Friends

07 November 2013

SHOPPING... IN DESPERATION!

Believe me, female clothing can be very uncomfortable at times. I’ve noticed this more as I got older and spent more time sitting down. By the end of the day everything gets tighter. It must be that our clothing shrinks as the day draws to a close, I mean it can’t possibly be that our bodies spread. Can it? A few months ago I began to suffer from too much tightness around the middle. The cause? Skirt waistbands with buttons that dig into my back, tight ‘tights’ or rather the elastic that holds them up, not to mention bones in bras. Everything is fine all day, it’s just in the evening I begin to suffer. It was painfully obvious that action had to be taken.

I’m not a lover of trousers, they always make me feel so unfeminine, but it crossed my mind that I should try and overcome my dislike and spend the coming winter wearing them. This, of course, raised another point. I hadn’t enough pairs of trousers to vary the daily attempts at fashionable attire. There was nothing for it, I had to go shopping.

It was great fun trying on the different styles of trousers, cords, linens, but they were mostly black or navy. I told the assistant I needed colour. That surprised her a little, she probably thought I was one of this little old ladies who always wear black. Wrong. Colour is my thing. Black makes me look like death and I ain’t there yet, thank you very much.

Assistant lady goes hunting and comes back with three items: a super pair of tailored grey which would go with any colour I chose to wear with it, a pair of maroon cords, which clung where they touched but which would ‘give’ in time’, and a pair of pebble coloured cords. I tried everything on before dismissing the maroon on the grounds of feminine pride and putting the pebble on one side for second thoughts. The grey was a must buy item which I later did. So, back to the pebble colour. What to do? Young assistant had a brainwave and called in an older colleague to give her opinion. Ah, that’s more like it, I thought, a woman who understands and knows what she’s talking about.


New lady, known as Lily, quite liked the pebble cords so I wondered why she hesitated. Then she blurted out, ‘have you tried jeans? Jeans? Did she mean DENIM jeans? Yes she did! Lily told me she had several pairs (I later learned that she was a mere 68) and wouldn’t be without them. ‘Go on,’ she pushed, ‘try some on,’ and promptly dashed out to collect a couple. Whilst inwardly pooh-poohing the idea of ever wearing jeans, I went along with the idea of trying them on if only to prove a point. ‘Much better than the cords,’ said Lily, who went on to explain that she even wore jeans for evenings out. Apparently they team rather well with smart tops and jackets.

I am now the proud possessor of a great pair of dressy grey trousers as well as the most comfortable pair of trousers ever designed for an elderly woman. Jeans! Couldn’t wait to try them with all my lovely jackets and tops so whilst still in the store I bought a couple of tops to go with them. Now I’m wondering if one pair of jeans is enough! And those colourful sneakers would look good with jeans, don’t you think? 

18 comments:

  1. How funny Valerie. Here's you looking to wear trousers for comfort when I think it would be a good idea to wear a skirt for comfort. Not that I do of course. Also I am definitely a different shape by the time evening comes.
    Bet you look great in denim.

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  2. OH my gosh....I think that "end of the day disorder" has found me, too! Couple that with a bit of nerve damage and I'm ready to take off all my clothes about 5pm. NOT that he-who-tells-me-I-can is much help. LOL The booger!
    I found out I can finally get BACK into ol' Levi jeans that fell off of me for 4 years. I'm contemplating actually trying dress slacks for work. Or maybe even deciding to have a 'casual' day for the teams so I have an excuse to wear tatty Levi's to work. OMG....I must be insane. ROFL

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  3. ha. i am with john...i need a good kilt to wear...ok, maybe not in winter...smiles...i love it when i find a pair of slacks that fit nice...makes me want to get several pair in case they stop selling them...they always do that when i find ones i like...ha

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  4. I never wore jeans until about 10 years ago...I always get a pair with a little stretch in them....I didn't know what I was missing.

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  5. " as well as the most comfortable pair of trousers ever designed for an elderly woman. Jeans!"

    You GO, Valerie!!!!!

    I LOVE wearing jeans (especially as they get older) because they form to your body and feel so comfortable. The thing about jeans is that you can dress them up with a nice top if you're going out.

    I'm glad you decided to try trousers because personally, I think a woman looks faaaaaabulous in them! I also love seeing a woman in a suit (with trousers, not a skirt) because I think it looks so sharp AND sexy!

    Have a terrific Thursday, dear lady!

    X

    P.S. Enjoy your jeans!

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  6. Oh, Valerie, I LOVE this post!! LOL. Good for you for taking the leap into the world of jeans. I turned 66 in October, and have been a jeans wearer my whole entire life. I wear smart dressy ones to funerals, I wear them when we go out to dinner (which isn't all that often), and they're the first things I put on in the morning. Needless to say, I have LOTS of JEANS!!!

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  7. Go Valerie!! I wear jeans a lot, including skinny ones, during the day. I tend to always wear a dress when we go out though, more dressed up I think, though you can dress up in jeans.

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  8. It's not just woman. I personally loathe buying trousers and jeans. Especially after a long day at work.

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  9. John, not bad...not bad at all :O)

    Mel, it's a nice feeling to be able to get back into clothes that once we gave up on. Hmmm if you're insane, then so am I :O)

    Brian, if ever you get a kilt I shall expect to see pictures... oooh the legs on show... what a sight.

    BC... I caught you up, at last.

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  10. Ron, Maybe one day I'll say I LOVE wearing jeans. Yes, the assistant told me jeans look good with a smart top. I can't wait to try that out.

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  11. Mona, does that mean I have to buy MORE? Ooooh what a thrill that would be.

    Pearl, it was my age that made me wonder if I was doing the right thing. For dressing up purposes I'm glad I bought the grey pair as well.

    Mersad, perhaps you should go trouser shopping on your days off.

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  12. Give you a year of these clothes and you will actually be younger, Valerie ! :)

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  13. Oooh Jennie, if that's the case someone should have told me to buy jeans sooner. I could do with knocking a few years off :O)

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  14. You go Val. So awesome. Good for you and glad to read all about it. Can't wait to see some colorful new sneakers to go with the rest of your outfit. Take care.

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  15. welcome to my world Valerie...
    I love my jeans and rarely give them up for linen or cotton .. they do go with anything and are second in comfort only to the 'scrubs' I wear at work.

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  16. Good for you Valerie. I do love my jeans. I have them on right now. They are so comfortable and go with most everything that I have in my closet. Thanks for the comment on my Germany post. BTW jeans are very much 'in' over there.

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  17. As a guy, I find the act of clothes shopping a task. I'd rather get a root canal than shop for clothes. But, oddly enough, I don't like to look like a slob. I've found that taking my son out with me when clothes shopping improves the experience. He's always bringing strange articles of clothing up to me to try on. According to him, Plaid shirts and neon pants are in style. Heh....crazy kid.

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  18. Herman, you have reminded me that my son - when he was about Tyler's age - used to sort out clothes for me to try on. He had good taste for a youngster, better than mine, and I usually bought what he chose.

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