Clothes Shopping

 

   Anyone who knows me at all knows that I truly dislike shopping for clothes. I like shopping for books, yarn, cat stuff, things for the house groceries and just about anything else. Buying clothes is so frustrating that on those rare occasions when I find something I really like, I try to buy several of them in different colours so I won't have to buy that item for a long time. The other thing I do is wear something until it almost falls apart.

   My trusty black church skirt developed a small tear in the back. Thanks to Covid and being a woman of a certain age, my other skirts fit tighter than they used to. My beloved navy blue pea coat is starting to look worn. C has decreed that it is too worn and that I need a new coat.

   I prefer skirts that hit below the knee, I was looking for a winter weight material and something that is in a classic style. I want something I can wear for many years. I'd like another pea coat, but was willing to get something else if I saw something that I liked. There were a few things that I didn't want. I did not want a puffy coat. I'm already more than a little self conscious of my size, I do not want a coat that will make me look like the Michelin Man. I also did not want anything with down in it. I had down coats in the past where the feathers would come out and the down would bunch up leaving thin spots. 

   Since the weather, at least this morning, wasn't good, we decided to go to the Big Mall for a date day. Since there are a lot of stores there, we thought we could also look for a skirt and a coat. 

   There were a lot of stores with coats. Most of them were puffy coats. The vast majority of them had down. The few that didn't were too thin to be warm enough. Most of them were black, brown, tan or some ugly colour of green. Many of the coats had some kind of fur around the hood. I was afraid to ask if it was real. (I don't wear real fur unless you count cat hair Willow sheds.) It was so frustrating. I can't be the only person in Minnesota that doesn't like down and prefers non earth tones.

   Shopping for a skirt was even worse. We didn't want to go to Macy's or Nordstrom because those stores tend to be a bit expensive also I've not had good luck finding things I like there before. The stores we did go into didn't have skirts. If they did, it was a handful of filmy things that were on summer clearance. There were tons of pants. All styles and colours of pants. I wondered if I was the only person the wears skirts anymore.

   After  taking a break for some  tea, we decided we'd try another store on the way home.  We got to the store and looked for skirts, They used to have a whole section of skirts and dresses. There was nothing. We asked a salesperson who led us to a single rack of skirts hanging limply from their hangers.  They were thin and cheap looking and all that they had. 

   We fared better in the coat section. They had a coat I really liked. It was black and white and would look really good with all my hats and scarves. It had wool in it and would be warm. I tried on several. When I found the size that would fit over the heavier sweaters that I sometimes wear in the winter, the sleeves covered my hands to the base of my fingers. Unfortunately way too long.     

   I know what you are asking. Why don't you just order it online. I was hoping to avoid that since sizing is a challenge for me even when I use the sizing charts with the piece of clothing I want to order.  I don't want to have to order and return things multiple times because it doesn't fit. 

   It looks like that is the route I may have to go down. It's a vicious cycle. Stores don't stock as much of some things because many people order online.  That forces people like me would would prefer to try things on and buy them in stores to go online to purchase things that we need or want.

   I know that this is the wave of the future, but for me, it makes buying clothes even more of a pain.