The concept of huge parking lots, maze-like overpriced department stores and crowds of people with more time and money than sense has no appeal for me. Someone's post today remindedme that in Femme mode I actually enjoy shopping.
I was discussing this with Dee and she reminded me that we had meant to go to the mall a week or so ago to look for clip-on earrings at Clair's. Clair's is a chain of discount costume jewelery and accessories stores. I said "Sure!"
On the way there we were talking about my shopping acceptance en femme, and wondered how this would go with a days growth of bears, and only knee highs as a nod to my fem side. On the way there it didn't look good. I was cussing out mindless drivers and I wasn't even driving.
Approaching the mall, I felt a visceral loathing. I remember when I was a 35 regular going into a store in the mall on the advice that the big department stores sometimes stock or can order suits in smaller sizes. The asshole snooty salesman at Dillard's took one look at me and sniffed, "We wouldn't have anything in your size." I was also told that Saks had really good quality boys suits and that one of those might fit. They were CRAP polyester, badly cut and $200-$300 back when $200 was actually a lot of money (1986ish) -and they didn't go up to my size either. I eventually found at J. Riggins a charcoal double-breasted pin-striped suit in a 36 and took it to a Chinese (literally) tailor and had it cut down. Small wonder I have never given much concern for my sartorial choices in male mode.
I started to feel better a bit inside the Dillard's entrance where my SO wisely chose the shoe entrance. Cute shoes all around. A lot more than I would pay, and with a male sales associate, not likely I was going to ask to try on anything whether en homme or en femme. He looked a little friendlier than the asshole in the menswear department of 21 years ago, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Through the store, into the mall, past Cinnabon (tempting very tempting), and found a store called icing's. Turns out to be a sister store to Clair's got some silver hoop earrings, (one had a bad backing, NOT looking forward to going back to the @*&?! mall to return that) a pair of Breakfast at Tiffany's Audrey glasses and a pair of Dee's favorite's from the 80's fake RayBans. Also got some silver bangles, and a smal strand of pearls.
At Clair's Dee found her RayBans in light lavender (looks pink in the store) and a pair in red.
Payless in the mall was marked up 30% over identical shoes I saw at Payless in a stand alone store a week ago.
All in all I left in a slightly better mood, but my hatred of malls was enough to burn right through and sunny feelings Barbara has about shopping.
I was discussing this with Dee and she reminded me that we had meant to go to the mall a week or so ago to look for clip-on earrings at Clair's. Clair's is a chain of discount costume jewelery and accessories stores. I said "Sure!"
On the way there we were talking about my shopping acceptance en femme, and wondered how this would go with a days growth of bears, and only knee highs as a nod to my fem side. On the way there it didn't look good. I was cussing out mindless drivers and I wasn't even driving.
Approaching the mall, I felt a visceral loathing. I remember when I was a 35 regular going into a store in the mall on the advice that the big department stores sometimes stock or can order suits in smaller sizes. The asshole snooty salesman at Dillard's took one look at me and sniffed, "We wouldn't have anything in your size." I was also told that Saks had really good quality boys suits and that one of those might fit. They were CRAP polyester, badly cut and $200-$300 back when $200 was actually a lot of money (1986ish) -and they didn't go up to my size either. I eventually found at J. Riggins a charcoal double-breasted pin-striped suit in a 36 and took it to a Chinese (literally) tailor and had it cut down. Small wonder I have never given much concern for my sartorial choices in male mode.
I started to feel better a bit inside the Dillard's entrance where my SO wisely chose the shoe entrance. Cute shoes all around. A lot more than I would pay, and with a male sales associate, not likely I was going to ask to try on anything whether en homme or en femme. He looked a little friendlier than the asshole in the menswear department of 21 years ago, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Through the store, into the mall, past Cinnabon (tempting very tempting), and found a store called icing's. Turns out to be a sister store to Clair's got some silver hoop earrings, (one had a bad backing, NOT looking forward to going back to the @*&?! mall to return that) a pair of Breakfast at Tiffany's Audrey glasses and a pair of Dee's favorite's from the 80's fake RayBans. Also got some silver bangles, and a smal strand of pearls.
At Clair's Dee found her RayBans in light lavender (looks pink in the store) and a pair in red.
Payless in the mall was marked up 30% over identical shoes I saw at Payless in a stand alone store a week ago.
All in all I left in a slightly better mood, but my hatred of malls was enough to burn right through and sunny feelings Barbara has about shopping.
2 comments:
I've found that, even dressed, I have a male's attitude toward shopping--I know what I want, I know where to find it, let me get there and buy it, and I'm gone.
I'm not a browser--even for "male stuff".
There was also the pair of black faux ray-bans :)
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