Shopping trip with friend: UPDATE!

We spent this morning at Nordstrom. The first half-hour was spent in the (ahem) lingerie department looking for "Christmas presents" for husbands. After that my friend said she wanted to find dressy pants, a long pencil skirt, and some nice tops.

Well, shopping for a pear is a whole different world! I could see her fit issues right away... either too big in the waist or too small in the hips. Pencil skirts that look prim on me are VA-VOOM on her. Tops were much easier, again just the opposite of my dilemma. Things that would look risque on me were lovely on her.

So we found her the following items:

Red and black Tahari shell

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/t-.....tback=3122

Black Gibson jacket

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/gi.....sultback=0

Classiques Entier blouse (my pick!) - no link
A black jacquard pencil skirt - no link

Ruffled wool jacket (my pick for her - she loved it!)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/sr?k.....wordsearch

Dolman sleeve top in purple (also my pick!)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ca.....sultback=0

When I left she was still there trying more stuff on! So I consider it a huge success.

The best thing was getting her to try on new shapes and realize that she looked good in different styles than her fallbacks. At one point she complained, "I'm so pear shaped!", which gave me the chance to point out the advantages and ways to downplay what she doesn't like. Also, with the help of a salesperson, we were able to show her that matching does not have to be matchy...

I would never have gotten through this without the invaluable help of YLF. I can't even tell you how much fun it was to shop for someone who is a different body type and see those styles look good on SOMEONE! And we made a pact to spend a whole day shopping the next time we go - she couldn't believe how fast the time went. YAY!

14 years ago

qfbrenda

Veteran

I'm glad it went so well! She got some great pieces.

rae

(website)

YEAH! Go, girls! So impressed that you know the tips and tricks for a pear, even though you are an IT. It sounds like the trip was a huge success!!

catgirl

Rae, it's only because of Angie and the rest of you here! Otherwise, I'd have been a mess - it's amazing to see those fit issues in action.

Aida

Yay Una, it sounds like it went really well! Keep us updated on how the new duds work out for your friend

Suz

What a fun day. And she is SO lucky to have you!

modgrl

Huge success! It must feel so great to help out a friend.

ironkurtin

That sounds so fun - I love that kind of day! Dressing with a friend of a different body type can be a real blast!

IK, you are right - it was fun and so enlightening. It made me realize every body type has fit challenges. I've always thought, "Oh, if only I had that small waist!" Meanwhile, my friend is saying, "What I would give for your narrow hips!"

Ana

Una, this is so great! I'm so glad you were able to help your friend out in this way and your first trip sounds like a success, even if you couldn't find everything you were looking for.

Lantana

Thanks for sharing. I love her/your choices.

Sveta

Una, this is so great! Good for you to be able to spread YLF fashion wisdom to those in need!
It is amazing how much fun it is to shop for somebody else (no wonder Angie does it all the time! I have noticed that during out Toronto meeting: how much pleasure it gave me to help somebody shop even though I did not shop for myself.

Kudos to you for helping your friend dress her shape more positively!

Did you tell her about YLF?

Jenava

That's so awesome! Thanks for sharing and I'm glad it was a success. (-:

MsMary

Yay! Every time somebody has a successful shopping trip, an angel gets her wings...

learning curve

Active Member

That sounds like so much fun, for both of you! (BTW, I love that Dolman sleeve top - I'm going to check that out next time I am at Nordstrom.)

I know I have learned a lot about dressing different body types from reading through this site - Angie does an amazing job of really breaking down the different types and making specific suggestions . That, plus looking at folk's forum photos and comparing how the same item looks different on each body has really opened my eyes to the diversity (and the beauty of this diversity) of how "fashion" fits each of us differently. How awesome that you were able to successfully apply this in real life to help a friend explore some new styles!

Vix

So glad it was a success and she's seeing the benefits of staying true to her style while updating her clothes!

Sounds like you handled her (typical, guilty as well) body image stuff well -- and as a bonus came away with much less of a grass/greener mindset yourself.

Hope she'll allow you to keep us posted on her explorations.

Transcona Shannon

Way to go Una! Sounds like a wonderful experience for both of you. I'm sure your friend is very grateful for your help and advice. She's going to feel marvelous in these new clothes - nice choices BTW!

Anonymous

You're such a good friend, Una! Hooray!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

It warms my heart that you and your friend had fun shopping together, AND that you were able to be supportive of each other in the very best way

Lisa

Sounds like a very successful trip!

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