A girl I work with presented me with an interesting proposition a month or so ago. She was expecting about a $1000 tax refund, and she wanted to spend it all on a new wardrobe. And she wanted my help.
Granted, she's nowhere near needing the kind of help that would land her in Stacy and Clinton's capable hands, but she does suffer from the common WNTW affliction of Mommy-Itis. She has an almost 3-year-old, and claims she hasn't bought new clothes pretty much since she had him. (How does anyone go three years without shopping? I have no idea. It defies my grasp on reality.) So the problem is not that her wardrobe is bad, just that it's limited.
So honestly, how could I say no to a proposition like that? She vowed to let me spend the whole day playing dress-up with her, like a life-size Barbie doll, and she vowed to spend that whole thousand dollars on clothes and shoes and anything else I could throw at her over the course of a single Saturday out shopping. It's like What Not to Wear, the smaller, southern version. (Sort of like Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta.)
We started with Old Navy. A classic. I figured that was the best place to start and get her stocked up on basics. As promised, she was completely open to anything I suggested she try on, and we went to the dressing room completed loaded down with stuff. She got more excited with every outfit she put on, and before long, she was trying out outfit combinations of her own. Plus, in true What Not to Wear fashion, I pushed her just a few baby steps out of her comfort zone.
Our second round in the dressing room included the dress that she had wrinkled her nose at slightly (saying that she doesn't own or wear or like dresses, how many times have the dynamic duo heard that one?), but added to her pile at my insistence. And then she flung open the dressing room door wearing it and proclaimed that she LOVED the dress! Suddenly I understood how Stacy and Clinton could say that this job was rewarding. I mean, I obviously find shopping very rewarding, but for people who don't shop, I can see how they wouldn't get it. But making other women feel great about themselves is in fact a rather rewarding thing.
The day only snowballed from there. We went to TJ Maxx and got at least as much stuff as we did at Old Navy. (Keep in mind we're on a tighter budget than WNTW, though granted, $1000 in Alabama probably goes about as far as $5000 in Manhattan. Just imagine what I could do down here with the full budget! Think about it, TLC. Same show, southern accents? You know you want to.)
Of course the day wouldn't have been complete without a visit to my very favorite store, DSW. And let's face it, any day in which you buy 9 pairs of shoes is a good day.
So the final total of what we got for her:
9 pairs of shoes
19 shirts
2 dresses
1 skirt
5 pairs of pants
1 pair of shorts (which she also resisted at first, but they looked great!)
1 pair of leggings
1 lounge pants
Yes, I did allow those last two, but only for lounging purposes. And she's so excited about all the rest of her clothes, I don't think I have to worry about it. She told me earlier that for the first time in years, she's actually excited about picking out what she's going to wear that day. Years! She feels great, I feel great about helping her, everybody wins!
And seriously, this is totally what I should be doing with my life...If anyone else has a tax refund they need help spending, you know where to find me. :)
