Stranger in a Strange Land

This weekend has been about finding clothes that fit. I had a picture made last week and I realized my pants were not flattering me AT ALL. I did not do all this work to walk around in baggy britches!

Going into "normal" sizes continues to be a bit of a transition for me. I actually get dry-mouthed and jittery walking into the store. I'm not sure what I think will happen in there. Maybe the clerks will say to each other, "What is she doing here?" (Left over, I suspect, from a miserable Bloomingdale's experience in NYC, in which a sales clerk yelled loudly, "We don't have your sizes here. You'll have to go over there!", and pointed to the plus sizes. No fewer than twelve people in the vicinity all looked at us. I kid you not.)

Anyway, I know in my rational mind that I belong there. I earned my way in. My heart still gets nervous, but I'm working on it.

The first thing I did was to find a helper:


I love this tank. It doesn't squeeze so much as it smooths.

If you know what I mean.

It's called Assets, and it's the best $20 you'll spend at Target.

(note: I am not the model here or in any of these photos. I do, however, have a red necklace and a nice smile.)

After a check on zafu, I decided yesterday to try some of the smaller stores: Eddie Bauer, J.Crew, Coldwater Creek, the Gap. I couldn't find anything I liked because they all seemed to be droopy in the butt. That many stores and all the size 12s fit the same. I didn't think it was possible! And then the clerk at J.Crew clued me on the fact that I was a size 10. I almost argued with her that I was only a 10 if there was elastic in the waistband. But I didn't.

Unfortunately, while she was gone, I noticed the price tag on the pants: $130. Ouch. There's no way I'm paying $130 for a pair of pants when I still have weight to lose (and still seem to be in losing mode.) But I couldn't resist trying them on. They looked good, but they were a little snug in the waist. But only a little. They'll be mine when I reach my goal weight. I don't plan on spending that much on all my pants, but this pair will be in my closet.

Today was Macy's and New York & Company. I tried on 10s and 12s, but no luck. I did find a couple of cute shirts though.

Finally, I remembered my old faithful: Target.


Jackpot! And at $22/pair!

Perfect?

No.

But they look good, fit snugly (since I opted for the size 10s) so I should be able to wear them for a while, and didn't break my pocketbook.

When I'm able to give these away, I will have gotten my money's worth from them.

If you're still here and you're worried that every stitch of clothing I purchase from here on out will be discussed in such detail, fear not! I think today I'm just excited about progressing on my discomfort in shopping in "regular" sizes and feeling less like an imposter.

Also that tomorrow I will wear pants that fit.

Have a happy, healthy week everyone.

~