SWEATER - Willi Smith - eBay
KNIT TOP - eBay: $13.94
BLACK FLARE JEANS - Gap Outlet in Silverthorne: $25.00
RED FLATS - Talbots - garage sale $2.50
I am so proud of myself. My husband, Scott, and I went to Cheyenne, Wyoming on Saturday to do a little shopping. There is a very nice consignment store downtown called Donna's Wear It Again. I browsed through the store and the one item that I was really drawn to was this:
a zebra spring jacket by Lane Bryant for $20.00. Unfortunately, being plus size it was to big for me. The sleeve length was great, which can be tricky with my long arms, but even though I could belt the middle, it was too roomy on the top. I still wanted to get it though. It wasn't that big. I really liked the print and the price was right. Then I thought of my friend, Connie. She is very particular about the fit of her clothes. If something doesn't fit properly, she won't fudge it. She hems all of her pants and jeans to the correct length for her shoes. Would Connie buy this jacket? Heck no! So I behaved myself and didn't get it.
Then we went to the Frontier Mall. Tall Kendall had told me that she buys her jeans at Buckle. Kendall is 6' 2" so I thought if they have jeans long enough for her, they'll have some for me. I had never been in a Buckle store before. They have some really cool clothes and about half a dozen different jeans brands including Miss Me, Silver, Big Star, and BKE with long inseams and even super long inseams. Joy! At first it was pretty overwhelming though because within each brand there were different styles like bootcut, flare, straight and skinny, and then the different rises, and then the different washes, whiskering, and distressing. Oh my!
I picked out four pairs and a nice salesgirl let me into a dressing room. I was trying to get a style and wash that I don't have. I wear a lot of dark bootcut jeans (thank you Stacy and Clinton) so I wanted a pair of light wash with some distressing straight leg jeans. I must say though that the thought of paying $65 to $100 for a pair of jeans with holes in them was a little hard to swallow.
Well, none of the jeans I picked out fit just right. Now the nice sales girl is helping me. She starts throwing jeans over the dressing room door and I start trying them on. I try on pair after pair. And the sales girl keeps throwing jeans over the door and I keep trying them on. This goes on for quite a while. I am exhausted. I'm hot, sweaty, the pile of reject jeans is growing larger and larger, and I am getting confused about what I want, what I've tried on, what is working and what is not. Finally, there is a lull in the jeans flying over the door, and I put my jeans and sandals back on and step out of the dressing room. The sales girl is returning with yet another pair. "I'm sorry.", I say. "None of these jeans are quite right and I am done." I felt really badly for not buying anything from this ever-so-helpful sales person who had worked so hard to help me, was probably paid on commission, and now had an enormous pile of jeans to sort and put back out in the store. But then I thought of my friend, Connie. She had gone to a White House Black Market store and bought some expensive clothes. She didn't exactly feel pressured by the sales person, but she told me later that she bought some things because of the sales person. Would Connie now buy an expensive pair of jeans that was not perfectly what she wanted? Heck no! So I thanked the salesgirl profusely and walked somewhat guiltily but still with my head held high out of the store. I will go back to Buckle and try again at a later date.
On the way home, I had nothing to show for my trip, but I was proud of myself. I had used good judgement and wasn't bringing something home that I would later regret adding to my closet and I hadn't spent money on pricey jeans for all the wrong reasons.
Have you ever bought clothes that didn't fit well, or only because they were a bargain, or because you felt pressured by a sales person, or that you already had the same thing back home in your closet, or for some other wrong reason?
