Some of the women in my neighborhood are Chasidic Jews. They wear long sleeves and long skirts no matter what the weather. A few look very fashionable, in their own way, but the rest look as though they�ve had the clothing for years. After yesterday�s shopping jaunt for a skirt for Kat, it is the fashionable women who surprise me. I have no idea where they are finding those skirts.

We looked in the juniors� department first. It was hopeless. I�ve met many streetwalkers who dress more modestly than people who buy some of the items in the juniors� department. (I know what I�m talking about here. I�m a public defender. I actually do meet prostitutes.) Kat took one look and sniffed. She then proclaimed the wares �trash.�

We tried the women�s department next. Surely, I figured, the casual career wear would be better. I figured wrong. I have no idea what careers Kohl�s buyer thinks our neighborhood women pursue. (Or maybe I do. Ick.)

We first came across a floofy little pink number with a short skirt and thin fabric. It think it was a Daisy Fuentes (for those of you who keep up with this stuff.) It would have been appropriate only on Lil Abner�s Daisy. �I thought the purpose of a skirt was to cover your butt,� remarked Kat. I thought so too but apparently we thought wrong.

Eventually, in an entire department, we found two much more conservative skirts. Actually, we found three but only two were the right size. Mumbling, because she always mumbles at the trying-on part, Kat put them on. Luckily, one of them was both appropriate (and then some as it came just below the knee) and stunning. We bought it before someone came by and cut some fabric off of it.

Skirting the issue sure is not as easy as it used to be.

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