I stopped asking for clothes as gifts years ago (except for SmartWool socks) because it was generally fruitless for all involved: namely, mom and me. This doesn't stop her from trying though, and once every other blue moon, she finds something I love: the French cuff rayon shirt with light blue, black, and cream diamonds that remind me of Q-bert; the blue zip-up fleece hoodie I wear all the time; and the navy cotton sweater. On the other hand, there's the white and black rayon blouses that you have to unbutton at the back of the neck to put on that certainly make a fine building block for a mature wardrobe but are not me, and several years later still have the tags on.
This year, there was a baffling pair of sweat pants. She pointed out that they didn't have a drawstring with satisfaction, and I couldn't remember ever having minded drawstrings: I didn't like elastic waistbands. More baffling to me is the fact I haven't worn sweat pants in probably a decade. Don't get me wrong: I'm a casual dresser, just not sweat pants casual. These were nice with pockets, a zip front, and the flap with the button you have to do on the inside of the pants... just not me. I was in the process of convincing myself that I'd actually wear them sometimes, but Mom knew better and already returned them. She knows buying clothes for me is hit or miss, mostly miss, but I still feel badly about it; I want to like what she gets me.
And then there's the polartec fleece jacket which was mostly awesome except that the hood is uncomfortably short for me, and I already have a light-weight version in almost the same blue. Stupid short-necked people. L.L. Bean has tall size options for a bunch of stuff, but not this. The next size up might work, but there's no store near here, and I don't blame my mom for not wanting to deal with another potential return. Besides, I'd be tempted to get it in men's since they offer it in red, but I'd really need to try it on for the fit. It just bums me out when clothes I like don't quite work, particularly when they are gifts. No wonder I have such an aversion to clothes shopping.
One year ago at TTaT: Thank yew
tags: clothes, gift returns
my mom is not supposed to buy us clothes and yet, she does. try as she might, she fails pretty regularly. i want to like it but...i don't want her to waste her money on something i won't actually wear. i prefer a gift card when it comes to clothes. ;)
ReplyDeleteAt least it's not just me. The catch in my case is that she successfully buys clothes for my bro and sister-in-law often, so I feel a bit more like the odd jerk out.
ReplyDeleteA gift card would be a good alternative, although it would probably be best if it were one I could use anywhere. But then chances are high that I wouldn't buy any clothes with it anyway. ;)
Why do men's sizes and women's sizes of the same clothes come in different colors? I know most men don't wear pink (though they should), but plenty of women wear red. I suspect a conspiracy.
ReplyDeleteCheryl: abso-freakin-lutely! When I looked at the women's color options, it was clear to me that my mom had picked the only acceptable option: blue. Raspberry (aka dark pink) was the closest thing to red they had.
ReplyDeleteI am not a pastel person. Poor color choices often piss me off. And inconsistent sizing. And pants that are too short. And shoes that stop coming in half sizes at 9 (when I usually wear a 9 1/2). Ok, so a lot of things about clothes shopping piss me off. Sigh.
I have the same problem. My mother has stopped buying me clothes because I was *ahem* less than grateful one year for a pair of fuzzy pants. . . So she's graduated to buying me DVDs -- like the A and E production of Pride and Prejudice.
ReplyDeleteI haven't liked Jane Austen since the 8th grade.
*sigh*
I got a Barnes and Noble store credit out of it, though. Isn't that terrible?
lol. You're making me feel better, Michele. I started going the amazon wishlist route a couple years ago thinking it was foolproof, but no one would buy from the list thinking I'd see what they'd bought, so I'd end up with different dvd editions or doubles because my bro and folks wouldn't compare notes. I finally got them to understand the filter concept so things went pretty smoothly this year.
ReplyDeleteI feel for them because I know the specificity of my list can be crazy-making, but I just want what I want, y'know? Too much the Virgo, but my parents only have themselves to blame for that. ;)