Thursday, January 06, 2005

Wardrobe Woes

No, this blog isn't going to be about how much weight I gained over the holidays because, in fact, I didn't gain any weight over the holidays and there is nothing the matter with my wardrobe at the moment per se. My woes arise rather from what isn't in my wardrobe at the moment and the foreboding prospect of Fancy-Dress Shopping, which I must undertake this evening.

It isn't that I don't enjoy shopping for clothes. On the contrary; I can spend a marathon day at the mall with the best, as my poor husband knows. It's just that there three kinds of clothes shopping which I utterly loathe: Swimsuit Shopping, Having-to-Buy-a-Bigger-Size Shopping and Fancy-Dress Shopping.

The last category is, as I mentioned above, what concerns me at the moment. Daniel's firm "Christmas" Party is on Saturday and it's black tie (at a prestigious local country club), which means I have to wear the aforesaid Fancy Dress.

The problem with Fancy Dresses is that they're nearly impossible to find--ones that meet my basic requirements, that is. First, they have to come in a style and color that I wouldn't be ashamed to wear. Second, they have to fit my petite frame and stature. Often these first two requirements are mutually exclusive. :-P The last, but not least, requirement is that they can't cost more than our poor law student budget can afford. ;)

Other requirements are imposed by the type of party this is and the others who will be present. Granted, Daniel isn't a staff attorney so I don't have quite the pressure the lawyers' wives do, but I am still expected to look pretty, speak in a genteel and ladylike voice all evening, be perfectly gracious and charming and last but not least, be wearing a dress which is sophisticated yet modest, classic yet stylish, special-occasionish but not overdone and expensive-looking enough not to be supposed from a clearance rack. Last year's dress would be out of the question of course because. . . (feigned drama) well, because I wore it last year and heaven help poor souls who have to wear the same thing more than once! *sigh* Sometimes I think the lawyer's life is overrated, given its attending snobbery. Then I remember my firm Christmas party with everyone in jeans playing table soccer and pool at the senior partner's cabin--at least some people keep it in perspective. :)

At any rate, I have enlisted the services of my good friend and fellow shopper, Rachel, for an attack upon the mall this evening. With any luck we'll be successful within the first two hours and I'll be out of my misery for another year. ;)


2 comments:

Alison said...

I feel your pain. I ended up shopping for this years Christmas party outfit the night before. After modeling many outfits for Nathan and getting covered with glitter from head to toe, I finally found something that worked. (At half price, too!) Lest you wonder why Nathan was along for the trip. . . .Last year I came home from an exhausting trip to the mall with a dress he thought made me look like an old lady! Hauling him along this year saved much frustration on both our parts. ;-) Happy shopping to you!

Angel said...

Alison, last year Dan actually *bought* my dress all on his own and surprised me with it several weeks before the Christmas party. How easy was that? ;) Of course he knew what size I needed and he already knew I liked that exact dress (though he gets credit for picking it out first). Bummer I couldn't just leave it up to him again this year, huh? :-P