Shopping
25 December 2004 11:58 pm
Shopping during the Christmas season is a nightmare.
I understand why some people start Christmas shopping early, even before the malls start dressing up in fairy lights, angels and giant Christmas trees, which in Singapore begins on November 14 every year (too, too early, I say). Jostling the endless wave of shoppers everywhere you go on Orchard Road and in the buses and trains that go there is no fun. It's the kind of situation that makes you breathless and bothered and sometimes even aggressive, never mind that the Christmas season is supposed to be about peace on earth and goodwill to mankind. Pah. When you have to wait 15 to 20 minutes before you can try on a bra, fuck goodwill to mankind. In fact, fuck the bra too. It's not worth the wait, not when there's no guarantee that it will look hot on you, like it does on that model whose blown-up poster at the lingerie section was what suckered you into picking up the damn thing.
But I've been good this year. I haven't shown any aggro at the malls, because I've made it a point to avoid the Orchard Road shopping belt as far as possible. I go to the movies or to the big bookstores like Borders and Kinokuniya, and then I'm out of the madhouse, usually before 9 when people don't want to go home yet, because that way I don't have to deal with missing the bus because it's too stuffed with people, or not getting a cab.
This week, though, I caved in to the shopping itch. So I went, mentally preparing myself as for a long drawn-out battle. It wasn't too bad. It made me appreciate the little miracles in life.
For instance, isn't it amazing how girls somehow manage to get a prom dress that no one else will wear that night? I've never heard it happen to anyone I know, that 2 people turned up with the same dress. Of course, for one thing, schools have proms on different dates, some as early as September and others as late as December 30 (which is the case for the school where I teach). There's also the fact that there are hundreds of shops and boutiques and malls out there. Still, every time you pick up a dress that looks great - at least until you actually try it on - doesn't a part of you just wonder if maybe someone else in your school has already bought it? I felt that way when I was contemplating buying a dress for the prom next week. (So teachers are there to babysit, that doesn't mean we have to look like wallflowers.) I was especially paranoid when I checked out the "young" labels like Phuture, Topshop and Warehouse. In the end I didn't get a dress. I'll pull something out of my wardrobe and see if I can squeeze into one of my not-often-worn numbers. For me, the trick to feeling confident that no one will have what you have is to wear something that you bought much earlier, some timeless piece that looks right for the occasion whenever you choose to wear it. But, I will not speak so soon. Tomorrow is Sunday, and the itch might return.
Another little miracle is finding the perfect pair of jeans. Jeans are notoriously difficult to get, at least for me. It has to hug your hips without squeezing all your flabby bits out at the waist, and make your legs look slimmer, and be comfortable and sexy at the same time. I found mine today, at a third of the price of a Levi's. Sweet!
The best thing, the sweetest miracle of all, is finding clothes that fit your body perfectly. I hate it when I try on something that's supposed to be my size and it doesn't fucking fit. I'm not in denial about my size. I've come to terms with it and I truly believe that it's better to wear something in your size and look great in it, than to squeeze into a smaller size and burst at the seams. So I expect that every time I try on something in UK Size I'm-not-telling-you, it will fit me. And that doesn't always happen. There's this clothing company called Zara that was a massive success when it opened its flagship store here, and I've always wanted to get something there, but the sizes are all screwed up. When I try on pants, the size I normally wear is too loose, and one size smaller is too tight. The tops are too long for someone with a short torso like me, and tight at the sleeves. The armholes are too small. Crap! It's not a matter of finding the right size anymore, the clothes are just cut differently and doesn't fit me well. That's why I love Mango and Dorothy Perkins. I can always count on them to dress me right, and I found a few items from these stores on my shopping spree.
So yes, shopping during the Christmas period is hell, but sometimes you're rewarded with the things that you want. It's like a good treasure hunt, maddeningly difficult but immensely satisfying if you succeed.
Older entries
Ramadan - 08 October 2006
Where I Have Been - 03 October 2006
Baby Talk - 10 August 2006
6 Weeks of Separation - 16 July 2006
Unacceptable Rudeness - 21 June 2006