Shopping

[bklynred]

I've had my best and worst experiences in H&M when they had an in-house DJ spinning records at oh, NOON. The best was when he was playing Biggie (I was feeling nostalgic!). The worst when I had a headache and had just run in for a t-shirt.... I felt completely assaulted from all sides from the Dolby-level surround sound speakers. Like the store was actively trying to get 30-somethings to leave without buying any clothes.

[zacandmax]

bellita said:

Does anyone know where to get a sleeveless or spaghetti strap shell that is made of elasthane or polyamide--not cotton? (It's like kinda bathing suit material, but not?) I have typically seen them sold at Zara in Europe, but I have no Zara near me here in the US. I want to put it under a suit jacket.
I have tried Banana, Ann Taylor, JCrew, Gap and Express already and no luck. Any ideas?

If you have a New York and Co. near you, they have a shaper type of camisole thing made of the exact material you are talking about in different types of colors. You also may want to try Victorias Secret for camisoles/shaper type shells. Also, I think Old Navy has them too. Just look in the pajamas/underwear section.

I don't know if I explained that clearly, but I hope I helped. Also I had to respond to that, as my name is Zara and everytime I see that store name I smile.

[Deleted]

zacandmax, thank you! My nearby mall doesn't have a NY and Co, but the one across town does, so I am definitely going to make the trip there this weekend.
PS I love the name Zara!

[Shanmac]

This may be more for the TC thread, but I hate shopping. I love getting new stuff, but I hate the act of shopping -- hoofing it around a mall or store, driving (traffic where I live is insane!), blah blah blah. I usually shop online, but in this case, I'm not sure that if I bought shoes they would arrive in time (what with the holiday Monday and all).

Today I endured the shopping trip from hell. I needed kick-ass shoes for my job interview next week, and I knew exactly what I wanted. I kid you not, I went to no less than 10 stores today. I tried every department store in two malls, every shoe store I could think of -- to no avail. Finally, I said "Screw it," and headed to Target to pick up cleaning supplies. Guess what? I found perfect, kick-ass shoes (so they're that Isaac Mizrahi crap, so what?) that were exactly what I envisioned -- for $20. Go me and my bargain shopping.

As thrilled as I am (I also found a great bag to match), I'm pissed off that I spent the entire day driving around in 90-degree heat looking for shoes. I wore workout clothes because I intended to hit the gym afterwards, but screw that; I'm already exhausted. Also, it's so damn hot I have sweat stains on my clothes (under my boobs, actually, which is loverly!), so it's like I worked out already.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a bubble bath, give myself a pedicure and pretend this horrible day of shopping never happened.

[india7]

Awww, hon, the worst, and I mean WORST, clothes shopping experiences I've had have been shopping for job interview clothes! Because they have to be just so, they have to project just the right image, etc. Even work clothes aren't as bad, because you can relax and be yourself a bit more with those. But those buttoned up interview ones are the pits!

[hobocamp]

I just recently decided to move up a price bracket for clothes shopping after having months of bad luck finding anything I liked. (This epiphany came while I was browsing in Gadzooks!, by the way. I'm 30, y'all. Gotta quit that crap.)

Anyway, I've found "my" store, and it is Ann Taylor Loft. The clothes fit, they're the perfect style for my work environment, and I like knowing my size for once in my life.

My question now, is: Is this store considered dorky? I only ask because I saw something (which I can't remember now) that was dissing it.

[biondetta]

Well, I'm a 30-something and I like Ann Taylor Loft (and regular Ann Taylor, for that matter). I think they do fairly classic pieces that you can wear for more than one season, and they also physically last for more than one season.

I'm on the hunt for trouser jeans, and I really need to find them in the next week or so and I don't want to deal with ordering online to find that they don't fit. I need the trouser cut to de-emphasize my slightly larger thighs (I'm pear-shaped). Does anyone know any major nation-wide chains that have them? Help!

[mariposalabrown]

I have some from Express that I'm wearing right now. They are actually The Editor in a really dark indigo, thin denim. I pretty much wear them to work every single day. They match everything.

[jennipoo]

Now I'm going to cry mariposa. I have those too and wore them at least 3 times a week until EvilPetty Principal told me they were jeans and I couldn't wear them. I pointed out their tailored appearance and even told her they were just regular cotton, to no avail.

[Sunnyhorse]

I LOVE Ann Taylor Loft -- when I had an office job, I bought lots of versatile sweater sets there, and I've attended just about every special occasion in the last decade wearing a Loft dress. They have great petite stuff.

Biondetta, check out Eddie Bauer (the online store -- don't know whether they're stocked in the brick-and-mortar stores) for trouser jeans, the Vashon cut. I have two pairs and wear them constantly.