Retail Angst or Retail Therapy?

As much as I love living in the country and spending most of my time in my overalls, I have very painful moments when I'm out clothes shopping. You see, I still want the pretty stiletto boots and high heels along with the swishy, short, dancing sequined numbers. I'm the one you see standing/twirling at the mirror in Dillards wearing the tres chic, fur-lined, very high-heeled winter boots, saying to Kat: "Oh, I want these...but I'm going to buy those." Those, being the very sensible, short, black, well-made, heavy soled, slightly heeled ECCO boots, that come with a WARRANTY. If you had seen the pair of shoes I bought in Figeac that I left at Dillards after my purchase, you would understand. The sales-woman turned to Kat and said: "You let her go out of the house in those?" (Little did she know that I had traveled all the way from France in them.) We had a good laugh, but they truly were a total wreck. I'd only purchased them for a not small price (100 euros) at the beginning of August-this was early November and they were crumbling around my feet. I've had to ask myself if it's that: I'm hard on shoes; I live a life of walking on railroad tracks, country roads, rocks, farms and mountains, or, maybe the shoes I get in France are just not made very well.  Not one pair of the shoes/boots that I have purchased since I moved to France has lasted me to the following season...3-6 months at the most. (I do, however, have high hopes for the winter boots I purchased here in Holland.)

Yesterday, I returned to a shop I had first visited with colleagues. Most of the clothes were way out of my price and practicality ranges, but I did find a beautifully made gray jacket on the budget rack for 30 euros. I tried it on and imagined how pretty it would be with a fancy scarf and my overalls this winter. It was large enough to fit over my long-johns, huge black cowl-neck cable knit sweater, and my overalls. I was ready to buy it, but the saleslady and my colleagues kept telling me that it was too big and bringing me other things to try that were way more expensive and didn't fit my lifestyle. Frustration set in. I bought nothing.

My jacket was still there on yesterday's return. I tried it on again and told my story to a different saleswoman. She seemed to understand. She cared about what I had to say and listened to my customer needs, even though English is not her first language. She brought over 2 other jackets off the budget rack, now for 25 euros. One was military-style, double-breasted, and a deep blue/grey-crinkled material with silver metal buttons on the front and on the sleeves. The minute I put it on, I could see it over my overalls and could wear it to work the remainder of my time here. What a deal! Two, beautiful, finely made, formerly expensive, jackets that I can wear for work and at the Chatette, for only 25 euros a piece. Now, that's my kind of retail therapy!

Looking at these terrains of my life and knowing me, as m any of you do...how would you assess my shoe/boot dilemma?

Comments

[Niels Windfeld Lund]

congratulations with the jackets, the baggy ones are exactly the right ones, I often wonder why some people wish to change our style, perhaps many are afraid of not being accepted in the right circles!. One very good thing with wearing overalls etc. is that people either have to accept it and it's fine, and if not, you don't bother, you are just yourself ! (except if you work for them and they have a pressure on you!), I sense you right now have a very, very strong longing after getting into the overalls !:) take care the last 2 non-overall weeks, lol Niels

[Laury Bourgeois]

Thanks Niels, I may even wear one of them today! It's nice to have friends who are counting down to home with me. Have a great week-Love, Laury