26 Nov 2009

Eve of Black Friday

Every year, for as long as I can remember, I have always woken up early to go shopping with my parents on black Friday. It is the biggest shopping holiday of the year. BIGGER than a Nordstrom anniversary sale, I know, hard to believe right? Tomorrow might be the first year that I am not participating. I’ve been sitting here weighing out the pros and cons, but to be honest this sickness has just sucked out all of my strength.

I’ve been thinking a lot about clothes today. So I have this question,

How do you shop?

How do you know when to make a purchase and when to forget about it? How do you get dressed?  There are very few people in my life who actually know how it is that I get dressed in the morning. How I even begin to start my day…those are my roommates: past and present. I think you would have to observe me for a day if you wanted to understand my process. When I shop, that’s another story.

I’m someone that feels clothing. I know what kind of material I like and don’t like. If you’re ever with me when I’m shopping, I will continuously touch racks upon racks of clothing and in no way is this an OCD thing, it’s just me getting an idea for it. Before I buy a piece, I will take a second to think about what I can wear it with. If I can’t wear it with more than 3 things, there’s no point in owning it.

It’s funny because I follow the fashion shows very closely and I see things that I like individually, but maybe not with the whole outfit put together. Obviously, people don’t wear those ready-to-wear outfits out in public all the time. I think if I had the chance to analyze every piece, it would be a lot easier to pair it with different things.Yet even though I can’t physically touch the clothing, I know that they are well-made. They wouldn’t cost that much if they weren’t, and they wouldn’t have the designer name attached to it either.

And lastly in my ramblings, I’m glad that I’m much more comfortable dressing the way I feel at Seattle University. High school was fun, but I never felt like I could branch out and wear what I wanted to. I had to blend in and I didn’t like that. Once during my senior year, my friends and I in yearbook decided to have an impromptu 80’s day. Who says you have to follow school-wide spirit days? I just remember getting terrible up-down looks and someone asking me “what the -eff are you wearing?” While I understand that people love the jeans and t-shirt look, it’s not for me. It’s too easy. I’m not opposed to it though, sometimes I will wear a plain top and jeans. People ask me…why I spend time getting dressed in the morning. I live by this motto that when I dress well I feel great. I don’t feel like I’m ready to seize the day in sweats and a sweatshirt. It’s not true for everyone, but that’s how I feel. Getting dressed is a challenge for me and it’s one that I don’t mind spending a few extra minutes on.

Posted on November 26, in -