New Wardrobe

Due to some recent changes in my life, a new wardrobe is in order. I've been slowly building it up over the last little while but I'm still quite a few pieces short. For example, I still don't have a business suit for job interviews nor a suitable dress for the wedding of a dear old friend in May.

I've never been fond of clothes shopping. In my younger years, I dressed to budget which usually meant I looked pretty awful. Old, close friends of mine will remember my then-amazing switch over to...gasp...jeans. Think about it, I just started wearing jeans not 10 years ago. Yes folks, a fashion trend-setter I most certainly am not.

My sis suggested watching "What Not to Wear" but it was more confusing than not. There were some basic principles but there are always exceptions to the rule. That's really fun and all, and I'm starting to appreciate the subtleties but way back when I was just starting out? It was heck to follow.

I did quite a bit of research and ended up with the classic book, "Color Me Beautiful" by Carole Jackson. It had a few pointers that made sense but by and large, I found I didn't really precisely fit into any of the categories. The book made allowances for that but it got murkier and I gave up on it. Don't get me wrong though - it's a good book and I heartily recommend it to any of my sistren still wandering lost in jeans-less land but I suspect I was the last refugee from there. I'll return later to finish reading the book, I'm sure.

So these days, I'm just winging it. You may laugh but I've got a mental chart of the jewellery, tops and other items I own so when I go shopping, I can mentally mix and match the yet-to-be-bought item to see if it has a place in my wardrobe. It's saved me a pretty penny. I also look good according to my sis, who is honest and occasionally brutal when passing fashion judgments.

But that was not always the case. I have a polka-dotted monstrosity in the depths of my closet to remind me of the hubris of thinking I can get away with things simply because I like a particular piece of clothing.

When it comes to shopping, I am in awe of my dear darling sister. She shops like a demon, darting in from one store to another at high speed, a blur of merciless efficiency. I don't shop at those speeds regardless of what my caffeine levels are. When my sister's Malldar (tm) is working at full capacity, she can hit every good clothing store in less time than it takes for me to finish a latte. I'm not going out shopping with my sis again at those demonic speeds until I get a good pair of comfy shoes. Correction: make that a good pair of comfy shoes that I'd be willing to fork out the cash for.

Today's shopping trip was quite successful. I got three nice tops for my wardrobe including a nice seafoam one that I don't look horrid in. I also didn't break the bank doing that which is definitely a bonus. That reminds me, if you'd excuse me, I have to see if the bank will lend me enough money to buy a particularly comfy Manolo Blahnik.