Livin' the Life
I seem to be missing the shopping gene. Maybe it's just that I hate spending money. Or maybe it's that I'm impatient. Being 40 pounds lighter would certainly make clothes look better on me, too... Anyway, I was looking for a new interview suit for weeks without success. I tried Macy's, Lord and Taylor, and even *shudder* Frugal Fannie's. It's like Building 19 with only women's clothes. You can find some good bargains there if you are able to endure the agony of changing in a dressing room without individual stalls. A stranger asked me to help her with the zipper on her dress. The horror. Anyway, I almost found success at FF's, but the suit coat and the skirt didn't have the same codes, so they wouldn't let me buy them as a unit even though they matched. Alas. So, then Ruth drove me down the road to Sym's where I picked up a black suit that was a little bit too big and also had these shiny buttons (actually snaps) that I didn't love. So my search continued. I planned to return the Sym's suit if I found a better one.
Waiting for the elevator yesterday, I was telling my co-workers about my aversion to shopping. "I wish I had a personal shopper," I said. "I want to be like someone on What Not to Wear or Queer Eye." (Although, Carson did pick out a hideous suede shirt for a guy last week. I apparently get hundreds of cable channels that I didn't know about.) Well, last night, my dream came true. Armed with birthday money from my parents and my aunt and uncle and a 20%-off coupon, I stepped into Banana Republic. Because the economy is bad, there were hardly any customers in the store. And all the employees were so helpful! I felt so VIP! Mark was especially fabulous. He brought me suits in various sizes along with dozens of blouses to wear underneath. In the end, I wound up with essentially two suits because I bought a black A-line skirt that matches pretty much exactly with a black suit jacket that I have at home. And the brand-new suit is gray pin striped, and I got a fuschia (?) shirt to wear underneath. The suit is more than twice as much as the one I'm now going to return to Sym's, but it's nicer, and the personalized service made it worth it. Plus, my grandfather is supposed to give me money for the suit, and, like I said, I got money from my parents and aunt and uncle, so that might cover my shopping spree anyway! Then I splurged and took a $20 cab home with my bags of purchases. I want to be rich every day...
Waiting for the elevator yesterday, I was telling my co-workers about my aversion to shopping. "I wish I had a personal shopper," I said. "I want to be like someone on What Not to Wear or Queer Eye." (Although, Carson did pick out a hideous suede shirt for a guy last week. I apparently get hundreds of cable channels that I didn't know about.) Well, last night, my dream came true. Armed with birthday money from my parents and my aunt and uncle and a 20%-off coupon, I stepped into Banana Republic. Because the economy is bad, there were hardly any customers in the store. And all the employees were so helpful! I felt so VIP! Mark was especially fabulous. He brought me suits in various sizes along with dozens of blouses to wear underneath. In the end, I wound up with essentially two suits because I bought a black A-line skirt that matches pretty much exactly with a black suit jacket that I have at home. And the brand-new suit is gray pin striped, and I got a fuschia (?) shirt to wear underneath. The suit is more than twice as much as the one I'm now going to return to Sym's, but it's nicer, and the personalized service made it worth it. Plus, my grandfather is supposed to give me money for the suit, and, like I said, I got money from my parents and aunt and uncle, so that might cover my shopping spree anyway! Then I splurged and took a $20 cab home with my bags of purchases. I want to be rich every day...