Today I bought a suit. Having the prospect of job interviews means needing clothing that 1) fits, 2) looks professional, and 3) looks even more professional. I actually think I dress quite well most of the time, but I've put on some weight recently, and I felt like I might need to stage things up a notch for the possible uberjob interview anyway.... so since there's safety in numbers, I called up a friend and invited her to be my fashion consultant for the day, in exchange for a beer afterwards. I figured she would be a sympathetic shopping partner, as she too has somewhat eclectic taste in clothing and would not dress in a suit unless the occasion overtly demanded it. She told me once about finding out that a potential employer had described her as "an Earth Mother type." I asked her what the hell that meant, and she said, "I think it means I have large breasts and wear a lot of natural fibers."
So the Earth Mother and I hit Macy's to check out the possibilities. Frustratingly, I found a jacket which I really liked right off the bat... only to find that there were no matching pants available to turn it from a jacket into a "suit." It was a slightly odd color, and 30 minutes of searching throughout the store found nothing that looked quite close enough to be convincing. WTF, Macy's?!? If I were a guy, I'd walk into the men's department, and every freakin' suitjacket would have matching pants. Dammit. So anyway, we combed the store and found a suit that was workable, if still not quite as satisfying as my first jacket love. I'm now the proud owner of a black suit with a tiny blue pinstripe, and an additional shirt for the not-quite-demanding-a-suit-but-still-shouldn't-wear-a-regular-shirt-and-sweater occasions, which I think this Monday will be. As someone who has always passionately hated shopping for clothes, I can say this wasn't half bad, other than the lack of pants for that one jacket. I actually might check out the other Macys in town before I give up fully on that... Having 2 possible suits wouldn't be a bad thing. Hell, it doubles my dressing options.
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I used to hate clothes shopping. Hated it with the fiery hate of a thousand suns. A grad school friend who was in the anthropology department told me she had found a book that finally allowed her to understand American clothes as well as she understood ancient Mayan customs of dress. I was expecting a tome with Franz Boas footnotes, and instead got handed Suzy Gershman's Best Dressed. Gershman's photo on the back cover did not inspire confidence, but I have to say, the book the sting out of the shopping process, improved my wardrobe dramatically, and saved me a buttload of money. A metric buttload.
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