Marguerite
Active Member
The saga of a shopping trip -
husband had the day off work today and had agreed to come shopping with me, to help me choose a Mother of the Bride dress for the wedding next month. I've got a mail-order catalogue with 10 post-it notes marking things I want to order (hoping one of them will arrive in time AND be something that looks good) but husband wanted to check the shops out first. The dress I had bought last week, he said was too tight, the extra flab on my back was squished together like a buttock crease down my back, he said. Ugh! A pity, it was lovely, floaty and floral, although not full-length which I sort of wanted.
So we took back the dress I had previously bought. I mean, I have a figure of sorts at last, I do have a good waist but I still have a bit of loose flab over, and the dress showed too much of it - the crease down my back, plus 'batwings'. The shop assistant said I could always cover up the batwings with a lovely little bolero, a steal at only $180...
I was hoping to try on the next size up, to see what husband thought. But they didn't have it any more, so instead I just got the refund and we went on our way.
My first attempt to go shopping a few weeks ago with a friend, was a bit of a disaster. My friend has impeccable taste, but is what is euphemistically called a "larger lady" which I was also 18 months ago. And despite the fact that she is proud of my achievements with weight loss, she couldn't wrap her head around the differences between us and kept choosing things that would look great on her, but not on me. For example, gold and black - look fabulous on her, especially with the straight up-and-down lines of these outfits. But on me, they hide what shape I have uncovered. PLus our big day of shopping got blown out of the water when an appointment I had lined up to get my engagement ring valued, got reschedule without notice.
So today was the third attempt. husband is very patient but afgter 30 yers he has a clear idea of what looks good o me and what doesn't. Besides, he WILL tell me if it looks awful from the back (or where I can't see myself clearly) while the shop assistants will tell you any old rubbish, just to make a sale.
Store after store. I began by wearing my good high-heels, the ones I plan to wear to the wedding. But I soon had to change back down to my walking flats. I had worn a dress so as to make changing easy, but I found I had worn the WRONG dress (I actually wore the dress I had bought for difficult child 1's wedding, the one I got in an op-shop). It ties at the waist and has a side zip. It got really tedious after the first ten removals...
Just after lunch we had found a simply glorious black dress, full-length satin with jewelled halter-neck bodice. It was in the same store where so many girls buy their school formal dresses (formal = prom). Too many of the dresses looked like school formal dresses or bridesmaids dresses, designed for sweet 17 year olds, not someone over 50. But this one dress - it looked promising. Just very, very expensive...
husband was a darling through it all. At the next large store we found a lovely mid-calf length dress, again black and halter-neck. easy child 2/difficult child 2 had met up with us for her half hour lunch break and helped me in and out of a few dresses. The sales lady was very high-pressure but husband shut her up by being VERY firm. "She does NOT wear plaid!" he snapped, and the sales lady retreated.
easy child 2/difficult child 2 was really helpful although like her father, equally frank if something did not look right. "No way, Mum, that colour is the new Menopause Mauve - do NOT wear it to my wedding!"
I finally found something good and said to husband, "I think this is the one, but I just want to go back to the prom store and have another try on, to see which I like best. But it IS more expensive and I don't think I would ever wear it again..."
But on the way, I walked past another shop I'd been drooling in before and tried on a dress I'd admired last week. And it fitted! it's just what I wanted - long, floaty, but can be dressed down for a less formal summer look. It's green silk with a laser-printed subtle floral design on it. It was the same price as the dress we'd returned, half the price of the one we were on the way to reconsider. And it looks so much better - a delicate spring green which looks good on my skin, where black just can never look so good.
Next stop - the bra shop. Again husband came to the rescue and made some really helpful suggestions. I must admit, I was feelnig exhausted by this stage and just needing to cut through the crud and get to the chase. A shop full of cute young things isn't always the place to meet the needs of a middle-aged lady with boobs dangling round her knees. "I need a Salvation Army bra," I explained, figuring she'd heard them all. But she hadn't. So I continued, "You know? Uplifts the fallen."
Aha. Enlightenment. They stepped up and found me exactlywhat I needed and helped metry on my new dress to find a bra that I could wear with it. They were suggesting some Hollywood tape but husband reminded me, "We've already got some at home, from the LAST wedding. But some clear straps would be a good idea."
After we got home husband hugged me and said, "I have really enjoyed spending the day with you."
He told me his (male) colleague at work had patted him sorrowfully on the shoulder when he told him we were dress shopping together today. And said, "I'm sure a lot of those sales ladies today thought you were shopping with a gay friend, your own personal Carson Kressley."
Of course afterwards we went to the shops where husband wanted to go, to buy his workshop materials, some metal fasteners and a new remote control for the TV.
It was the least I could do for him!
It is such a relief to have finally got something to wear. One more hurdle out of the way!
Marg
husband had the day off work today and had agreed to come shopping with me, to help me choose a Mother of the Bride dress for the wedding next month. I've got a mail-order catalogue with 10 post-it notes marking things I want to order (hoping one of them will arrive in time AND be something that looks good) but husband wanted to check the shops out first. The dress I had bought last week, he said was too tight, the extra flab on my back was squished together like a buttock crease down my back, he said. Ugh! A pity, it was lovely, floaty and floral, although not full-length which I sort of wanted.
So we took back the dress I had previously bought. I mean, I have a figure of sorts at last, I do have a good waist but I still have a bit of loose flab over, and the dress showed too much of it - the crease down my back, plus 'batwings'. The shop assistant said I could always cover up the batwings with a lovely little bolero, a steal at only $180...
I was hoping to try on the next size up, to see what husband thought. But they didn't have it any more, so instead I just got the refund and we went on our way.
My first attempt to go shopping a few weeks ago with a friend, was a bit of a disaster. My friend has impeccable taste, but is what is euphemistically called a "larger lady" which I was also 18 months ago. And despite the fact that she is proud of my achievements with weight loss, she couldn't wrap her head around the differences between us and kept choosing things that would look great on her, but not on me. For example, gold and black - look fabulous on her, especially with the straight up-and-down lines of these outfits. But on me, they hide what shape I have uncovered. PLus our big day of shopping got blown out of the water when an appointment I had lined up to get my engagement ring valued, got reschedule without notice.
So today was the third attempt. husband is very patient but afgter 30 yers he has a clear idea of what looks good o me and what doesn't. Besides, he WILL tell me if it looks awful from the back (or where I can't see myself clearly) while the shop assistants will tell you any old rubbish, just to make a sale.
Store after store. I began by wearing my good high-heels, the ones I plan to wear to the wedding. But I soon had to change back down to my walking flats. I had worn a dress so as to make changing easy, but I found I had worn the WRONG dress (I actually wore the dress I had bought for difficult child 1's wedding, the one I got in an op-shop). It ties at the waist and has a side zip. It got really tedious after the first ten removals...
Just after lunch we had found a simply glorious black dress, full-length satin with jewelled halter-neck bodice. It was in the same store where so many girls buy their school formal dresses (formal = prom). Too many of the dresses looked like school formal dresses or bridesmaids dresses, designed for sweet 17 year olds, not someone over 50. But this one dress - it looked promising. Just very, very expensive...
husband was a darling through it all. At the next large store we found a lovely mid-calf length dress, again black and halter-neck. easy child 2/difficult child 2 had met up with us for her half hour lunch break and helped me in and out of a few dresses. The sales lady was very high-pressure but husband shut her up by being VERY firm. "She does NOT wear plaid!" he snapped, and the sales lady retreated.
easy child 2/difficult child 2 was really helpful although like her father, equally frank if something did not look right. "No way, Mum, that colour is the new Menopause Mauve - do NOT wear it to my wedding!"
I finally found something good and said to husband, "I think this is the one, but I just want to go back to the prom store and have another try on, to see which I like best. But it IS more expensive and I don't think I would ever wear it again..."
But on the way, I walked past another shop I'd been drooling in before and tried on a dress I'd admired last week. And it fitted! it's just what I wanted - long, floaty, but can be dressed down for a less formal summer look. It's green silk with a laser-printed subtle floral design on it. It was the same price as the dress we'd returned, half the price of the one we were on the way to reconsider. And it looks so much better - a delicate spring green which looks good on my skin, where black just can never look so good.
Next stop - the bra shop. Again husband came to the rescue and made some really helpful suggestions. I must admit, I was feelnig exhausted by this stage and just needing to cut through the crud and get to the chase. A shop full of cute young things isn't always the place to meet the needs of a middle-aged lady with boobs dangling round her knees. "I need a Salvation Army bra," I explained, figuring she'd heard them all. But she hadn't. So I continued, "You know? Uplifts the fallen."
Aha. Enlightenment. They stepped up and found me exactlywhat I needed and helped metry on my new dress to find a bra that I could wear with it. They were suggesting some Hollywood tape but husband reminded me, "We've already got some at home, from the LAST wedding. But some clear straps would be a good idea."
After we got home husband hugged me and said, "I have really enjoyed spending the day with you."
He told me his (male) colleague at work had patted him sorrowfully on the shoulder when he told him we were dress shopping together today. And said, "I'm sure a lot of those sales ladies today thought you were shopping with a gay friend, your own personal Carson Kressley."
Of course afterwards we went to the shops where husband wanted to go, to buy his workshop materials, some metal fasteners and a new remote control for the TV.
It was the least I could do for him!
It is such a relief to have finally got something to wear. One more hurdle out of the way!
Marg
