February 21, 2011

There's Always Black





Yesterday and Today
Himself: Fixed the radio then went shopping, found a second Nike style that fit….oh Hurrah, dinner, meetings. Today discovered the DMV didn’t send him a Drivers License renewal form in December.

Herself: Laundry….ah, the excitement of it all. Shopping, dinner, meetings. Broke down and took Advil. Normally I make it through to Wednesday. No Swimming as he has the car and truck. More laundry.

I’ve been waiting all week to take my lost-on-my-husbands-desk, newly rediscovered, stimulus check and go find a pair of black pants that are long enough. Length. That’s the key to my wardrobe. I’m tired of pants that are four inches above my ankles.

Oh, I have two pair of black pants. One is a sized twenty I cannot get into. The other is a twenty I can wear comfortably but has faded to blotchy grey. That pair bares lots of my shins, plus the odd ankle bone, to the weather. Naked ankles are ok with sandals in the heat of the summer. In this 46 degree, (7.7 C) weather, I’m not letting anything bare itself into the wind.

Check in hand, my husband went shopping with me at a mall….instead of a thrift store. There were no black denim pants at JCPenney’s….except of course the Gloria’s that have way too much stretch in them and fall off after four minutes. When I purchased a pair of green cords, for that odd green has always been my personal black, I discovered that everything was on sale. I could actually afford to shop. It was a mind opening thought.

Macy’s. We moved on down the mall to Macy’s. The fashionista boss where I volunteer told me to go to a more politically correct store instead of Macy’s, but I had hopes. With my husband tailing along, doggedly I headed up two escalators to the Fat Lady’s section….Macy’s calls it “Women’s,” and our shop calls it “Plus Size.” I foraged on hoping there would be a Ralphie in a giant size. I don’t have to alter those. No Ralphies.

What I did find were two pair of Macy’s house brand black denims at one fourth the cost of a single pair of “Not Your Daughters Jeans.” Gathering my new black pants into my arms, I noticed acres of photo opportunities just waiting on every corner.

I was in heaven; my camera was with me.

14 comments:

  1. I repeat what I've said before. (Besides telling every catalog clothier that I don't trust their sizes.) Instead of games on a Wii, we need a program that can follow our bodies and determine what size we really wear.

    I never can tell if a given size will button over my bust. And if I choose the next size up, the sleeves cover my hands...

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  2. Sometimes you just have to find out for yourself. Glad that Macy's had 2 pair that fit. I love when you find something that is just your size and style and then they discontinue it....happens to me every few years when I try to replace something that I really liked. Happy Hunting.

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  3. Oh, how I hat shopping. My teenage daughter sees it as a art or a social event. I see it as torture. For the very reasons you mention. All's well that ends well, I guess.

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  4. Clothing! UGH! I hate to shop, but I forage at Ross every so often. When I must.

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  5. I'm glad your camera was with you because this way, we were too.

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  6. and you got some really neat shots, obviously. Who else would have thought to photograph lipsticks! Stunning.

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  7. no black?! you were NOT in nyc, then! i LOVE the pinks and reds and oranges!

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  8. I've given up. No more ordering online. It just isn't worth the risk.

    I buy everything cheap because I'm always "going to lose more weight and will wait until then to buy good clothes."

    That time is almost here. By summer I should be where I want to remain. As a reward to myself I'm throwing caution to the wind and heading to Talbots where I intend to buy some of their wonderful pants, not cheap but oh so wonderful.

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  9. I hate to shop...its hard to find things that fit I give up normally and go home empty handed. Unfortunately in his "hick" town we have NOTHING so I would have to buy a tank of gas and pack a lunch to go elsewhere..lol
    Gald you hit paydirt!!
    Thats a super lipsticks shot you brought back!!

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  10. Glad you found what you were looking for a good price. Things are so expensive here in Hawaii and not enough discount malls. I'm looking forward to getting back to Illinois some day to do some shopping.

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  11. I always call it the fat lady section, also. The sales people get very annoyed at me.

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  12. Yea, two pairs of something you like. I can't order online, tried to replace an LLbean jacket with the same size and I'm 20 pounds lighter, couldn't get it buttoned, so back it went. Sigh. Tiny Macy's in our semi-remote town, and nothing else, so if the mail aways don't work too bad for us.

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  13. Life is tough enough without stressing over clothers. I have dressed in Land's End stuff for years and love the way they cateer to people my size with elastic.

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  14. Love the shot of all the lipsticks!

    I buy casual/wear around the house, black slacks at JustMySize.com. They're inexpensive and fit real well.

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