Monday, June 3, 2013

About a dress…


So after more than a year, I’m in the mood to write again. The topic is new for this blog, but the thought and sentiment are old and I’m sure very familiar to many women of my age. So expect nothing new, except may be the fact that I actually bothered to put it in writing.

This new summer season opened with a bit more financial stability, and I suddenly felt like I NEEDED new clothes. In my sleepless nights when all the Facebook postings and pictures are checked out and the hot Slate topics have been read, the online shopping starts. Shopping for a woman in her 50s, who is no longer a size 4 and has limited funds can get boring very quickly. With limited selection the first thing which comes to mind is loose-fitting, elegant clothes by Eileen Fisher. I learned to like her designs, not immediately, but only after a while. I bought my first Eileen Fisher outfit more than 10 years ago. I didn’t get too much use of it. I was too young and did not appreciate the stretchy waistline and baggy but forgiving top.
Anyway, the thing which I felt I NEEDED is a light linen dress to wear around on weekends in the sweltering DC summer. I decided to go to the Georgetown store which usually has a wide selection of the latest Eileen Fisher’s clothes. I went alone during an early summer heat wave and enjoyed the slow melting walk on the Q Street brick sidewalk,


                                                              sun-touched houses,
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




 
an old church














     


                        and a beautiful flower garden

The store was almost empty, well air-conditioned and with great selection of clothes for women of a certain age. In this certain age category my size is XS or S. Never mind they are Eileen Fisher sizes, it feels good anyway, it doesn’t matter that it is only a delusion.  The sales woman was tactful and pleasant. I was in a shopping mood and the clothes looked good on me. I felt much younger, maybe a whole decade. 
 

After trying on about 10 outfits, I was almost ready to buy a beautiful aqua colored A line dress.
 Before making it final, I decided to peruse the store one more time to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything.  And suddenly I saw the pink dress on a mannequin. It was classy, smart and feminine. The store had only one dress left in size XS. It was a tad small for me; I needed it in size S. I was so excited that I asked sales woman to take a picture of me in the
dress to show to my husband. But the decision was made; I will
find  this dress in a size S and buy it!
 
With that decision, I flew home in high spirits, oblivious to the heat, hoping to find my size. As I got home, I immediately went online, and found that the dress was available in my size. Hallelujah! I put it in a shopping basket and… suddenly realized that the dress was very fancy and cost almost $300. All I needed was a simple dress to run errands on the weekends. I already have enough dressy clothes for a few outings to better restaurants and for the Kennedy Center concerts. There would be almost no need for the dress. I should not and will not buy it.

Being a responsible adult, I’m not going to waste money on expensive piece which I will wear only a few times. How boring and miserably old it feels. I’m generally an optimistic person and don’t get upset about getting old. The wisdom which comes with age gives a certain freedom which I find rather enjoyable and I don’t get obsessed with every new wrinkle or an extra pound. But this so called ‘reason’ and self-imposed discipline made me feel deprived and depressed. A sign of age more significant than any wrinkle…

I may buy the dress, just in spite.

7 comments:

  1. It is very nice! You should buy it! I do not believe that we should spend more on occasional dresses more than the casual ones. If you make good use of it and feel good in it, it is worth it. Expensive dressy cloths that can be worn rarely are never as worth it. I did not put my sentiment as well as you did but I hope you get it!
    I am nearing 50 and regret that I did not wear better cloths when I could have looked and felt a lot better. Now whatever I buy does not have same effect as it would have a 10 yrs ago. But 10 yrs from now I do not want to look back and regret this as wasted opportunity... so I buy :D

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  2. Stellochka, the dress is fantastic, color is nice, you will wear it many times casually and dressy with some extra elements, so don't think twice! And please make smile or just smile - it is necessity for us now!
    there are many sites online where you can try and much cheaper - don't stick to Fisher for long. Try myhabit.com, gilt.com, ideeli.com. And there are easy returns there.
    Enjoy! Inna T.

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    1. Thank you for the hint! I will check it out:)

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  3. This has inspired me to go shopping (as if I needed it)!

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  4. I would truly suggest that you buy that dress for $300 or whatever. Do not fall into the melancholic state of mind of a lady in 5th decade of a very long life still to go and with many exciting things yet to happen! You are better than that (I meant you are younger than that). I recently bought an absolutely useless beautiful (how beautiful can be useless actually???) knitted vest for $300 because I like it! That’s the only reason I need to buy anything that I want. Here I am doing my Budokan, a type of martial arts and even took a class of kickboxing.
    Always looking for someone to join me.
    Yours D.M.

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  5. WOW,,, cool dress you look good!
    I know I have way too many suits, way too many shirts, absolutely a crazy amount of jackets.
    Yup ,guess who Mr. Impulsive could be ,,see something I really like ,,,,I get it !
    I have enough golf clubs for 3 people, just in case a friend drops by and he wants to play golf?
    My granddaughter has a really nice red tricycle ,,she is my only granddaughter ,,,I did not even look at price till I got to the cash register.( Granddaughters have a strange effect on the grandfathers)
    At one time in my life I could barely support myself as I was working my way through college living in a single room eating toast and powdered coffee.
    At another time in my life I was able to have different cars and boats, vacations and other little trinkets.
    All of this is premised on one single fact, I only do it when I can afford it and secondly I like to have nice things.
    Whatever you do you can only do it in this life. (Unless you believe in an afterlife with afterlife stores.)
    fc

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  6. Also. Who bought recently 13 hundred Prada purse?. Recklessly I would say. I admire you for that recklessness. Your D. M.

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