Attire choices and the Tanger Outlets

One of the several blessings of dwelling in the Cape Region is the existence of the 150 retail outlets which comprise what the owner calls the Tanger Outlets, A Mile of Style. Of curious interest is the fact that many of the automobiles observed in the parking lots of the three sets of stores (Bayside, Midway, Seaside) bear plates from the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and even New York. Delaware runs about a relaxed third with respect to representation of the shoppers at the outlets. At the risk of being critical of my local neighbors with respect to shopping for clothing or other commodities, it is interesting to note that we tend to dress down, rather than dress up, for occasions and places which would shout out for more special attention. Let us be clear; it is not just our Delaware residents who may have become a bit lax in their attire, but I felt that the actual procuring of dress items was a good place to start.

We seem to have become extremely relaxed in the past few decades with respect to what we wear to different events. No, I shall not mention that “back in the day” we wore jackets and ties and dresses merely to board airplanes, but we did indeed “dress up” when going out to dinner, even just with the family. And on a date, oh, yes! It appears that although we have the means for fashionable clothing at our fingertips, we tend not to place that much importance on our outward appearance, regardless of the event or location. Fortunately, the wedding and the funeral have maintained their prominence as occasions worthy of attention to attire, even though casual garb has been seen at Uncle Marty’s interment and Cousin Lucy’s nuptials.

So how do we really feel about the presence of so many retail outlets that specialize in apparel? Perhaps being a beach community negates the need for dressy clothing on a regular basis, or maybe we have just become too casual and a little bit sloppy. I shall not mention any of the more prominent outlet stores bearing the names of some the world’s top retailers, since we, as residents, already know who they are. Although there are occasional changes, like my favorite leather goods outlet, the mainstays retain their identity and location. Whatever part of the male or female body we wish to enhance or adorn, such is possible with a mere visit to a Tanger outlet store. It would seem that we should consider ourselves blessed to have these stores in our backyard, so to speak, but some ambivalence exists. The residents of our geographically contiguous states appear to appreciate the shops more than we Capers do. Can we extract or sense from the observance of license plates alone that our neighboring shoppers are more concerned about appearance and fashion than we are? I trust not, but I am sure you have noticed that our interest in looking good when out in public has certainly waned over the decades.

It appears that we take our outlets for granted, and many prefer a click on the Amazon site or a trip to Walmart, or even none of the above. It is just easier to grab something from our existing wardrobe of clothing and shuffle off to the restaurant or event. Perhaps we can take a moment to celebrate the fact that we have so many options to be able to make ourselves look good on the fashion front – the quantity and variety of stores which offer us so many choices with all the time in the world. Certainly, as we begin yet another year, even though the height of the shopping season is long behind us, we have the spring season to look forward to in the coming months. Perhaps that’s when we can refresh our wardrobes with new and exciting garments and adornments in order to dress more appropriately for special events. We pass the outlet stores every day as we travel on Route 1, and we probably give little or no thought to the fact that Rehoboth has provided this gift, a gift that keeps on giving us the opportunity to enhance our clothing possessions and choices.