Thursday, March 25, 2010

shopping with valerie (lyn)

My sister calls this morning.  “Hi, I’m in the city.  Want to meet me at Bloomingdales?  They are having Friends and Family (meaning most everything is 20% off).   ” Sure,” I say.  “I can be there in a half hour.”  Karen and I had walked earlier in the morning, so I was already showered and dressed. 

I think I have a pretty good sense of fashion, but when I’m with my sister I feel like I have none.  She is always perfectly groomed and dressed.  Valerie was born with style.

We meet in the Theory department and already she is working with Eliot to find some new basic clothes for me.  The first thing she says when I arrive is, “How can you can go out with your hair looking the way it does?”  I admit, it does look pretty bad.  I need to get it colored and the bangs are a mess. Her hair always looks gorgeous.

Valerie and Eliot are a good team.  My sister is very charming and Eliot is clearly smitten with her.  Together they have collected a fitting room full of basic black pants for me to try on.  They are all a size 8.  I tell Valerie that I think the pants she and Eliot have selected for me may be too big.  She is doubtful.  Last time I tried on Theory pants with her I couldn’t find any that fit.  But that was 34 pounds ago. 

I try on the first pair.  Enormous.  Eliot gets me a 6.  Still too big.  Finally we discover that I’m a size 4 in Theory (but not in every brand).  It’s fun to go shopping when it’s easy to find things that fit.

I try on a pair of very slimming black jeans.  Perfect.  “You also need a good pair of black pants.  You can’t wear jeans for the holidays”  (referring to Passover next week).  I don't argue.  Eliot brings in a nice pair of classic black pants.  As I’m trying them on, Valerie looks at the socks I am wearing (blue, brown and orange striped) and says, “Those are horrible.  You should throw them out.  Take them off as I can’t even be objective about the pants when I look at those socks.” 

I decide to get both pair of pants.  “Make sure you have the right shoes to wear with them,” Valerie says, as she looks at my hideous Merrell boots that are comfortable but very unfashionable.

I think I do need a fashion makeover.  Maybe I can convince my sister to make house calls.

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