A Notion

“That top is lovely!” exclaimed one of my regular pharmacy customers, “Did you make it?”

“Yes,” I said, smiling, “About 25 years ago.” Almost 24 years, to be exact. Summer of 1985. But who’s counting?

“And they go so well with those pants.” she continued. “I’ll bet you made them, too!” she concluded cheerfully.

I nodded, but, being pulled hither and yon by the on-going duties of my workday, did not have a chance to tell her about the 2001 sewing session that produced that garment.

My wardrobe doesn’t see much turnover. Partly because I’m a cheapskate. Partly because I make a lot of my own clothes, and home-made clothes are of a quality that lasts well nigh forever. And partly because my size doesn’t change, ie, I don’t gain/lose weight.

Lately I’ve had a notion, though, to go clothes shopping. Maybe I’ve been watching too much of TLC’s ‘What Not to Wear.’ Or maybe it’s that I just printed out my W-2 statement and suddenly wondered whether I’m the only woman in the US who makes that kind of money, and yet only spends (maybe) a couple hundred bucks of it on clothes.

Two problems, though. I don’t have anywhere to wear nice clothes. Any outfit I wear to work gets covered by a decidedly un-stylish lab coat. And outside of work I never go anywhere that I can’t wear hiking boots and a parka. Once in a while I drag my hubby out to a nice restaurant for dinner, but... not very often.

The other problem is my size. The reason I sew my own clothes is so that I can add one or two inches to make it fit my taller-than-the-average-woman figure. D’ya think exclusive women’s stores, the ones that cater to gals in my income bracket, actually sell fashions for tall women?

I wonder...
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