Retail Therapy

Oct 05, 2013

I don't know whether to label this an NSV or just to chuckle at my own idiocy.

I went shopping yesterday in preparation for my trip next weekend.  I'm going to South Africa for 10 days, five days in Cape Town and five in Franschhoek, which is in the wine country just outside of Cape Town.  I cannot wait for this trip!  I told one of my coworkers I have senioritis.  I'm having trouble concentrating at work I'm so looking forward to it.

The last time I bought clothes was in early August during Eid.  I hate shopping here.  We have very modern malls with all kinds of chain stores (mostly UK brands like Next, Karen Millen, Warehouse, Mango, etc.), so the problem isn't choice.  The issue is parking and cost.  Nearly everything is 20-30% more here than it would be in the U.S. or UK, and parking is just mental!  I got to the city's second largest mall at 11:00am yesterday and, after weaving my way through rush hour thick parking lot traffic, the only parking I could find was uncovered on the perimeter of the lot.  Uncovered is an issue here because even though temps are moderating, it's still getting up close to 100 degrees during the day.  This wouldn't have been my first choice, but it was my only one.

Oddly, the mall itself didn't feel all that crowded.  As I shopped, I was often one of only a couple of shoppers in the store.  My plan was to buy two pairs of jeans to tide me over, one black and one blue.  I'm trying not to buy too many clothes at any point in my journey, because I know I'll only get a couple of months wear out of them.  The UK sized 14 jeans (Which the tag said was comparable to a U.S. size 10--I think that's malarkey.  As far as I could tell, they fit like size 12) I bought in August are already loose enough to pull off without lowering the zipper.  I wanted to get something to make me look less droopy-drawered.

Something I hadn't accounted for in this weight loss journey is my vanity.  In the past, when I'd bought clothes, I often simply bought what fit.  There aren't many "big girl" stores over here and when I'd shop outside the country, if I wasn't in the U.S., I often struggled to find clothes in my size. 

I'm currently a size 10, maybe a size 12 in the bust.  These days, the world is my oyster!  And what is more, a lot of the clothes I tried on looked...you know...kind of cute. :-)  My good intentions about buying just a couple of pairs of jeans went out the window with frightening speed. 

I went in to Pull and Bear (definitely a store that targets teens and twenty-somethings) and bought three t-shirts.  That wasn't too bad, as their prices are among the more reasonable I've found.  But Warehouse...oh, Warehouse!  I really like their clothes.  I bought two pairs of jeans there and I couldn't even tell you how many tops and sweaters (Cape Town is cool-ish.  I'll have opportunity to wear them.).  And then, on my way out to the car, I picked up my black jeans and two more tops at Marks and Spencers.  I didn't try on the tops; they were more impulse buys. 

When I got home, I pulled on one of them and found it tight across the bust.  Not bad, but enough that I'd need to wait a bit before wearing it out.  I checked the tag and saw I'd mistakenly bought a UK sized 10.  I muttered to myself, "Delusions of grandeur!"  And yet...with the way I've been losing, I guess I'll be able to wear that by the end of November.

I wonder if I can hold off shopping again until I go home at Christmas...  ;-)

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