Saturday, July 28

Ms. Maxine, Plus a Confession












I'll admit to being in a sort of odd mood lately. Most of my clothes don't fit, and some of the ones that do are so old I should be ashamed to wear them out of the house. Whenever I look around the stores for clothes, I don't see much that is appealing, and if I like it, it doesn't look good on me or they lack my size. One of my mom's favorite sayings was "There goes mutton dressed like lamb." That's what she always said when she saw a woman who had on clothing befitting someone much younger. It drove home a point and nowadays I try very hard to dress with a youngish attitude - but not so trendy as to make a fool of myself. That's a fine line that's hard not to cross sometimes. Combine that with trying to minimize the negatives and maximize the positives - and you have a real dilemma. Sometimes, wearing all black is the easy way out. I still like black, but I'm tired of it. It's better than mauve crepe with a rose at the waist, though...

LOL!!






There's the added problem of funds, as there is seldom enough to make a shopping trip fun and not a worrisome chore. Maybe I worry too much. Plenty of people just pull out the credit cards and let the chips fall when the bill arrives. I don't want to do that anymore. So with me it's pay as you go or don't buy. Until today.



Today I got tired of caring whether I had a credit bill to pay next month or not. Today, I paid little attention to the cost of things (although everything was on sale, and some of it up to 70% off). I whipped out that credit card as if it were the most natural thing in the world and now I have something to wear to my high school reunion next month. I think. It may be too dressy, or too hot. I'm not sure I have shoes that go with it. Who knows? But at least it is new - not ten years old like most everything else in my closet.


Do you hate to shop? Do you have trouble finding stuff you like? Where do you shop most often?












18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I should hug you. I could have written this post myself!
I really hate to shop for clothes because I can never really seem to find anything that fits, or is a price I'm willing to pay.
And like you, I look great in black but I'm so tired of it! I see women dressed in all types of colors and patterns, but when I try on those same things, I tend to look washed out.
The odd thing is that I really love nice clothes and love the looks by Chicos, and so on. Actually buying them is a whole other story!
I'd really love to find a professional shopper to go with me, LOL.

Good luck Judy, you're not alone!

Anonymous said...

I do like to shop- not really for clothes though- Unfortunately my job requires me to dress 'business casual' so I have to stay fairly well dressed. I'm pretty fat so I'm always scouring the clearance rack at Lane Giant & the couple of other plus sized clothing places around here. I look online at Torrid & Newport News. I don't always like everything I get through online shopping though.
Michele sent me today & I'm glad you found something you like for your reunion!

utenzi said...

Hmmm. I don't squat, Judy, I just angle my head downwards a little. Squatting is too hard on the knees now that I'm getting a little long in the tooth.

Carli N. Wendell said...

I hate to shop so much that I'll often do without what I need or want rather than have to go out into the retail jungle. . . and yet, the money disappears somehow anyway.

And also, right now I'm morbidly obese, which makes clothes shopping more a necessity than anything fun.

Here from Michele--glad you bought yourself something nice.

Bernie said...

Hate to shop??? No I don't hate to shop, but I do hate it when my WIFE wants to shop... lol

Seriously, we shop as a team. She actually hate me going as whilst she is trying on the cloths she wants, I will get a couple more things, and then we end up leaving with the things I picked as they look better!!!

Here from Michele's this morning, and I am glad you got something for the reunion... Will you post a pic of the ensemble??

tiff said...

I hate shopping so much that I purposely buy stuff that i KNOW is too big just to have the assurance that it will be comfy or hte sleeves will be long enough or the trousers will reach my ankles or whatever. Being tall, as you know, carries its own set of issues.

Also, WalMart and me are like best buddies. Also Target. Which explains much about my fashion sense.

I hear you, and second the notion of shopping antipathy, I really do!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I hate to shop for clothes, too. Cannot stand it. I wish I could wake up every morning and find that the little elves who live in my closet have whipped me up a nice new outfit to wear that day.

But put me in a Home Depot, and you'll see some serious shoppin' goin' on...

Mahala said...

Gawd you sound like me. I need to buy clothes really bad, I just hate to go try stuff on and if you order them, you never know if they're going to fit or not.

Beverly said...

It sounds like we're all a bit alike. I'm not a shopper. When I see something that really suits me, I buy it, and then I wear it and wear it. I like Dillard's. I usually find things I like there, and generally they have good sales.

Maxine is so on. I love her. When I visited Hallmark in Kansas City, I mentioned to the ladies at the desk that I'd love to be in on a writing session of her. They told me that the man who created Maxine patterned her after his mother, and often when he spoke, she would go along for show and tell.

Hallelujah! For some reason tonight I can comment. Woo-hoo.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday was my Daughter- in -Laws Birthday so I was forced into a store to buy something for her. While there, I saw some cute Summery things with giant mark-downs. I was delighted and started looking through the rack of tops.

. There were 50 items on that rack and 40 of them were Small and the other 10 were medium!!

What is the matter with the clothing buyers for the department stores? They know we have a bit of money to spend and they know we are mostly plus size women, so why the heck do they stock up on the small sizes and neglect Large and Xlarge? It doesn't make sense to me.

I bought a beautiful pair of earrings for my birthday girl and
NOTHING for myself because there was NOTHING to buy.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Well, because of my health situation, I don't go to any stores any more...I have to do everything over the Internet...AND, because I don't go anywhere I can where just about anything I want, and not care about fashion or anything else! (lol) I used to enjoy shopping if I could just get a lot of stuff in one day and not have to go back to the stores for a good long time!
Mostly what I am buying now are loose comfortyable fitting tops that cover a multitude of sins!

Mike said...

Sometimes you just gotta splurge on yourself.

Loved the cartoons

Michele sent me.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I hate to shop, too, but get me started when I decide I want sale clothes and I'm hard to stop. I think I mentioned on the blog the other day that my favorite clothes places are Coldwater Creek, Chicos, and lower priced Kohls and Ross Dress for Less.

Anonymous said...

Well, no, I always end up wearing the same type of clothes, now that I am retired. As I don't need to "dress up" for work, I just wear jeans and t'shirts. As long as I find my size, I'm happy. I gave up wearing 'real' shoes years ago as my feet hurt too much and am constantly wearing sneakers or tennis shoes.

Michael K. Althouse said...

Oh boy do I ever hate to shop! I remember a question on Michele's blog once was, "When you go to the mall, where do you go first?" Or words to that effect. My answer was "the exit." It hasn't changed.

Michele sent me,

Mike

MaR said...

I love to shop...but mostly I window shop since I don't have any spare room in my closet and my lifestyle only requires casual clothing. I love black too!
And I can get lost for hours in a Home Depot or gift shop...

rosemary said...

I used to love shopping for clothes. I hate it now for all of the reasons you posted...I went to Coeur d Alene, 50 miles away to their smallish mall to find a "frock" for a tea party. All fall clothes, no sales and nothing fit. I came home with an outfit suited for golf and a skirt that goes with nothing I have. I have lost quite a bot of weight and the decent stuff I do have hangs on me. A lot of my clothes are 9-10 years old. Shoes? Tennies. If I could just go out with only a handbag I'd look really sharp.

Anonymous said...

You have my sympathy. I do not like shopping, except for Lowe's or a bookstore. Heaven forbid that I have to look for a dress or a suit. I have a wedding to attend soon - I'm really hoping I don't have to shop. Ugh.