A Shopping Trip

So I had to go shopping today and my mind just went into overdrive.  It happens.  Let’s see what comes of it.

I should let you know that anytime I have to put on dress pants, it makes me a little uncomfortable.  If I could spend the rest of my life wearing shorts and a t-shirt, I’d be happy.  Since I do have to work and they currently frown on guys wearing shorts, I’m able to manage by wearing more casual pants.  OK, they are cargo pants (insert your own joke here) but that’s because I need a pocket for my glasses which I refuse to wear unless I need them but I have to carry them everywhere because my arms aren’t long enough to make stuff readable.

Although, to be honest, I feel a little discriminated against.  I mean, many of the ladies at wear things that are cut above the knees in the warm months.  Why am I stuck wearing long pants that cover everything and are too hot.  My legs aren’t that bad looking.  (I kid) The one exception is my dance stuff that I wear for Showcases and stuff but that always feels like I’m putting on a uniform and getting ready to perform so its good.

Something about dress pants that just make my skin itch (and I don’t just mean the fabric).  The whole thing just screams of not being me.  Don’t know how people survive in that stuff day after day after day.  Just putting on a pair feels like a bit of my soul is dying.  And don’t even get me started on a jacket.

But, I do have a wedding to attend in August.  I asked the Work Daughter about appropriate attire since the last wedding we attended asked for jackets (ugh!).  She said I didn’t need a jacket but it is clear that my jeans won’t cut it.  Since I only have one pair of dress pants in my closet right now and they go with a jacket, I decided I needed just a basic pair of black dress pants.

My first stop was a place I love to go for my shirts.  OK, rather than trying to describe it in vague terms, I’ll just say it is Nordstrom Rack.  Normally, I don’t like giving commercial props but they represent a niche that is hard to describe.  To be honest, the store is designed for women since at least 75% of the square footage is clothing for women.  And, I get that because you ladies have so many more options than we do.  So, there were just a few rack of dress pants but they were all of the “slim fit” variety.

If you haven’t been reading from the very beginning, then you may not be aware that some five year ago, I lost a significant amount of weight.  I might have gotten a bit carried away because there were people who thought I was actually dying or sick.  There were a few family types who were whispering that I was a bit too skinny.  Funny thing was that I never really felt that way.  Even at my skinniest, I always thought there was more I could do.  I gave up the diet ways and I’ve gained back a bit but also added some muscle to the frame so I’m certainly not skinny anymore.  And, I’m not going to lie, there are many times when some little voice in the back of my head starts saying ugly things when I see myself in the mirror.

And clothes shopping often doesn’t help that.  I don’t know when this whole “slim fit” thing exploded – probably hipsters and their skinny jeans but I went to a more mainstream department store and half of the pants were “slim fit”.  There is nothing more triggering than to take the same waist size you wear in other pants and not be able to get it on.  Seriously, are they just lying about the sizes on those slim fit pants?  I did find two in the regular fit section.  Oh, and it isn’t like I’ve got some large waist size at least according to facts I could find on the internet.

Here’s my issue.  I would say with great certainty that far less than 50% of the population in the US can fit into “slim fit” pants” or “slim fit” anything.  And, that’s a problem in its own right but that’s a topic for a different rant.  Why in the hell are the stores loaded with “slim fit” stuff.  And, let’s not kid ourselves, we’d all like to wear the “slim fit” stuff.  Who needs to go to a store and see racks and racks of stuff that you couldn’t wear unless you split it open and wore each half separately.  Sorry, lost control for a minute or two.

Anyway, the good news is that do have two new pairs of basic black non slim fit dress pants.