools for the special education teacher, and she was due back soon. So, for whatever reason, Nigel’s radar picked up on my mood. He knew sweaters made my heart sing. There were often kiosks in those wide hallways, and we were walking past one filled with all kinds of lovely sweaters. Nigel stopped and looked at me, then looked at the sweaters. I will never forget this and, apparently, neither will Nigel. He told me to pick out a sweater. He said it might cheer me up. Then, he noticed the sign: 1 for $25 or 2 for $40 so I ended up with two beautiful new sweaters. I know, in today’s world, that doesn’t sound like much, but in 1991, it was a lot of money for us to just spend on sweaters. That was probably our weekly grocery bill.

A little panic…

I have a huge closet, and it’s stuffed. I’ll be the first to admit I have far too many clothes. But, I’ll also tell you there are clothes in there that are decades old. There is a huge difference in styles, textures, and colors. I knew, when I suggested this, that I was going to wear one of those two sweaters. Now, I’m going to tell you a little secret, and I know you won’t tell a soul. I knew, even when I suggested this prompt, those sweaters were not in my closet. I was, however, speaking metaphorically. They might not be in my closet, but they were surely in my wardrobe. At least, I thought they were. I knew exactly where they were until I didn’t. I thought they were in a chest of drawers in Jack’s room. They weren’t. I thought, “Oh, they must be in my cedar chest.” They weren’t. I was beginning to panic because I just couldn’t imagine I’d donated them. There were too many memories tied up in those sweaters. But, I had donated the beautiful dress I wore to my daughter’s wedding when we moved down to Brownsburg. Maybe, I had donated those in a frenzy of clearing out things. Then, I thought about the drawers in my chest of drawers and dresser. I knew two drawers only contained cashmere sweaters and a couple of really old Talbots (from the Michael Smaldone era) sweaters. I thought the other drawer in my dresser held rememories of the kids’ lives. Imagine my delight, when I decided to open it and discover many old friends…Liz Claiborne, Susan Bristol, and Marisa Christina. I poked my hand underneath those friends, and there were my two kiosk sweaters, hidden away from me!

The outfit…

This is one of the two sweaters Nigel bought me that night. It’s 100% cotton and has been washed several times. I wore this so many times the year I taught at Columbia Township School. The next year found me in Special Education where I’d been told to dress more professionally. So, the cardigans and pullovers were tucked away for another day. How do you make a 34 year old sweater look fresh and modern? You put it with something edgy like wide leg or barrel leg jeans. You could also wear an on-trend denim skirt. Honestly, this sweater silhouette is what I consider a classic in shape, design, and colors. Today, I’m wearing it with a pair of Old Navy barrel jeans. The sweater is short so it hits at the right place on my body. The barrel leg jeans add a little bit of edge. Now, normally, I don’t care about socks (shhhh…don’t tell Jodie), but to bring this look into the 21st century, I added print socks. I realize you only catch a brief glance of them, and that’s the point with these jeans. You could also wear loafers, but I don’t have any of those (at least, I don’t think I do). Would I wear a pair of my booties? Hmmm, good question. I don’t think so as I think that takes away from the silhouette of the jeans. If you’re taller, and the jeans hit above your ankles, you probably could wear boots (or booties).

The Lewk!

One of the things you can do to bring a vintage or just plain older garment up to date is in your accessories. I added these adidas München Sneakers in silver/off white/silver. I have no idea why they call them that. They are more greige than silver, and I don’t know where the extra silver comes in to play! Anyway, for some reason, I always think gold jewelry when I wear blue. Today’s Lewk was no exception. This is the Stella & Dot Rebel necklace. It’s another one of those things that should never have been discontinued. It’s over a decade old and still looks relevant. I’m pretty sure the moon shaped necklace as well as the earrings are also Stella & Dot, but don’t quote me on that!

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I know that was a really long post about two sweaters that are more than three decades old. But, as with most things I have to tell a story. I was so close to tears many times as I looked for these sweaters. I just couldn’t believe I’d donated them. But, I’ve done dumber things. One of these days, I’ll style the other sweater…keep you guessing, right? So, can we talk? What’s your story about a beloved “vintage to you” garment? Does your significant other think shopping is a better (read cheaper) date than a movie? What’s the oldest thing in your closet? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.

Thank you!

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

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Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, Fine-Whatever , Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink , I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

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