Hospital Gowns, Hospital Frowns

Due to circumstances way beyond my control, I'm back in the hospital. Every prison sentencing hospital visit has a common thread: I never wear any hospital attire unless it is explicitly unavoidable. Nor will I ever, that is, unless Mademoiselle Coco Chanel rises from the grave to design an exclusive line of medical issue hospital gowns.

The doctors and nurses just don't get it. Sure, it convenient for them, but those gowns are ugly. I'm already depressed that I have to be here, inhaling the fumes of cleaning agents and pre-packaged medical supplies. I shouldn't be made to feel worse by having to spend my days in a cotton smock.

The dresses pictured above would make perfectly reasonable replacements. Stylish, but not constricting. Comfortable without looking like a slob. The oversized mohair sweater dress does have a burlap sack look to it, but I'm willing to overlook that if only for the fact that it's childlike cut is endearing. It doesn't just hang off the body, it envelops the body; like a grown-up security blanket. And in a place as uncertain as a hospital, it's nice to have that protection.

The white multi-layered shirt dress is pure fantasy. A fairytale piece. Soft, delicate. Everything you want to feel while waiting for test results. And look, there's snaps, which automatically make it utilitarian too!

**Street style photos courtesy of JAK AND JIL and STREETFSN