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Thursday, May 3, 2012

the clueless go shopping

My "look presentable" work was done for the day.  I was hanging laundry while wearing a comfy ensemble bordering on clash, my hair up in a sort of ponytail/bun combo.  Wolfgang entered.

"Can we go to the mall?"

"Uuuhhhh....", I contemplated.

He needed some fancy clothes, and fancy clothes are not something we keep a stocked supply of.  We don't regularly attend events that require fancy clothes, and none of the kids has particularly fancy tastes.  They are all jeans-and-t-shirts guys, the only exception being Meego who has a strange "no jeans" rule that no one really understands, but it's not worth the battle.

But occassionally, a need presents itself, so we must make a mall run.  Their needs, my credit card.

My mom loves to shop.  She literally has several closets full of clothes.  When I was growing up and my mom came to school events, I always knew she'd be the best dressed.  Even for my wedding, she didn't go out shopping for a mother-of-the-bride dress.  She simply went to one of her closets and pulled out something perfect.  I didn't inherit the shopping gene. 

Wolfgang and I headed to the mall, my Mexican purse only further pushing my look into the clash realm. We were in the young men's fancy clothes section looking for a sport coat (or is it a blazer?). 

"What do the numbers mean?", Wolfgang asked

"I have no idea", I supplied.

"I mean, I know they're sizes, but how do I know what size I am?", he continued.

"I have no idea", I supplied.

"And what do the letters mean?", still barking up the wrong tree.  I just looked at him, no words necessary.

"Here, just put this one on", I said, holding up a brown courduroy.

"That's hideous", he observed.

"I know, but it has a number on it.  Put it on so we have a reference point".

He put it on.  It was both hideous and big.  Reference obtained.  Eventually, he selected a suitable sport coat or blazer or whatever.  He wanted a tie.

"The red one?", he queried

"I have no idea... ",  I haven't been around a place where men wear ties in a long time.

All in all, it was a pretty painless trip.  A low maintenance shopper with a clueless companion makes for pretty short work.  Maybe that's why God spared me having to shop with a daughter?

In the end, I think his outfit is quite stylishly dressy and appropriate.  But then... I could be wrong.

p.s.  I've since learned what the numbers and letters mean.  Thank you google. 
.

9 comments:

terri said...

My mom didn't have a shopping gene. Or more likely, she just didn't have the finances when I was a kid. Either way, I developed somewhat of a shopping gene. But there are things that are beyond my shopping skills. Men's dress clothes are beyond me. I don't understand the shirt size/sleeve length thing. And Mark NEVER remembers his! I tried to help Jake buy a suit last year. We fumbled through the experience much like you did. Except I never googled the numbers and now I'm curious!

ShadowRun300 said...

I can totally relate! I have 3 boys, and luckily my husband has taken each of them shopping for graduation suits, etc. He doesn't like shopping but having to wear suits for many years, he understands what the numbers mean. I got lucky with my daughter. She knows exactly what she's looking for, so I only need to bring her to her store of choice, shake my head at the 'too-short' shorts, and then hand over the credit card to pay for the compromised upon clothing.
BTW, my 3rd son has a thing against jeans as well! What is that about? He'll only wear khakis - no matter the temperature.

Abby said...

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one! There was another mom + son team there. I think they were just acting like they knew what they were doing.

Abby said...

Sounds like you guys have a pretty good system down! I don't know about the no-jeans thing. Meego will only wear non-denim cargo pants or cargo shorts. Then there's also the "no buttons" rule...

D.Shawnte said...

Lol your mom sounds a lot like my mom. She loves to go shopping, especially clothes shopping. I am really bad at buying clothes as well :s In fact, I despise clothes shopping. I hope you two were able to find him something that fit in the end :3.

Judy said...

Oooooh, I am totally dreading this. Travis is being confirmed at church in a few weeks and I have GOT to find him some decent church clothes. He usually wears jeans and a nice shirt with his tennis shoes to church, but that's not going to cut it for this. Ugh....hate shopping!!!!

Scott said...

The only shopping I enjoy is at flea markets--probably because they have nothing I need. But shopping for anything I need, including groceries, and especially clothes, I absolutely hate!

Glad you found a nice outfit for Wolfgang.

agg79 said...

Shopping has never been my favorite sport. Sizes don't make any sense to me and I am totally fashion clueless. Glad you were able to find some thing for Wolfgang that wasn't too "old school".

Anita said...

I think we've been blogging buds long enough for you to know that I don't have the gene. My girls have dug deep, insisting that the gene is hidden somewhere in my body, but so far... nada.

Glad you and Wolfgang figured it out. I was picturing you as I read. It's almost as if you were in a foreign country. :)