Today I bought a jacket. It wasn't the jacket I had planned to buy. I had Christmas money to spend on a leather jacket but have had no time to look (where does all the time go?). I went to the little boutique where I bought my husband's perfect leather jacket, because they told me they were expecting a shipment of small women's sizes, and as promised, they had lots. I tried on at least six nice biker jackets, but none was just right -- they were either too boxy, or the collar was too asymmetrical and big, or the front was great but there were leather laces on the back (not my thing), or the zippers and studs were just too lavish.

Then I tried on a black waxed canvas jacket, and I had one of those rare moments where I thought, this is made for me. It's styled a bit like a jean jacket with metal buttons and breast flap pockets, but it also has quilted stitching on the shoulders, zip side pockets and leather trim (under the collar, on the cuffs and hem), which is more like a moto jacket. It's definitely not what I had intended to get, but it looks exactly right! A little edge, but not trying too hard, you know? The perfect thing. The shoulders, the arms, across the chest -- if a tailor had taken my measurements, she would have made a garment of these exact dimensions. As an added bonus, it doesn't matter if it gets a bit wet in the rain.

A perfect fit for tailored items is rare for me, and even rarer on a garment that is stylistically right. I get so unreasonably excited when it happens. Is this what it feels like to be a 'normal' size? Or is it rare for everybody?