“Hey where are you? Why is it so noisy”?
“I am at THE Nordies sale, remember”?
I have my ear-piece in and I am talking on the phone as I make my way through the crowded aisles full of very aggressive women spending more money than they do in an entire year while their husbands, boyfriends and fathers read the newspaper and groan at the café upstairs.
Yes I am talking about the Anniversary Sale, a National Holiday in my neck of the woods. The ladies line up at 6:00 a.m just so they can be the first to grab the heavily discounted fall lines before they either a) sells out (which the hot items often do on the first day) or b) before the prices go up in two weeks.
This sale is the only sale where NEW clothes go on sale first. It is all new. It is all wanted. And, it turns normally dignified women into raging loonies.
“Rach..hellooo..you still there”?
“Yeah I am still here. It is nuts”!
“I almost forgot you and that sale thing. Hey do they have men’s clothes too”?
“Of course they do!” I say with excitement. “It is all very hot, hot, hot”!
“Well do they have any of those shirts, ya’ know, that I wear”?
Well isn’t that typical guy speak. That is like asking someone if they have that movie. You know? That movie? That movie with the guy in it? Seriously.
“What shirts? Which ones? You have a lot of shirts.”
“Ya’ know with the thing. The thing on the front of it.” He replies.
See what I mean?
If this were a woman she would be telling me the brand, the size, the date of manufacture and what shoes she might have that go with it. But no, this is a guy and all I get is, “the thing.”
Hearing my laughter he responds, “Well it’s like a lizard.”
“You mean an alligator”?
“Yes YES. That’s the one. Can you see if they have those”?
“It is called Lacoste, dumby, and I will see what I can find.”
I hang up the phone and head over to the mens section. It is far less crowded and no one seems to be fighting.
I look to the right towards the women’s handbags and notice two women arguing over the last brown suede Coach bag.
I let out a sigh and wonder…
Men don’t give a shit what we wear. They only care what is underneath what we wear. So I have to wonder who women are really dressing up for? Is it for ourselves? Is it for other women, like a competition? No guy I have ever known or been with has given two flying hoots whether my jeans are Frankie B or Frankie Generic. Now gather, men seem to be progressing toward dressing in finer clothes (even if they have no idea what it is called) But, the obsession is still very much one sided.
I head over to the jewelry section, eyeing the diamonds and pearls and ponder the thought… Is it worth all the fuss? Is it worth all the time and energy?
Then I spot it.
Beautiful Pave diamond necklace. Fit for only a princess. The facets of the diamonds twinkle and my eyes light up.
Someone once said that the most sexy a women could look is naked wearing nothing but diamonds. Well that is fashion too.
So is it worth it?
I look around and notice everyone smiling.
Yeah, I think I’ll stick around.
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18 comments:
Did you buy the diamonds? Personally, it's my opinion that women dress up not to impress men or other women, but simply because they like shiny things.
Vacuous!
2X4 - no I did not buy the diamonds. I have yet to have a specific diamond budget. And, while they were on sale it was more like 1500 instead of 3000. Even that discount is not enough :)
anonymous - yes indeed. Now isn't that fun sometimes? I think so.
I've been told by many women that after they realize that most guys really don't give a crap what or who they where, they are already used to and continue to buy and do nice things for themselves, because it simply makes them feel better about themselves.
That's cool with me because when a woman feels better about herself she is more likely to relax and enjoy being herself instead of trying to put on a front, and they are less likely to play games.
Well...what do I know. I've only been studying women for over 30 years. I think if I ever figured out the real secret, two women in black suits with dark glasses will show up at my door and ask me to "Go for a ride"! (And not the god kind).
YOu know what, we do care what women wear. I like to see a woman that has made an effort to look great. The only thing is that we don't always care.
Scott
i SO love nordstroms..... i LOVE the big gift boxes the best!
however, as much as i want to agree w/ you that guys only care about what is under the clothing, i have to wonder...
if guys really don't care about the outer package, why do they always pick the girl w/ the perfect outfit & makup vs the girl comfortable w/ her own unadorned face in a t-shirt & jeans?????
hummm... maybe i'll ask ike this same question.....
Okay, you've struck several nerves here, so bear with me as I suck up all of your comment space.
First of all, I don't care what men say, they care what women wear. Take a hot chick and dress her in sweat pants, then dress her in a sexy black dress with heals and pearls and guys will take option 2 99.99% of the time.
Secondly, I think CP is right, a lot of it is about confidence. The frumpy sweats are not only less attractive, but exibit a certain lack of self esteem, or a hiding of flaws that may or may not exist. This I know because I used to be sweatshirt girl. Frumpy clothes were my specialty because I had a burning desire to hide all of the flaws I saw when I looked in the mirror. The 'flaws' aren't gone but my perspective sure has changed. (I still need a sexy black dress-maybe I should hit a Nordstoms sale)
Any purse that costs more than $15 is of no interest to me. Perhaps because I'm poor, perhaps because I'm frugal. Either way, I don't own any Coach bags ;-)
Ugh. I'm rambling, sorry. I do that a lot.
Two things:
Love your blog. I think we dress up because we like to look nice for ourselves, other women, AND men. (Can I be liberated and still admit to that?) It feels good to look good. And if you don't feel particularly good, looking good is always a mood-lifter. So is a pan of brownies, but that's just me. :)
Secondly, I am friends with my ex and his ex. My motives for becoming her friend are way more muddy than clear and while I genuinely like her, I think it's too complicated for me at this point in my life. Esp. because I still love him. Eek! There's a part of me that wishes that I were strong enough/healthy enough to handle that, but in what universe is it a good idea to befriend the ex of my ex? In some cases it might be okay, but eh, I'm willing to concede I'm not big enough for that. I want her to go away.
We notice ... to an extent. I don't think we notice labels, but we do notice the things that accentuate the things that are underneath it all. We also notice confidence, and someone that has tried to look a little hot.
Rach-
I'll take two pair Beastie Boy Bootcut Jean, Havana style 7 jeans; a few Ben Sherman shirts; some Facconable (for when I go to the Club and hang with my peeps); a Juicy tracksuit and some Juicy tees for the hell of it (so we can probably match)...Throw in a couple belts, and I really need socks -- I keep losing one in the washer/dryer.
Thanks,
Nigel
nicely written!!
but i do care abt what my woman wears!! ;-))
Wow, it sounds exhilarating! Nothing better than a sale.
**Men don’t give a shit what we wear. They only care what is underneath what we wear.
Thats so darn true!
Rach u would look a zillion dollars in just diamonds only whoaaaaaa! Nice idea...let me do just that next time ok ;-)
Keshi.
i'm a guy who is brand conscious, so i do pay attention to what i buy and how to get it later.
recently found your blog. dig it. send me a postcard.
i'm not brand conscious, bht then again i can't really afford to be. mom recently realized that i have so much clothing because i, in effect, costume my life. i am very concerned about having just the right clothes for the occcasion. can't say i'm always good at it, but it's fun.
i'm popping over via grins!
i used to be a huge brand name shopper, now 3 kids later that part of my life is over! haha!
i'll live through your experiences! :)
m
Are flying hoots in the same sub-set as rat's asses? When you get the specific diamond budget, will you be my friend; will you buy me presents?
Ok so I somehow folowed you here...and love your blog!
As for the shop/dressing thing, well...
I used to be married and I swear the guy never shopped for him self!
I'd buy him clothes keep the receipts, have him try it on and that was like dealing with a 5 yr old...my own fault really:(
As to my clothes well you dress for your self,always!
Ok I love shopping!
What woman doesn't?
Makes me feel great! I like wearing clothes that make me feel sexy, sometimes for "him" who ever he is...and sometimes for me and only me!
If I'm feeling blue I go shopping becouse it just helps!
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