Last night, I caught the second half of an old favorite, a 1988 movie featuring newcomer Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl.” I forgot how cute Harrison Ford was! And I laughed while watching, remembering and relating to her, busy working hard, dressing the part, putting up with double-crossing, double-talking bosses. “Ya wanna be taken seriously? You gotta wear serious clothes…..!” Like this:
There’s a scene in the movie where Melanie’s character, Tess, meets Harrison Ford’s character, Jack, ~ she’s wearing a beautiful, feminine cocktail dress .. his reaction is perfection:
Jack Trainer: You’re the first woman I’ve seen at one of these things that dresses like a woman, not like a woman thinks a man would dress if he was a woman.
Tess McGill: Thank you, I guess.
I remember those suits, the padded shoulders, and the stupid bows that tied at the neck. I remember how hot those ties were and how we thought big shoulders made our waists look smaller (like they were ever large in the first place, sheesh!) Now, looking back, I see how we were nearly overtaken by those shoulder pads!

that’s me -(MJ) – at my bridal shower, 1992 — every one of us sporting shoulder pads! An Emjayandthem (C) photo
Today, clothes are more forgiving. Mix & match, not much that’s matchy-matchy. Slacks and a sweater, wrap dresses, clothes that fit and flatter. Less is more. Thank goodness.
That picture above was taken in Houston, where we lived for 10 years before moving to Hubbs’ home state of Michigan. We haven’t been back but we keep in touch with friends ~ some were spared, others had heavy damage to their homes. Having lived there, driven there, and witnessed “normal” flash floods that happen, the damage and impact of this is beyond imagination.
And there’s a reason why sometimes we have to turn off the coverage, bury ourselves in an old movie and swoon over Harrison Ford … who’s still as handsome as ever.