Thursday, April 25, 2013

I Went Clothes Shopping Today

After 3 days of medical appointments, John & I left home again this morning just to run a few errands in Lexington.  One of my personal quests was to find some new t-shirts to wear.  Unless you've tried to shop for them yourself, you can't imagine how difficult it is to find plain t-shirts (no designs, logos, pictures, beads, or studs) made with quality fabric & crew necks.

Even though it was early on a Thursday morning, the mall was a hub of activity. Everywhere I looked I saw happy ladies gleefully looking at & purchasing lovely things. I was pretty excited seeing their happy faces & their bags crammed full of new clothes!  I just knew I was going to have bags crammed full of new t-shirts & maybe even more!  Some of the ladies were kind enough to stop for a moment so I could take a photo of them.  

Doesn't La-Teesha look happy?  She found some great bargains!

Carmen, Ruth, & Deidre were taking their purchases to their car & then heading straight to O'Malley's for a round of drinks to celebrate their finds!   
Naomi, Krissa, Brandi, & Madelyn could hardly believe their good fortune!  Their bags were filled with lovely things! 
Let me tell you, I was pretty excited!  The fact that the first 2 stores I visited had nothing for me did not dampen my spirits.  I moved on to the third store.  Remember, all I wanted were a few plain crew neck t-shirts of good quality, but alas, Store #3 did not have t-shirts like these.  They did, however, have some pretty short sleeved peasant blouses.  Memories of the past flooded my mind.  I used to wear peasant blouses when I was a teenager & I looked rather nice in them back then.  I grabbed a few off the rack, & as I walked to the fitting room I pictured myself looking quite pretty wearing them & thought "won't John be surprised to see me wearing something feminine!"  I went into the fitting room, closed the door, took off my bulky winter coat (temps were in the 30s here this morning!), took off my bulky sweater, put on one of the peasant blouses, turned around, & looked in the mirror.
I did my best to regain my composure, telling myself that surely it was just this one particular style of peasant blouse that was making me look like I had glued a few dozen water balloons to my body before I tried it on.  I placed it back on its hanger, chose a different peasant blouse, put it on, turned around, & looked in the mirror again. 
On & on it went.  I finally took off the last blouse, placed it on its hanger, hung all the blouses on the restocking rack, & asked directions to the ladies room where I reflected on the passage of time & "a thousand & one Snickers too many."  
When I was finally able to leave the bowl, I caught up with John.  I decided to look for safe purchases ... something that wouldn't kick my already fragile self image in the gut. I need a new purse.  Sadly I could not find any I liked.  John found himself a watch though, & then we made our way to the car & ran a few more errands.  

There is a happy ending to this story.  I used to love wearing Birkenstocks but I wore out my last pair, which were bought when we lived in Tennessee, & I've not been able to find any Birks sellers here.  Due to the fact that my feet have been killing me since our trip to NYC, I somehow got the inspiration last night to look on the Birkenstocks website for a possible retailer nearby, & there one was, in Lexington!  They didn't have a huge selection, but they did have just the pair I was looking for.  This summer I may not be as fashionable as La-Teesha, Carmen, Ruth, Deidre, Naomi, Krissa, Brandi, & Madelyn, but by golly, I'm going to have comfy feet!

25 comments:

Dawn said...

I'm so sorry you didn't find what you were looking for but you sure game me a laugh about your journey to find it. Hugs my friend.

Maureen said...

Shirlee, check out the t-shirts
LL Bean carries. I've been very happy with how they fit and how well they wear. Check item
TA215557 and item TA254788 (lol I am not an employee of llbean nor do I play one on TV) I HATE clothes shopping!!!!

marly said...

I need to read this one again - great post! I hate the short snug t's. I buy men's - longer and better quality (plus a pocket!), or women's from Land's End and Christopher and Banks.

Samplers, Silks and Linens said...

lol - i have a similiar story trying to find plain summer singlets last year, how hard can it be right? im glad you at least found some shoes for yourself - i just ordered 4 pairs of shoes from the states and even though they are all in my size only my night out on the town heels fit - i hate shopping :(

Mii Stitch said...

Shirlee, an other post that made me smile!!! How many times have I come home empty handed after clothes shopping trip... Have a great weekend & enjoy your comfy new shoes :D xx

renee said...

Still the same Shirlee! LOL!
You have a way with words!
Finding clothes is not a fun job. You should check out QVC for Birkies, they often have good prices on them.
God bless.

Trace4J said...

Oh friend.
You have me so laughing.
I can't stand clothes shopping.
I went with my diaghter last week.
Ughhhhhhh!
I like llbean and lands end too.
Easy breezy and I much rather send back in mail then to a mall.
Woolie hugs

Kaisievic said...

You do crack me up, Shirlee - such a funny post as usual. I always find that when I am not looking I find the clothes I need but if you go hunting for a specific item often you can't find it.

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Could be worse, you could be called La-Teesha! What kind of a name is that? Random capital letters in the middle LOL. Or Madelyn and spend your whole life correcting the spelling.

Summer shoes are my big problem, I have tender feet and anything scrappy rubs and makes blisters.

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

Target sometimes has god selection of plain t shirts. Do you have an REI--they carry Birenstocks

Vickie said...

Christopher & Banks, Kohl's or Land's End. Love ya.♥

Vera said...

Shirlee -- great post...too funny and too true:) Another source for good quality tees is Duluth Traders. Love your shoes!!

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

All the ladies looked so happy, it just cracked me up. Sorry you did not fare as well. But the shoes are cute.

What'cha been stitching lately?

Blessings always

Robin in Virginia said...

Sorry you weren't able to find tees! I love tess and have found the ones from Duluth Women (from Duluth Trading) online are a great fit (2 inches longer in length and short sleeves that are cut longer so no binding). Plus they wash well! Glad you were able to find some Birks!

Have a great weekend!

Robin in Virginia

Rhona said...

Oh my....you sound just like me when I go clothes shopping! How come everyone else seems to come out of a store with bags bulging full of purchases? :(

Michelle said...

Oh Shirlee you always have a way of brightening my day - love the shoes. Im with you comfortable shoes are a must have x

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

Great post. I think we've all been there!
Love the Birks - I live in them in the summer.

LoriU said...

Land's End tshirts are GREAT. You can even get them at many Sears stores if you have Sears in your malls.

Robin at The Primitive Hutch said...

I hate clothes shopping ~ I never find anything I'm looking for. Sorry You didn't find what you were looking for.
But I do Love my Birkenstocks ~ I have a closet full of them!
Loved the story ~ you always make me laugh!!!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Prim Blessings
Robin

jennifer768 said...

Shirlee thanks for the smile and giggles this afternoon.I'm sorry that you did not find what you were searching for today.The shoes are awesome,so glad that you found a shop in Lexington.I hate shopping for clothes and at this point I am not even comfortable looking in a mirror.This girl needs some exercise and wise food choices.LOL!Have a wonderful weekend,Jen

Marsha said...

I love all the pictures. I recently spent one whole day looking for a mother of the groom dress. I was so upset after finding nothing I couldn't even manage happy hour with friends.

(My next outing I found one right away)

LLBean and Lands end are favorites for Tshirts. If you want really long ones to cover your behind, Duluth womens catalog has some great ones.

Simply Victoria said...

Fun post! Hope your feet feel happy...

Emma/Itzy said...

Lol! I am glad I am not the only one...I am dreading going shopping for my clothes for my summer holiday this year...

Anne said...

AWww Shirlee. I feel you with the trying on blouses "imagining" they will look good and seeing that they aren't...happens to me so often. If you want to get some t-shirts that are good quality and have no logos try J Crew (bit expensive but when there's sales, it's good), and American Apparel has loads of t-shirts of any colour and style. Glad you got some good birkenstocks. Very comfy shoes!

geeky Heather said...

ROTFL!!!!! I LOVE shopping...unless I'm looking for something specific, then....forget about it. Never find it...never going to happen!