Archive for June 20th, 2010

Clothes shopping at Winners makes me feel like a loser, or at least it did last week. I was nearly mowed down twice by an unsmiling salesperson with a movable rack of clothes. I’m not sure exactly where she was going in such a rush, but I was happy to escape with my Achilles tendon in tact. I swear the sterile change room had lighting designed to emphasize every dimple and pucker and the annoying anti-shop lifting devices were attached in places that prevented doing up the clothes. Maybe a mute point because nothing fit properly anyway. Imagine that.

Unfortunately this happens to me a lot, and I’m pretty sure I am not alone.  N’est pas? Somewhere along the way we’ve been brainwashed into believing we need to fit ourselves into factory made clothing of a certain size, namely size 6, or smaller. When we don’t, we either makes ourselves lie down on the bed, exhaling every bit of available carbon dioxide in our bodies and zipping, so we can beat ourselves up over the resulting muffin top, (is it any wonder?) or we buy it anyway, despite the fact it fits in some places but not in others, telling ourselves not eating for two or three days will remedy the problem.

But it doesn’t really, does it? The item sits in the closet never to be worn, instead serving as a painful reminder of how bad we are for not starving away those annoying lumps and bumps. I say its time to stop the torture. The whole concept of size 6 arrived with the mass production of clothes during the Industrial Revolution. Prior to that, we sewed, or had sewn for us, garmets tailor made for our unique shapes. Imagine that?

Obviously, that would get pricey and might not be realistic in today’s world, but about three years ago, I discovered that a good tailor can do pretty much anything, even jeans, and its not nearly as expensive as one might think. So now, when I really like something, I buy a size larger and take it to the Duncan Tailors where they get out the pin cushion and for about $12.00 make it fit me. Sure it costs a little more, but less than spending money on clothes I’ll never wear.

Winners may not be my favourite place to shop, but I am usually able to come home with something I feel good about, knowing a few alterations will make it work for me. I can honestly say I am done with trying to fit into what’s on the rack.  Thank God, because it was a losing battle.

What about you?  What are your shopping experiences?