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Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 06:21 pm
this is a post about shopping
So it is not like, the mature way to deal with having a bad week, but I'm okay with that because I've been waiting for this all year: to wit, when it's almost summer and after a year of school uniforms and only a couple of extra outfits, I get to dress Child in non-uniform, non-holiday-related clothes.
This? Is the best part of my shopping year.
Parents who do not do uniforms for school get to do this a lot and so probably don't get how hugely fun this is. This is also because I save up all the money I'd use on his clothes during the year so I can do this shopping-spree style, because seriously, this is the only time I can wander into the store holding nothing but a credit card and a smile and say "Whee!" I'm a goddamn girl and I'm living the dream, man. Living the dream.
Anyway, this year we went to Old Navy, which between that and GAP are my favorite stores for clothes that don't kill me inside when he destroys, especially since these are the Years of Puberty and basically, the jeans and shorts get six months tops, and he's rough enough on his clothes that I don't flinch when he comes home covered in mud and scuffs.
We wandered around and got t-shirts and jeans and three adorable button ups, one in a godawful brilliant orange that's killing me but Child actually can carry off orange, so what the hell. One pair of jean shorts and one pair of stretchy active-wear shorts, because he really doesn't like shorts since he's, well, active, and gets scratched up a lot. Plus, I verified sizes and I can keep whatever he outgrows, which really is the best part of having a kid, to be honest. I've been stealing his long sleeve t-shirts since his height hit my chin; life is good.
This sort of stuff should be included in the parenting manual: you will be able to buy as many game consoles as you want, you can rack up more leggos and building sets that any human needs, and you will easily refresh your wardrobe regularly and everyone thinks you are either an awesome parent or you have a hideously spoiled child. No one told me this.
Then I made the mistake of walking into Nordstrom's Rack, which is the Nordstrom clearance center and well, jeans. What I am saying is, when Paige Premiums are marked down to nineteen dollars, you do not ask why, you try them on and buy them before someone realizes what they've done.
The thing is, I do have fairly specific taste in jeans, but that's because until I bought my first pair of True Religion, I'd never had a pair that fit, and trust me, I went the gamut from Wal-Mart and Target up to Dillard's and Macy's, and they failed on length or hip every goddamn time. I spent years dodging between men and women's Levi's, and one year, they either had stretched into unwearability or with guy's jeans, they just slide off the hips when one forgets one's belt, since they were not made for a female's curves. I ended up trying on seven pairs and they all fit and it was like a miracle and I kind of wanted to cry because that never happens.
I love my jeans. I love them even more when they're half priced and two pair are like, half of that. So far, True Religion, Citizens for Humanity, Seven For All Mankind, and Paige Premiums seriously work for me in sizes thirty through thirty-two depending on cut, though for Paige I am two sizes smaller and I kind of love them for that. The fourth pair I can't pronounce, but they were so perfectly long (having stupid long legs is stupid; thirty-four inseam is like, nirvana when I find it, thirty-six is where I am willing to take out a mortgage to get them) that yeah, whatever, it's Italian something.
...you know, I'll be honest here, God, who thought up those names?
All require one night of breaking in via sleep to be sure--yes, I sleep in new jeans to break them in comfortably, because that's how you get to know them and bond with them and it's a thing, okay? But yeah. Jeans. Finally. I was down to one pair that were allowed for work; the others are like, three years old and three sizes too big and trust me when I say, nothing quite motivates like having to pull your jeans up every time you sit down, and the last two pair have rips that I personally like, which are fine for everything but work.
Happy. Oh! Nordstrom's Rack has a metric ton of, I kid you not, adorable little Twilight/New Moon shirts. I almost grabbed one for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
svmadelyn and get us a matched set, but I worried she might strangle me in my sleep. They are a sort of loose, clingy, gauzy fabric, long sleeve, short sleeve, and tank tops, and ridiculously cute and some have quotes written in dramatic script on them and some say like, Team Wolfpack, and yeah, I wanted that one so much. But only if I could make other people at VVC wear them with me so we could achieve solidarity in people mocking us.
Oh, feel free to judge me on that one. I judge myself, totally. Because I totally have one and am wearing it. So there.
This? Is the best part of my shopping year.
Parents who do not do uniforms for school get to do this a lot and so probably don't get how hugely fun this is. This is also because I save up all the money I'd use on his clothes during the year so I can do this shopping-spree style, because seriously, this is the only time I can wander into the store holding nothing but a credit card and a smile and say "Whee!" I'm a goddamn girl and I'm living the dream, man. Living the dream.
Anyway, this year we went to Old Navy, which between that and GAP are my favorite stores for clothes that don't kill me inside when he destroys, especially since these are the Years of Puberty and basically, the jeans and shorts get six months tops, and he's rough enough on his clothes that I don't flinch when he comes home covered in mud and scuffs.
We wandered around and got t-shirts and jeans and three adorable button ups, one in a godawful brilliant orange that's killing me but Child actually can carry off orange, so what the hell. One pair of jean shorts and one pair of stretchy active-wear shorts, because he really doesn't like shorts since he's, well, active, and gets scratched up a lot. Plus, I verified sizes and I can keep whatever he outgrows, which really is the best part of having a kid, to be honest. I've been stealing his long sleeve t-shirts since his height hit my chin; life is good.
This sort of stuff should be included in the parenting manual: you will be able to buy as many game consoles as you want, you can rack up more leggos and building sets that any human needs, and you will easily refresh your wardrobe regularly and everyone thinks you are either an awesome parent or you have a hideously spoiled child. No one told me this.
Then I made the mistake of walking into Nordstrom's Rack, which is the Nordstrom clearance center and well, jeans. What I am saying is, when Paige Premiums are marked down to nineteen dollars, you do not ask why, you try them on and buy them before someone realizes what they've done.
The thing is, I do have fairly specific taste in jeans, but that's because until I bought my first pair of True Religion, I'd never had a pair that fit, and trust me, I went the gamut from Wal-Mart and Target up to Dillard's and Macy's, and they failed on length or hip every goddamn time. I spent years dodging between men and women's Levi's, and one year, they either had stretched into unwearability or with guy's jeans, they just slide off the hips when one forgets one's belt, since they were not made for a female's curves. I ended up trying on seven pairs and they all fit and it was like a miracle and I kind of wanted to cry because that never happens.
I love my jeans. I love them even more when they're half priced and two pair are like, half of that. So far, True Religion, Citizens for Humanity, Seven For All Mankind, and Paige Premiums seriously work for me in sizes thirty through thirty-two depending on cut, though for Paige I am two sizes smaller and I kind of love them for that. The fourth pair I can't pronounce, but they were so perfectly long (having stupid long legs is stupid; thirty-four inseam is like, nirvana when I find it, thirty-six is where I am willing to take out a mortgage to get them) that yeah, whatever, it's Italian something.
...you know, I'll be honest here, God, who thought up those names?
All require one night of breaking in via sleep to be sure--yes, I sleep in new jeans to break them in comfortably, because that's how you get to know them and bond with them and it's a thing, okay? But yeah. Jeans. Finally. I was down to one pair that were allowed for work; the others are like, three years old and three sizes too big and trust me when I say, nothing quite motivates like having to pull your jeans up every time you sit down, and the last two pair have rips that I personally like, which are fine for everything but work.
Happy. Oh! Nordstrom's Rack has a metric ton of, I kid you not, adorable little Twilight/New Moon shirts. I almost grabbed one for
svmadelyn and get us a matched set, but I worried she might strangle me in my sleep. They are a sort of loose, clingy, gauzy fabric, long sleeve, short sleeve, and tank tops, and ridiculously cute and some have quotes written in dramatic script on them and some say like, Team Wolfpack, and yeah, I wanted that one so much. But only if I could make other people at VVC wear them with me so we could achieve solidarity in people mocking us.Oh, feel free to judge me on that one. I judge myself, totally. Because I totally have one and am wearing it. So there.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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From:I told you that I was lusting after a couple dresses. To take a break from studying, I have been looking at some cute ones online. I NOW HAVE A LIST.
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From:Show list tonight?
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From:Thus eliminating the size excuse for not joining the group.
They also sell Save Ferris shirts, which is faintly disturbing because their target demographic was born 10 years AFTER Ferris Bueller was released.
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From:Personally? I've already bought my club vivd dress.
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From:I spent half a rent payment on these Libby Smiths (http://www.fluevog.com/code/?p=20&pp=2&view=detail&colourID=2555) from Fluevog and I totally spooned them once. And I don't even have the blanket excuse of needing to break them in because I'm not actually wearing them to bed.
It's just that I really don't think that boots or shoes this expensive and fabulous *don't* have feelings and those boots totally have sex with my feet whenever I wear them, they're *that* comfortable, so I feel like spooning them is just returning the favour?
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From:God, I want the black ones now.
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From:Also, I'm fairly sure that, with the way Fluevogs are made, they will survive the apocalypse. It'll be the roaches and Fluevogs when the end comes.
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From:*taking your advice and fondling them gently right now*
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From:I mean, hi, I already own several pairs of black boots, and right now I'm spending most of my time covered in baby spit-up, but still... !!!!
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From:Totally agree with Old Navy and Gap for 11 and 12 year old boys. Price is comparable to Target, but lasts several times longer, and, lets be honest, our kids are getting to be name brand whores. Eldest will look at something, get excited, and walk away if he thinks it's not good enough for him. Old Navy, Gap, American Eagle, and (gods help us) Banana Republic he will wear. We're willing to buy as a) less fight, b) they fit, c) they last, d) awesome sales, e) awesome extra sales for having a card that works between three of those stores, f) did I mention the less fighting? and g) both are now the same size as E and I, so we kind of get hand me downs between the four of us. *g*
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From:And YES TO ALL--also today? THIRTY PERCENT OFF EVERYTHING IN THE STORE. I almost cried, yo. And most of those shirts fit me. My shoppers' high is very very high.
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From:We came home with 2 pairs of cargo pants, 1 pair of jeans, 2 hoodies and a pair of hiking boots and I was flooded with happy endorphins! He's only had ONE pair of pants that fit since his last growth spurt (bought in haste on holidays when his last pair fell apart), 1 pair of trainers & 1 pair of shiny blacks for school and a couple of warm tops. T-shirts were covered because I bought him half a dozen for Christmas and I do know how to choose t-shirts he will wear - no logos, no pockets, no meaningless prints - and I also can spot a collared shirt he will like at 100 paces.
Er tl;dr I suspect. But anyway! I totally relate to your post!
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From:My aunts and uncles used to look at me (and my mom, who sponsored most of my shopping sprees) like we were crazy when we'd produce multiple outfits per kid for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Little did they know we were only spending about $25/kid.
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From:Hee, oh man, I'd forgotten how that felt. I mean, I went to a private school with uniforms, and like, I got so used to wearing the uniforms that it was almost strange to suddenly need more clothes!
Glad you had fun shoppings! :D
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From:I have my own jean problems in that "average" leg length jeans are just that tiny bit too short and "long" ones are fifty million inches too long and I never end up getting them shortened anyway.
At 5'5" I object to the fact that I sometimes have problems with jeans that are too SHORT.
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From:I recommend http://www.6pm.com for clearance footwear. Their prices are great, and their telephone support is also surprisingly helpful.
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From:Also, randomly, I didn't discover the joy of cargo pants until last Dragon*Con in my SGA BDUs, and now I have three pairs and am looking for reasons to buy more. (I need charcoal grey -- and also cargo shorts, and I could do with a standard blue-jeans pair of cargos, though maybe not enough to pay $50 for them.) So far I've successfully avoided any dress-code-related complaints at work, and I'm just loving being able to have pockets four days in my working week instead of Fridays and maybe one other day. I think I might actually forswear jeans as my standard year-round personal fashion choice (at least if I can find more non-black pairs, because I have too many white or partially-white pets for black pants just lazing around the house).
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From:best twilight vid ever.
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