SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

Funny, Wild and Wonderful Christmas Gift from (taryn! & jack!)

 ok, to be sure, i am not wearing glasses to protect my eyes from the sun shining through our walls.  the reason i'm wearing sunglasses indoors is because i was very excited to try this dress on, so i did! -first thing in the morning, 

and i realized that the yesterday's mascara smeared around and under both eyes might not pair well with my pretty new dress.   and i did try it on with brown boots, and then with my maroon boots, but..  

these ($5!) strappy sandals ended up the winners in my imaginary footwear competition photo op. 

and speaking of winners,  look who else all nonchalantly worked their way into my photo..   -how cute is that!?

anyway, 

i'd like to share a little more 'bout this dress.  because it has more than one, funny/wonderful; embarrassing/permanent memory that has attached itself to the wild and free, serengeti-ish fabric.

i know exactly the store i saw it in for the first time; exactly what town the store was is; exactly why i never bought it myself, and a little bit about maybe why my kids surprised me with it for Christmas.

We were in Walnut Creek for a mother/daughter; mother/daughter shopping day.  That is, it was me and my daughter, Taryn, and my neighbor friend, Fancy Nancy, and her daughter, Mei Rose.  Let me say for the record, Taryn, Fancy Nancy and Mei Rose  -they all LOVE! fashion, LOVE! shopping.  And, when i learned Fancy Nancy & Mei Rose had not yet experienced Walnut Creek for shopping, I realized that is exactly where I'd like to go..  how exciting to introduce someone to a city and experience that will be entirely new to them; yes...

Have i mentioned, about how i self-elected to stop driving on the freeways in most (but not all) circumstances?  And will skip details here to just say,  -how grateful I am, Fancy Nancy offered to do the driving..  /in her fancy Tesla!

and we did land in Walnut Creek on a particularly beautiful day!  and i did enjoy being able to share a memory here, a memory there, as we approached and landed in the city.  [and my sister worked at the Nordstroms..  my daughter was born...  and, my aunt and uncle vaughn with their pottery in the wine and art festivals..   etc.]

and i understand about passions..  fashion passions..  even though i'd rather tithe at a paper or craft store; i can easily! totally! understand the exact same enthusiasm being expressed toward fashions.. designers.. shoes..  purses..  etc.   [or, as seen on my recent post; toward automobiles...]

it is just wonderful to find that, or those, somethings that light the fire within each of us; yes..

and it was with this understanding, that i let the other 3 women lead the way..   and, in some cases, me n' my daughter went to a different store, or different floor, to explore.. while Fancy Nancy and Mei Rose went in their own direction.  But then we'd meet up, to swap information, and met up to enjoy lunch together.. and met up for dessert.

The only store i knew i HAD to see!  and hoped everyone else wanted to SEE.. was ANTHROPOLIGIE.

it seems to me they are more tame now; but! in their earlier days, there is NO STORE anywhere that could be more exciting and creative when it came to merchandizing.   That is what attracted me.   i had no desire to shop for clothes or products; i only wanted so badly to see how they had decorated their store..     and i took several pictures.  they can be counted on to be different; creative; intriguing; imaginative..

and their walnut creek store, which is two floors, is just a magnet..  you are welcomed with an indoor plant nursery practically, and plus wonderful fashions, and plus creative displays, but they also have home decor, accessories of every kind, a wedding dress/bridal dress section, furniture..  on and on.

and on this mother/daughter shopping day, i enjoyed the displays, but i did find myself attracted in a strong way to this animal print dress.   -what a cute style..   nice neck line..   wearable length...   and for all skirts or dresses i am more likely to try it on if it ALREADY HAS LINING, a slip.  i am past the age or desire of not wearing a slip; and, i know in advance, i'm not going to make an additional or separate purchase for a slip.. so, once i found that this animal print dress was already lined..   that's when i started looking closer at all the tags for my size..

and now, it's true, i've lost a little weight..  and yes, on purpose, via the very well tried and true eat write and exercise program, so whereas i would usually look for a 10, or 8, i was just certain i should grab a 6.

Grab a 6 i did, and headed for the dressing rooms.  Aren't dressing rooms the very best!  during the pandemic, i had cause to buy a swimsuit.  you cannot..  that is, I definitely cannot purchase a swimsuit without first trying it on.  every woman knows this.  but for a brief time, no stores allowed anyone to use their dressing rooms; period.  that meant, (as advised by the Macy's cashier) we had to purchase all 12 swimsuits i kinda liked; go home.. try them all on, and bring back all the ones I didn't want and return them.    -what a pain in the

anyway..  i am in a wonderfully open and accessible dressing room at anthropologie with a size 6 pre-lined,  animal print dress, and very excited to see if it fits and what it looks like on me.   i started to wiggle it on..

and i pulled gently at first..    and then a little harder..   and then started wondering 'how in the heck do you get in this thing?   -should i try stepping into it vs. pulling it over my head?   and as i continued to pull the dress over my head to cover my body.. with still a little more force, that is when i realized

it must have a zipper!  i forgot to unzip..

and with my arms restricted slightly by the tightening of my unsuccessful attempt to 'slip' into this dress.. i reached here and there, like a blind person might do..   feeling around to find any kind of zipper, or button, or anything that could help..       

at last! it turns out this dress has one of those shorter zippers that is camouflaged on the side of the dress (not the back),  wonderful!

but what happen, is that even though i found the zipper and i unzipped the zipper..   that extra 6 or so inches of increased space

it didn't do a thing.  not a thing!  and so, in great frustration i realized, just take the darn thing off..  this is getting stupid..

but when i tried to lift it back up and off   -wouldn't budge.   honest to God.. i was stuck.  i repeated to myself, that if i found a way to get it half way on, i could, scientifically, mathematically, and most definitely figure out a way to get it completely back OFF!

now, if my sister were there..   we would both be laughing so hard we'd be crying..   but my sister was not there

and where was my daughter?  and where were Fancy Nancy and Mei Rose?   no one was even within yelling distance.   and truth be told, i wasn't quite sure whether my daughter would find it funny.. or she'd be embarrassed; could go either way when you are the parent and not the sister or friend..

i just knew if i tugged too much harder the whole dress would rip.   and i did just stop eventually, all my pulling, wiggling,  -wondered if it was time to call for help..   

thought better of it and prayed..   

if i got in it.. i can get out of it..   help me Jesus, amen

and, there are a large number of people, who could have spun this very awkward situation into an entertaining story that got everyone laughing that very same afternoon; but i am not one of those large number of people

i was exclusively relieved to finally get out of that dress without calling 911.   embarrassed and relieved.

did my daughter point it out?  did i discover on my own?  i don't remember this very important detail, but at some point, 

yes, maybe my daughter pointed it out..    because at some point, i got to see that "oh!

OH!  the tag reads UK 6..   not US 6!      

a UK size 6 is a US size 2!    and as i've mentioned a couple times now, the only 2 anything i should be wearing are 2.0 readers so i can read the tiny font on these clothing tags.

well, of course.. then it made perfect sense why i couldn't get all the way in it.

i can laugh now..  many months later.     but that day, even after i learned about the UK/US thing..  i never looked for a US 6 instead, i just wanted the whole experience far behind me.

****

and i did see the dress again..   and again, with my daughter, and with my mom too.. this time at Valley Fair Anthropologie..    and i looked again..  but, 

even though i knew how to read and interpret the tag sizes by now, i didn't bother. 

****

i liked just remembering about the rest of the walnut creek day..  all the other stores, our lunch together at the Nordstroms cafe..   how everyone found something they liked..  how fun, for all of us to be walking around downtown, each one of us with a shopping bag in our hand..

and i like remembering, how on our way home.. well, Fancy Nancy, in her Tesla..  and how the car has a computer and GPS to help her navigate, but even with all the pre-programmed safety bells and safety whistles; mistakes still happen.   sometimes it is other drivers, and this time..

well it was her; -small mistake by the driver.   and she had to change lanes in a suddenly kind of way, and another driver had to honk at her

and in my imagination write away i saw my dad and brother, in my imagination write away, i also heard my dad and brother..

all the light-hearted jokes they told back in the day..    how many times they would see a bad driver (or a driver make a bad move) and immediately check and see and confirm   "chinese!"   or, even worse it seemed,  "woman!"

in this very case, we have both.  Fancy Nancy is a Chinese Woman. 

but what she did..

she employed the same tone as my dad and brother, only she pointed to the other driver and said, "korean!"    and that had me internally laughing all the way back home.

**************

*******

-so can you see how moved i was, to open my Christmas present from my son and daughter, and find this dress..   

it's a US 8.  and it fits perfectly.

Joy to the wardrobe!   amen. 

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 11:04 PM