“The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.” - Sun Tzu

One of the things that I enjoy most about the blogosphere is the exchange of ideas...the way that you can watch things sweep, like a wave, across the virtual sea...changing and morphing as they go. How one person's words can get you thinking...

When I read The Search For Chic's post about her new suede trousers...well, new for her...beautifully tailored from an existing pair she bought on eBay...it caused me to, once again, try to decide what should be done with a pair of trousers that I inherited from my mother and which are currently hanging in my closet, taking up space but contributing very little. Actually "trousers" is a misnomer...these are gauchos...whose legs consist of so much fabric that they look like a skirt from virtually every angle. This excess of fabric...and their slightly dowdy mid-calf length...means that they're not the most flattering trousers on the planet. They are, however, made of the most butter-y soft suede that I have ever encountered...which almost begs to be re-worked into a pair of (flattering) pants...or a skirt...or potentially both thanks to the sheer volume of fabric available.

What has caused me to veer away from this course of action thus far is that these particular gauchos were designed by Nigel Preston for his label Maxfield Parrish...though his name is not particularly well know he was the designer in his field (sheepskin, suede and leather) for 30 years. To quote his obituary in The Independent (Preston died earlier this year), "where Preston led, Hermès and Gucci followed...it was Preston who first rescued leather from its slick and tough biker-boy, rock'n'roll image, moulding it to the ebb and flow of the body as if it were silk..."

Hence my dilemma...do I take my chances and find a tailor...attempt to work the gauchos into my existing wardrobe...put them on eBay? So many options and me, a dithering mass of indecision...