. . . is having to get new clothes. Currently, I'm a size 6 but most of my clothes are a size 12. It makes me feel sloppy to have such baggy, ill-fitting clothes but I'm in a bit of a 4-way bind.
Firstly, I know I do not want to go shopping with the kids. Shopping with the kids means I won't be able to focus as much as I want and I will probably have to rush since they tend to have very little patience for clothes shopping.
Secondly, I really don't know what my style is. I know that I like certain things but I have absolutely no idea how to pull all those things together into a cohesive style. I feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the thought of spending money on new clothes that I don't know exactly what to do with. I mean, I had a style pre-kids. Well, many various styles that corresponded to the phase I was in but back then I enjoyed shopping more and didn't mind spending hours scouring the racks. Hitting the clearance racks at H&M and Macy's was a rush! Well, while I'm not exactly sure of the style that's me, I do know a few things about myself. That I like simplicity. Nothing too fussy. I don't like accessorizing. No big buckle belts or multi-layered ensembles. Just classic kind of stuff with an earthy undertone--comfortable yet kind of chic. Is that even a style? How do I pull that off? I honestly need maybe 5 bottoms and 5 tops. I have one pair of really comfortable brownish colored Danskos and another pair of really comfortable black clogs. I hardly ever choose any other shoes and that's why I don't have that many shoes to begin with nor do I want more shoes so the clothes I buy kind of have to go with the Danskos (or Birkenstocks in the summer).
Thirdly, there's the money constraint. I just renewed a subscription to my favorite magazine for 2 years. It struck me that I could have used that money to get a few things but honestly, shopping these days is kind of stressful and elicits a lot of "Why in the hell is this so expensive? It's not even 100% [insert natural fiber here]!" I subconsciously feel I enjoy the use of the money more with some good reading material. But I also know that I would really enjoy feeling like I look good in my clothes. I think I will go the thrift store route first but I'm going to wait until the hubby is on vacation and I can spend a couple of hours by myself and hit a few different thrifts stores. If I have a good day, with $60 I could really clean up. Forty dollars spent at TJ Maxx, Target or Marshalls should seal the deal. For $100, I might acquire a decent wardrobe. It would be a whole lot more fun and a whole lot less stressful if I had a girlfriend to go with. It would be a kind of adventure maybe. Let me tell you, the other day the simple fact that I can't find anyone to go shopping with was messing with me something awful. Everyone is busy or lives too far away. Heck, I'm too busy. Schedules never mesh at all. So I'm just sucking it up and looking around trying to find some kind of inspiration for the style I'm trying to achieve so that I at least know what to keep an eye out for. I'm trying to eliminate the dread and build excitement. It's kind of working.
Photo Credit: "New Clothes" by TarynMarie on Flickr.com
1 comment:
Oh, you make me want to go shopping with you. I haven't had anyone to go shopping with for a few years. I never pay full price for anything and love hunting the second hand stores and TJ Maxx or clearance racks for beautiful, classic things at a very small price. I have a gorgeous wool sweater for which I paid $2. I can't really do this anymore either though, since my daughter came along...although, I've found that I can get one thing at a time, here and there and that works. Still, it would be nice to have someone to shop with.
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