The Joy of Shopping With Friends

Today’s Attire:  Today I’m wearing black cotton maxi dress with green leaves (Ross $17) and orange suede sandals with gold stud detail (Macy’s $26), Elsa Peretti silver star pendant.

Outfit Justification:  I changed clothes 2 times this morning. I was too hot. I was overtired. And by the time I got to this outfit, I didn’t give a damn how I looked I just needed to get to work.

The Joy of Shopping With Friends:

I’m exhausted. I’m not sleeping very well as I ponder my decision to move. So I feel compelled to keep today’s blog light and fluffy. So I’ll talk about something I love…shopping.

Twice this week, I’ve received a text from two good friends with a picture of something they were trying on.  These are my favorite kinds of texts. These texts are my friends asking my opinion on items they’ve picked out as they are shopping on their own. My friends who know me so well know that I love to shop. I love to put together outfits for myself and for my friends. So I adore the fact that that they come to me for my take on their items.  This makes me smile. It means they trust my taste.  And thank God for modern technology and the invention of camera phones. So when I can’t be there with my friends picking out stuff or offering opinions, I can do this remotely via text.

Clothes shopping is a mission for me.  Picking out the ultimate outfit is a challenge for me. I love the thrill of the hunt.  Whether the outfit is for me, or for someone else. I’ve been given a mission to find something that will compliment the body, feel comfortable and look really good. Because this isn’t my job, I love it. I think if someone paid me to do this, I would love it for a little while and then hate it.  But I digress.  Putting together the right outfit is a high.  Finding the perfect clothes, shoes and accessories is fun.

Sunday as I wallowing in family drama, I got a text from my friend Starr saying she was heading out to go shop for an outfit for her upcoming gig and a friend’s wedding. I already had plans for the day that didn’t include shopping (and she didn’t really invite me to go with her) I wished her well and told to text me if she needed me. A few hours later she sent me a picture of an outfit she was trying on with the words “unflattering?” That text made me smile with absolute glee. The outfit was gorgeous and not unflattering at all. Beautiful skirt in my favorite color and it made her look slim and sultry. I immediately texted back that it was a winner. And even though she did the actual picking of the items, I suggested the place to shop.  A few days before she sent pictures of shoes she had purchased. She started building the outfit from the shoes up.  The items she picked on Sunday worked so well with the shoes.  She made an additional trip to finish out the outfit by adding accessories and a complimentary top to the gorgeous skirt she found. The funny thing is that I felt like I was there experiencing it with her. 

On Monday my friend Becky sent me a text saying she needed my help and that she was sending an email with pictures.  And again with absolute delight I started to smile in anticipation of what she was going to send me.  After the email doesn’t come through, Becky sends a text with two pictures of her in a dress. Becky never wears dresses so this was even more exciting.  I immediately called her with my feedback.  One dress I loved the color, and it’s difficult to get Becky out of comfortable norm of navy blue and black. But the fit wasn’t as flattering on her small frame. Where was the other dress was her typical colors, but it was an actual print…which Becky never wears. I voted for the print dress. She agreed with my assessment and proceeded to make her purchase. Again it felt like I was there.  And frankly I was happy to see Becky step out of the comfort zone, and still trust me for fashion advice.

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to go shopping with my friends Cheryl and Joanne. After a lovely lunch they wanted to explore Del Amo Fashion Center, which is one of the biggest malls in the area.  As we stopped in Macy’s they kept exclaiming how much fun they were having shopping with me as opposed to shopping in general. I took that as a pretty big compliment.  Shopping can be a daunting task when you’re not sure what to look for, where to go, or have a clue as to what looks good on you.  Having a second or third opinion there to help can be a really nice thing.  They’ve now decided if they’re going clothes shopping, I must be along for the adventure.  Gotta love that.

I did shop for me.  But I think the most fun experience was when we were in shopping in “I’m Way Too Old For This Store But They Have A Plus Size Section” also known as Forever 21.  (Cheryl referred to it as Forever Double Zero).  The reason why this part of the shopping trip was fun was because it was mostly comical. There are so many ridiculous things in this store. And frankly my self-deprecating humor side took over I opted to try them on. In my head, I knew this was going to be hilarious.  I tried everything from something super slutty, to something ridiculously young, to probably the most redneck thing I could find…and ultimately bought: a red Hello Kitty shirt that says “hello” on the front and “bye” on the back, a pair of denim cut off shorts with leather fringe hanging off the sides.  I paired it with short brown boots and a red cowboy hat, because frankly it was ridiculous enough to do that.  And I even found an occasion to wear it…the world’s saddest birthday party ever. That’s another story that I won’t go into. The outfit was a big hit and it was fun to be fun to wear. I’ll bring it out again for…Halloween.

Even my husband enjoys shopping with me. Which proves I married the right man.  But I think he enjoys it for the fashion show aspect of it. (He gets to sit in the man chair and watch me try on things that have the potential to be sexy on me) Or maybe he just enjoys how happy I get when I find something fantastic that looks good on me.  And every now and then we go shopping for him.  I get to pick out things for him to try on. Sometimes I surprise him with things he thought he’d never wear in a million years but often enough they look so good on him that he has to buy it. And with him being as much of a ham as I am, he loves looking good too.  So it’s nice to be out and about in our fashionable clothes like a non-celebrity It-couple. (Someone just called us that last night). As I think back to our wedding day and during my very tearful thank you speech, I ended with the most powerful statement of all “my husband is great for many reasons…and he goes shopping with me”.  In my eyes that’s true love right there.

Today's Outfit:

Ridiculous outfit: