Frankly shallow clothes witter
I went clothes shopping this morning with LB. It was a good expedition - we both had lots of fun and I bought two pairs of much-needed boring work trousers, a fabulous peacock feather top/dress thing and some grey footless tights to wear with it, and a t-shirt with peacocks on. LB was egging me on - he loves peacocks and was very insistent that I buy them both. He also said 'lovely top' and 'is it cumfy?' at appropriate moments. He also said 'Mummy doing pee?' every time I took my trousers off, which was less helpful, but amusing. And giggled at himself in the mirrors and climbed all over the seats and charmed the shop assistants. It helped that we were only shopping for an hour and a half because I had to go somewhere else afterwards, but I'll definitely try shopping with him again when I next need anything.
I nearly always end up buying my boring work trousers in Top Shop because they are relatively cheap and they do different leg lengths which means I don't get the trailing-in-the-puddles-because-I-don't-wear-heels problem. I always feel a bit old and unfashionable to be shopping in Top Shop and it's very clear that people with pushchairs (or indeed with mobility problems) are not their target patrons because you have to go upstairs in what is basically a goods lift. While I was there I was seduced by these trousers because I have a residual fondness for patterned trousers which I wore a lot in the early 1990s (which is also when leggings were last in, ISTR, which I lived in for about a decade. Way after they were hugely unfashionable. But I loved them. I am delighted by their return.)
But I have nothing to wear them with. Two delightfully helpful 15 year olds (aka shop assistants) brought me loads of tops to try with them, but nothing worked. Partly that was because they kept bringing me peach and cream kind of colours which really don't suit me, but (possibly) grey and (certainly) pink ought to work (although a baggy pink jumper they brought me felt like too much pink - just too feminine for me). I think the main problem was the shape and style of the tops they brought. Everything looked way too fashionable - I didn't look like me and my haircut looked all wrong for the clothes. I don't understand tops at the moment. I think the layered thing is still going on, but I don't know how to do it. Baggy jumpers also seemed to be prevalent but I just think I look like myself in 1990 if I'm wearing legging-style trousers and a big saggy baggy jumper. Is that the idea?
So now I have some fabulous trousers with nothing to wear with them. And a bit of a guilty conscience for wasting money and the world's resources on non-essentials (not that even the work trousers were essential. I could have got some less flattering/fashionable ones in a charity shop. Or refused the expectation of smart clothes for women at work and carried on wearing the permanently-snotted-and-stained old ones)
I nearly always end up buying my boring work trousers in Top Shop because they are relatively cheap and they do different leg lengths which means I don't get the trailing-in-the-puddles-because-I-don't-wear-heels problem. I always feel a bit old and unfashionable to be shopping in Top Shop and it's very clear that people with pushchairs (or indeed with mobility problems) are not their target patrons because you have to go upstairs in what is basically a goods lift. While I was there I was seduced by these trousers because I have a residual fondness for patterned trousers which I wore a lot in the early 1990s (which is also when leggings were last in, ISTR, which I lived in for about a decade. Way after they were hugely unfashionable. But I loved them. I am delighted by their return.)
But I have nothing to wear them with. Two delightfully helpful 15 year olds (aka shop assistants) brought me loads of tops to try with them, but nothing worked. Partly that was because they kept bringing me peach and cream kind of colours which really don't suit me, but (possibly) grey and (certainly) pink ought to work (although a baggy pink jumper they brought me felt like too much pink - just too feminine for me). I think the main problem was the shape and style of the tops they brought. Everything looked way too fashionable - I didn't look like me and my haircut looked all wrong for the clothes. I don't understand tops at the moment. I think the layered thing is still going on, but I don't know how to do it. Baggy jumpers also seemed to be prevalent but I just think I look like myself in 1990 if I'm wearing legging-style trousers and a big saggy baggy jumper. Is that the idea?
So now I have some fabulous trousers with nothing to wear with them. And a bit of a guilty conscience for wasting money and the world's resources on non-essentials (not that even the work trousers were essential. I could have got some less flattering/fashionable ones in a charity shop. Or refused the expectation of smart clothes for women at work and carried on wearing the permanently-snotted-and-stained old ones)