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myurbandreamnow i know why the fashion-self-conscious spend so much time, money, effort, and discussion on shopping.
that shit is difficult.
unreasonably so, imho.
so, let's see, i spent... four hours today, shopping for clothes (and hair pins and conditioner). i wound up getting... five out of the ten things on my list, which i suppose isn't that bad. but it took me four hours to get five out of ten things. i had a specific mental image of what i was trying to accomplish, without spending more than $40 on any one piece of clothing - but price never factored in, because i couldn't find anything i was looking for. most of those four hours was spent browsing the racks and trying on things that didn't fit me.
on that subject, let me rant about men's and women's sizes.
one of the things on my list today was new work shirts and slacks for jim. he gave me a very specific sizing detail for both. this is how men's button-down dress shirts work: a) the fit; this is how the line of the shirt falls - baggy/"relaxed", or slim, or "classic". b) the size; this is the overall quantity of material - the familiar S-M-L-XL range. c) the neck; this is an inch-measurement around the collar - jim's is 17. d) the sleeve; this is a one-inch range measuring the length of the sleeve from shoulder to cuff - jim's is a 36/37. (he's a big muscle-y guy.) and this is how men's dress slacks work: a) the fit; same as above - "relaxed", "classic", "slim" cuts of pants. b) the leg and (i think) in-seam; this is a double-number, zB 36/30, that can range all over the place to fit all different leg types and lengths.
women's shirts come in S-M-L, etc. women's pants come in even-numbered sizes, 2-4-6-8 etc. how is this fair? forget fair, how is this efficient or effective?
trying on button-down tops today, i did not find a single one that fit me properly. not a one had an arm cut close enough to my shoulder/armpit, and if i got a shirt to fit even close to my waist, i couldn't move my arms without straining the buttons across the bust. and don't even talk to me about sleeve length. looking at sun-dresses, which i adore, i didn't find a single one made to fit anything larger than a b-cup, which i am decidedly too big for. and then the pants, my god. i have short legs, wide hips, a narrow waist (by comparison), and a big butt. anything that gets over my butt/hips has about six inches of extra room in the waist and at least two inches dragging on the floor.
how the hell am i supposed to look nice at work without breaking the bank on bespoke clothes? seriously, internet, i am asking you.
that shit is difficult.
unreasonably so, imho.
so, let's see, i spent... four hours today, shopping for clothes (and hair pins and conditioner). i wound up getting... five out of the ten things on my list, which i suppose isn't that bad. but it took me four hours to get five out of ten things. i had a specific mental image of what i was trying to accomplish, without spending more than $40 on any one piece of clothing - but price never factored in, because i couldn't find anything i was looking for. most of those four hours was spent browsing the racks and trying on things that didn't fit me.
on that subject, let me rant about men's and women's sizes.
one of the things on my list today was new work shirts and slacks for jim. he gave me a very specific sizing detail for both. this is how men's button-down dress shirts work: a) the fit; this is how the line of the shirt falls - baggy/"relaxed", or slim, or "classic". b) the size; this is the overall quantity of material - the familiar S-M-L-XL range. c) the neck; this is an inch-measurement around the collar - jim's is 17. d) the sleeve; this is a one-inch range measuring the length of the sleeve from shoulder to cuff - jim's is a 36/37. (he's a big muscle-y guy.) and this is how men's dress slacks work: a) the fit; same as above - "relaxed", "classic", "slim" cuts of pants. b) the leg and (i think) in-seam; this is a double-number, zB 36/30, that can range all over the place to fit all different leg types and lengths.
women's shirts come in S-M-L, etc. women's pants come in even-numbered sizes, 2-4-6-8 etc. how is this fair? forget fair, how is this efficient or effective?
trying on button-down tops today, i did not find a single one that fit me properly. not a one had an arm cut close enough to my shoulder/armpit, and if i got a shirt to fit even close to my waist, i couldn't move my arms without straining the buttons across the bust. and don't even talk to me about sleeve length. looking at sun-dresses, which i adore, i didn't find a single one made to fit anything larger than a b-cup, which i am decidedly too big for. and then the pants, my god. i have short legs, wide hips, a narrow waist (by comparison), and a big butt. anything that gets over my butt/hips has about six inches of extra room in the waist and at least two inches dragging on the floor.
how the hell am i supposed to look nice at work without breaking the bank on bespoke clothes? seriously, internet, i am asking you.
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Date: 2012-04-16 08:37 pm (UTC)