So Much Flannel... or why my Dad wore Gym shorts - Off Topic

Austin · 09-26-2011, 09:40 AM

There are fires all over Texas and many places around town are collecting donations, so this weekend I went through my clothes, if I hadn't worn it in a year, then I was giving it away.

I managed to get quite a bit,. Shirts I was given that aren't my style, pants that no longer fit, etc, but when it came to my flannels I paused.

I have a green, red, white, black, blue, and a couple of shirts in blue and red made of shirt material, but still flannel.

After reducing my closet to less, I stood in awe, blinded by a section of my closet apparently reserved for lumberjacks.

Thinking about it, I know how this all got started.

Nirvana (Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam) - YouTube

and of course

Pearl Jam - Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a small town - YouTube

On the cusp of my daughter fourth birthday I reflect. I'm forced to look at all the things my dad wore, symbols of his youth never thrown away, stored in a closet, kept close, but still a a memory of what we are on the path on what we are to become.

As where all my other symbols of youth have been lost or given away, these functional testaments maintain forever in a section of my closet now reserved for those things lucky enough to be a testament or a cautionary tale for the time when my daughter is old enough for me to embarrass her with my outdated clothes and bands no one her age has ever heard of.

I asked myself as a kid "Are my parents trying to embarrass me?" turns out I would answer my own question some day,

"Yes, we sure are.".

My Father's gym shorts, his testament to his lost age, sit in a drawer some where, me still mortified they exist, waiting for the day they meet my flannels and hash out who has it worse. Gym shorts, a perspective of a the long gone 50's and the innocence of an age. Worn before his friends went to Vietnam, worn before the troubles of the real world set in, I understand now why he came home, dropped everything he was doing, and put them on.

I just wish for colder weather so I have an excuse. In the mean time, I stare at a corner of my closet, the less complicated corner, listening to

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World - YouTube

thinking of simpler times.

"One of the very advantages of youth- you don't own any stock in anything. You have a good time, and all the grief and trouble is with the other fellows."- Mark Twain.

blucher · 09-26-2011, 10:55 AM

If those shirts were anything but flannel I'd give them to the homeless for warmth or just a clean fresh shirt. Flannel is another story.

I dislike it. It's seems to come in baby clothes and lumberjack. I think it smells like "baby" in either case. The dang stuff ain't warm but it is soft. Soft is not among my criteria for cold weather clothing. I've never used or wanted a fabric softener. I don't even understand why people would buy it.

It's not warm, it rips easily and style has never moved past a Paul Bunyan look. The closest I've come to grasping it's appeal came from a former body builder (severe case of "littleman's disease"). He was the husband of the woman who ran a tea room in an Inn I managed. His wife said he could not tolerate sheets not having an insanely high thread count. huh?

I do look for decent quality in sheets but I never checked the thread count.

Flannel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the fabric. For other uses, see Flannel (disambiguation).

Flannel Swatch
Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fibre. Flannel may be brushed to create extra softness or remain unbrushed. The brushing process is a mechanical process where a fine metal brush rubs the fabric to create fine fibers from the loosely spun yarns. Typically, flannel has either a single- or double-sided nap. Double-napped flannel refers to a fabric that has been brushed on both sides. If the flannel is not napped, it gains its softness through the loosely spun yarn in its woven form. Flannel is commonly used to make plaid[disambiguation needed] clothing, bed sheets, and sleepwear.

This might be a good & durable exception.
Carhartt Men's Heavyweight Solid Flannel Shirt

Item# S215BLKXXLREG
Regular price: $44.00
Sale price: $36.99
Color/Size:

The Carhartt heavyweight solid flannel shirt is a work horse. Made of 8-ounce, 100% cotton flannel, it features a spread collar, two chest pockets with flaps and button closures and a back yoke with centered box pleat for ease of movement. Main seams are triple-stitched for durability.