When I got home from a dental appointment recently, I told DF that I couldn’t wait to put my grubs back on. They’re what I also call my freelancer’s three-piece suit: sweatpants, T-shirt and bathrobe. In other words, I was COVID fashion before COVID fashion was cool.
Sure, some people still dress up to work at home. (Although some dress up only from the waist up: Business upstairs, sweatpants party below.) My guess is that a lot fewer have been doing this as the pandemic stretched on and on.
And speaking of stretch: COVID has also given us “the quarantine 15,” as people exercised less and ate their feelings more. Stretchy waistbands are a crucial part of COVID fashion.
I’ve been seeing a lot of “athleisure,” “leisure wear” and “comfortable WFH clothes” ads. Again, I’ve been dressing like this since I went freelance full-time, way back in 2002. My grubs are not just comfortable, they’re frugal: no more spending money on shirts with buttons, pants with zippers or, heaven forfend, pantyhose.
Instead, I wear my grubs. Damn right they’re comfy.
Within half an hour of my arrival that day, DF handed me a few verses of a song parody: “Puttin’ on your grubs,” to the tune of “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”
Can’t help lovin’ that man.
I tinkered the verses a bit, making this our first satirical collaboration.
Before I share the words, I will share a bit of backstory. Like “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” has an introductory verse that uses a different tune than the following verses. Listen to the following video clip as Fred Astaire sings that first verse:
Got the two tunes straight? Good. Here’s our COVID fashion version:
Puttin’ on your grubs
Have you seen the work-at-home?
Of course you ain’t – they don’t dare roam
Staying in, not being seen
All dressed down for quarantine.
Yoga pants, shirts with no collars
Once-white socks from the store of the dollar,
Laid off, can’t spend a dime; they don’t mind the grime.
But if you work at home and don’t know how to dress
Why don’t you do like all us schlubs:
Puttin’ on the grubs.
Lazy dames and sloppy fellas who
Lounge in robes, djellabas, sweats or scrubs,
Puttin’ on their grubs.
Toss out pants whose waistbands don’t expand-o
Feelin’ cool and smug as Marlon Brando.
(Go commando!)
Lose those suits and fancy lingeries!
Grab some old dungarees to hide your chub,
Puttin’ on your grubs.
We’ll never give Rodgers & Hammerstein a run for their money, but we do have fun.
A performer named Taco did a version of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” that hit the charts back in the 1980s. Personally, I much prefer the Mel Brooks version from “Young Frankenstein”:
Readers: Are you puttin’ on your grubs lately? Or had you already been acquainted with COVID fashion tactics?
Related reading:
Well, I still wear the polyester pants with the elastic waistbands around home. My daughter (47) rolls her eyes when she comes for a visit. When I do jeans, till the end of the day I can hardly breathe.
I can’t remember, but was that also a Rudy Valle record that came out maybe 47 years ago or so? I don’t remember if he sang it or it was someone else. I had a neighbor that used to pay that over and over as high as she could and another neighbor 3 houses down complained and called the cops for disturbing the peace. I always loved Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, as I am an old soul and felt I was born in the wrong generation! That a great Covid Fashion review, Donna!
I’m grateful to work in an environment where casual clothing at the office is totally fine – so my outfits haven’t changed much since I started working from home. The biggest difference is that I am wearing my fuzzy slippers instead of my sneakers, and I am usually wearing an extra sweater, since I don’t turn the heat on in my house, during the day, whereas the office was always warm 😀
My office couture both in the office or at home, is comfy leggings, tshirt, hooded sweatshirt (layers!), warm socks, fuzzy slippers – and to be honest, I had a pair of fuzzy slippers at the office too, for days when my feet got cold 😀
I usually have on a pair of old jeans and a loose shirt (several unbuttoned top buttons or v-neck, or a man’s large shirt as I can’t stand anything touching my neck), no bra or a sports bra, socks and tennis shoes with ortho inserts with arch supports. On the days I go to exercise I often wear leggings or yoga pants. Today I did wear new jeans that I just took the tags off of (Christmas gift from a year ago). Since it is so cold, I have also had thermals underneath my jeans for the past two days. Never wear slippers, in private or public.
Your colab with DF is fun and funny! Oh, and thanks for reminding me how much I love Astaire. Rogers, too, of course.
I’ve been in grubs for decades. When I worked in an office, as soon as I got home, I got comfortable. These days I wear scrub pants, tees, hoodies, and slippers in cold weather. Different slippers for different degrees of cold. Some days, only lounge socks will do. It’s shorts, capris, tees, and barefoot when it’s hot out.
Sadly as someone who was deemed an essential worker I never got to work from home. I take care of the cutest infants ever all day which makes up for the fact that I can’t wear my grubs (and no bra) all day.
I have 2 pair of pajama bottoms with two sweatshirts that match. At least I am color coordinated!
I do “dress up” when I go shopping. Jeans, a sweater and earrings are my staples. Admittedly so, dangling earrings are a hindrance when I wear a mask, but that is one bit of foolishness I still cling to.
I gave in to soft cotton sports bras this winter, due to being wrapped up in so many layers no one can tell what I’m wearing next to my skin.
I cannot work from home, but look forward to weekend clothes of soft old jeans with an elastic waist, a big soft shirt, long sweater, wool knee socks and sheepskin slippers.
Cozy — it works for me.
I have to admit, I laughed out loud at “Go commando!” Perfect!
Even when I worked outside the home, I’d come home and change into my “house clothes” – t-shirts, sweats, and retired “going out clothes” that had developed stains or holes. Basically, anything I didn’t have to worry about getting water, food or dirt on during the course of the day.Nowadays, of course, that’s pretty much my full-time wardrobe.
Great collaboration, Donna and DF!
Sounds like the “play clothes” we’d put on as soon as we got home from school. Not only did it make our school clothes last longer, it freed us from the prison that was “girls cannot wear slacks.” Hated wearing dresses only.
Now I don’t even own a dress.
I prepared for the pandemic dressing way back in the mid 80s. I worked at home for weeks and then took everything to a craft show. I worked barefoot and in sweat pants and sweat shirt I sewed. Now, I am still barefoot and in soft, knit, stretchy pants, and loose top. I never wear a bra and might wear Dollar Tree slide in slippers.
After years of working in bra and shoes and slightly uncomfortable clothing, I love my clothing now. Even my coat is stretchy.
Thanks for the good chuckle! My DH sings “Hello sweatpants, my old friend, I’ve come to put you on again” to the tune of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence”. Cracks me up!
Ha! Sounds as though he and DF would get along.
My favorite “Puttin’ on the Ritz” is the one in Young Frankenstein:)
I’m pretty sure since I’m in my early 60’s that this pandemic has made me what the British term ‘redundant’, meaning the chances of me having a real full-time salaried job with benefits are slim and none. I do have a good relationship with the gal at the temporary service and I may do some work through them once the vaccine has made a return to some semblance of normalcy possible.
As for my grubs I’ve pretty much developed a wardrobe of pretty soft cotton tops to go with my sweat pants bottoms, and yes, for me commando is the way to go!
I’ve also put on what my son has termed the covid 19, meaning pounds, similar to the freshman 15.
I’ve even gone so far as to take all of my career style items that don’t have crossover potential and stasised them in spacebags.
Here’s hoping that things have improved by Summer 2021.
What an interesting post…Pandemic has changed my attire much…Still dress like “a homeless person” says DW….Just a question….You say you went to the dentist…That would be a luxury here…Believe it or not the medical folk are trying to keep us out of their offices unless it’s absolutely necessary…I could use some “attention” in the dental department…But my dentist is somewhat hesitant and now that a vaccine is on the horizon they would prefer me visiting as a vaccinated patient…Should I look for a new dentist? Hope all is well in your world….
My sister’s a dental hygienist and has to wear what amounts to a hazmat suit. It’s a tough way to do your job, but they want to keep providing care.
DF has had his first shot and his mom’s about to get her second one. I wish they’d call my demographic soon.
It’s like we have to wait for our “lottery ticket number to be called”…LOL…I am “rated” “1C”…so like you…must wait my turn…Little crazy in this neck of the woods with distribution…And a thumbs up to your Dear Sister….that job is demanding…in a pandemic…off the charts…Glad all is well…
I had to look up djellaba. I think I have a new Scrabble word. I am dressed decent today.
I have a phone in board meeting. I know no one will see me, but it is not bad to match once in a while. I have noticed I am wearing less make and jewelry as a general rule. Make up just smudges inside my mask. Jewelry jangles when I am on the phone.
Athleisure for me! Since I workout 3 evenings, I start my workday in pajamas and change midday into my workout gear (running short or yoga pants with sports bra and a tee). One a month I put REAL button up pants on just to check and make sure I haven’t gained any weight LOL
Well acquainted with pandemic fashion from the past decade, I’m happy to say. Less happy to admit that it’s taken me this long, and a few outfits, to find the right combination of actually warm sweatpants and hoodie / bathrobe. I finally splurged on two pairs of lined sweatpants and two hoodies and a lovely bathrobe since the pregnancy and it’s sheer heaven. I really only change out of them to walk the dog. Part of me is quite tempted to make it a full five day set so I don’t have to run the laundry every other day when the Smol Acrobat spits up on me (copiously) but even I know that’s going overboard. I’ve donated my business suit and trimmed down my fancy duds wardrobe considerably over the years. It’s comfort all the way for me!
Comfy clothes FTW!
And congratulations again on your new Smol Acrobat.
I used to think jeans were the comfiest clothes around, until the pandemic. Now I know better. My breasts rarely see a bra, no earrings since I managed to lose a favorite one somewhere while apparently removing my mask.
Yes, this is the life.
My bras last for-frickin’-ever because I work at home. No need to wear them unless I leave the house.
Since the snow dumped on us earlier this week, I don’t make it out of my pajamas. I put a sweater over pjs and call it good. When the piles of snow melt and I can walk outside again I will get dressed.
Makes sense to me.
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Angela: Seems you tried twice to comment but neither one worked….?