I'm working in the big city this weekend, staying at the condo where my husband sleeps during the week. I saw my doc yesterday and my bunion surgery was declared successful, so today's mission is to buy an interim pair of shoes to wear while the swelling continues to go down. That could take a couple months. I can fit into my Ed Hardy sneaks and my hiking boots, and nothing else. I've never shopped with an orthotic before, this could prove interesting.
I've got my Evernote list of needed/wanted items to buy (basic white tees, camis, something to complete a funeral outfit, etc.). I also have a goal to go to a new-to-me store (TJ Maxx) and to get myself into Nordies and try on at least 3 items I wouldn't have considered before joining YLF, just for practice.
In prep for this big adventure, I went closet-diving. When we sold our house 2 years ago, I had to pack in a hurry. I don't have that many clothes, probably less than 100 items, but I my closet at the ranch is only 4' wide and that includes all my drawer and shoe rack space, so I split my stuff between city stuff and country clothes. At the time, we expected I'd be spending at least a week each month in the city. Getting chickens and planting fruit trees and never wanting to leave paradise intervened.
Anyway in the old big house, there was that section of the spare closet where I kept the black tie event stuff...and things that I loved but needed to lose a few pounds to wear. In other words, a closet full of issues to which the door was kept firmly slammed. These clothes got transported to the condo and stuffed away in the office closet. In my mind they were all party clothes and I pretty much had the blinders to them.
This morning I went through them to find the skirt I was planning to use for the ranch funeral capsule. Surprise surprise surprise: another floaty black skirt (bought in a last minute, I-don't-fit-into-what-I-need-to-take crisis for an international trip), an a-line jersey LBD (bought for another weight-induced crisis for an event) and a sheath LBD still with tags on it that I bought hoping I could fit into someday because the mark down was so unbelievable.
With new eyes from the emotional distance of time, what I've learned from just a few weeks here, and some confidence from having worked out this winter, I tried on all these items. To my huge surprise, everything is a keeper. Who knew? I guess I even in crisis-shopping I have an eye for pretty classic lines in my dressier stuff; the sheath fits, DH eyes nearly popped. And thanks to Ingunn's posts like the one about the new white dress, I have some ideas of how to style that sheath.
It's peculiar, these are not the clothes I need for 95% of the life I live, nor even my fantasy life. Wait, I am living my fantasy life at the ranch. Believe me, the chickens won't appreciate the LBD. An LBD isn't near the top of the priority list when we need a tractor, but now that I found two, it will be fun to challenge myself to use them when I come to town.
Whew, that was longer than I meant. Hope to have something new to show for all these words when I get back from my voyage to the mall and the farm store, other than a sack of chicken feed. Wish me luck.
ETA after the shop
I got shoes. Gearish grey and lime sneakers from ABEO
http://www.thewalkingcompany.c.....lime/27405
I doubt they pass the snazzy test, but I wore them out the store and shopped for 3 more hours, so I guess they passed the audition. I can work out in them, which was a closet gaping hole. The Walking Company store didn't have much and the usually reliable Keens hurt. Zappos to the rescue next. I want to try some NAOTs. Got tees at BR, a cami, crocodile-print scarf and barrette at Nordies. I am grooving on tortoiseshell now. The Komarov skirt I liked at Nordies on-line was so cheap-looking IRL I didn't even bother to try it on. No funeral topper anywhere. I think I have a cardi that can pinch hit. Then I got tired, longest upright day in almost 2 months, so I quit while I was ahead.
It was nice to have a plan and not a panic. And to hold out for PPP, knowing I WILL find the perfect tencel-with-pearl-snaps-blue-denim shirt instead of buying the almost-ok-cotton-with-boring-buttons unit. June, when I come back, isn't that far off. It will be interesting to see what I can do with what I have until then.
I've got my Evernote list of needed/wanted items to buy (basic white tees, camis, something to complete a funeral outfit, etc.). I also have a goal to go to a new-to-me store (TJ Maxx) and to get myself into Nordies and try on at least 3 items I wouldn't have considered before joining YLF, just for practice.
In prep for this big adventure, I went closet-diving. When we sold our house 2 years ago, I had to pack in a hurry. I don't have that many clothes, probably less than 100 items, but I my closet at the ranch is only 4' wide and that includes all my drawer and shoe rack space, so I split my stuff between city stuff and country clothes. At the time, we expected I'd be spending at least a week each month in the city. Getting chickens and planting fruit trees and never wanting to leave paradise intervened.
Anyway in the old big house, there was that section of the spare closet where I kept the black tie event stuff...and things that I loved but needed to lose a few pounds to wear. In other words, a closet full of issues to which the door was kept firmly slammed. These clothes got transported to the condo and stuffed away in the office closet. In my mind they were all party clothes and I pretty much had the blinders to them.
This morning I went through them to find the skirt I was planning to use for the ranch funeral capsule. Surprise surprise surprise: another floaty black skirt (bought in a last minute, I-don't-fit-into-what-I-need-to-take crisis for an international trip), an a-line jersey LBD (bought for another weight-induced crisis for an event) and a sheath LBD still with tags on it that I bought hoping I could fit into someday because the mark down was so unbelievable.
With new eyes from the emotional distance of time, what I've learned from just a few weeks here, and some confidence from having worked out this winter, I tried on all these items. To my huge surprise, everything is a keeper. Who knew? I guess I even in crisis-shopping I have an eye for pretty classic lines in my dressier stuff; the sheath fits, DH eyes nearly popped. And thanks to Ingunn's posts like the one about the new white dress, I have some ideas of how to style that sheath.
It's peculiar, these are not the clothes I need for 95% of the life I live, nor even my fantasy life. Wait, I am living my fantasy life at the ranch. Believe me, the chickens won't appreciate the LBD. An LBD isn't near the top of the priority list when we need a tractor, but now that I found two, it will be fun to challenge myself to use them when I come to town.
Whew, that was longer than I meant. Hope to have something new to show for all these words when I get back from my voyage to the mall and the farm store, other than a sack of chicken feed. Wish me luck.
ETA after the shop
I got shoes. Gearish grey and lime sneakers from ABEO
http://www.thewalkingcompany.c.....lime/27405
I doubt they pass the snazzy test, but I wore them out the store and shopped for 3 more hours, so I guess they passed the audition. I can work out in them, which was a closet gaping hole. The Walking Company store didn't have much and the usually reliable Keens hurt. Zappos to the rescue next. I want to try some NAOTs. Got tees at BR, a cami, crocodile-print scarf and barrette at Nordies. I am grooving on tortoiseshell now. The Komarov skirt I liked at Nordies on-line was so cheap-looking IRL I didn't even bother to try it on. No funeral topper anywhere. I think I have a cardi that can pinch hit. Then I got tired, longest upright day in almost 2 months, so I quit while I was ahead.
It was nice to have a plan and not a panic. And to hold out for PPP, knowing I WILL find the perfect tencel-with-pearl-snaps-blue-denim shirt instead of buying the almost-ok-cotton-with-boring-buttons unit. June, when I come back, isn't that far off. It will be interesting to see what I can do with what I have until then.
