Saturday, March 09, 2013

Sweat-inducing clothes shopping

The boy is a wonderful man, he really is. Today he arranged for TLM to spend most of the day with her beloved cousins so that he could take me shopping.

And when I say "shopping" I mean that he took me to an upmarket department store, chose designer clothing items for me to try on - all of which was new in for autumn (i.e. full retail price), and bought the items he liked on me. (Is that a little bit Pretty Woman?)

This included an eye-wateringly expensive Jane Daniells long sleeve top and a gob-smackingly expensive possum-merino knit jacket (in biker jacket style, but - y'know, tasteful).

I love the jacket and one other item (black cropped jeans with heavy metal bling on the back pockets). And the boy loves the other ones (even if I'm not so sure myself.

But I am very uncomfortable with spending up so large on clothes, even if they are pieces I really like and even if I didn't have to pay for it myself.

And I can't help thinking that that amount of money could have gone toward doing up our decrepit bathroom.

I wonder whether women in TV makeover shows - the ones where you get a big wad of cash to spend on a new wardrobe - ever worry about whether they would have preferred to get the money and put it toward a new bathroom.

Probably not.

7 comments:

Amanda said...

Wow! I think Hell would freeze over before the Gamester At Large spent a day patiently clothes shopping with me. If we are ever in a department store we always split up to shop separately except when he wants my opinion on what he is buying for himself. I cannot imagine him ever choosing designer clothes for me. He might, at a stretch, pick out and pay for a Dr Who t-shirt but that would be as far as his interest in my wardrobe would go.

Violet said...

Well it didn't take all day, in fact we were in and out in about 90 minutes - which is probably what made it scary for me. I like to stretch it out over several shop and at least a couple of hours to maximise hours of retail pleasure to the dollar.
The boy has a great Dr Who t-shirt which we found at theUnderground Market.

Anonymous said...

You're one very lucky woman. Stop feeling guilty and enjoy it.

The bathroom will happen, eventually. I guess it's just not as fun as seeing you kitted out in great gear. :-)

Violet said...

yes I am. But he does seem to think that I look good in those clingy thin knits, whereas I KNOW I don't!

Anonymous said...

Sounds fab. While ray doesn't mind shopping his attention span is fairly short and I think we invariably find ourselves in the menswear section looking at Ben Sherman ...

I think it's really nice that the boy made such an effort! And don't sweat the price tags it's god to have a splurge ever now and then. We just bought a new coffee table even though our roof is leaking like a sieve. But it's not like not buying the coffee table would have made us afford the roof that much sooner?

Violet said...

donnasoowho: yeah I guess you're right. I would have been happier if I'd got to do all the choosing - but guiltier!

the accountant's daughter said...

My expensive clothes often end up lasting 10 - 15 years while my cheaper clothes end up in the landfill...
Maybe also accepting clothes is like the NZ tendency of difficulty with accepting a compliment? I know I struggle too.