So, I tend to obsess. The things I obsess about tend to consume me, and block out everything else. Everything else then takes twice as long to accomplish, because I can only think about the few things I obsess over.
Basically, there are three things that could fill my time, and I would be a happy girl.
Acting. Traveling. Holding costume parties.
There are of course branches of these things. Most of the branches, I just picture done in my head, so that I can get to the real meat. Other branches I obsess over.
Take today for instance. Right now, I all I can think about is my birthday/Halloween (and thus, a costume party) and our trip. We have a partially torn apart kitchen and I have a fat ass. I should be doing yoga right now, as I type. I should be ripping out the rest of the cabinets and hauling them to the garage. However, I like to imagine both of these things as done. That way, I can move on to packing for my trip and decorating for Halloween and making a costume.
I’ve pretty much got my list of what to pack made. I need to ponder a few items before adding them, but I am pretty much done. My main concerns are having enough room to bring back fabulous Euro-souveniers, and not looking like a tourist. Oh, and not getting gross blisters on my feet. So, I have some wish list items on my packing list. These include:
1) A perfect pair of black shoes, comfortable enough to walk for miles, that are roomy enough (or have removable insoles) to accomodate my orthotics (thus allowing me to walk for miles), good looking and hip such that I can wear them with jeans or skirts, dressy enough that we can pop in and grab a bite without me worrying that I should change, casual enough to wear biking…basically miracle shoes! I am picturing sleek and black, with a tapered, probably squared toe, possible a mary jane type strap to keep them on, flat or slightly wedged heel to accomodate the walking, non-slip sole, ALL black (no natural rubber or whatever to delineate the sole). Oh, and we are broke, so I can’t spend too much money on the miracle shoes, and if I get them, I need to be able to wear them to work, to make the per wearing more palatable.
2) A flattering pair of black trousers. I have a pair that I think may be getting past their prime. I still love them, but I don’t know that they are the perfect pants for me anymore. I bought them *gulp* 12 years ago, on clearance, at Mervyn’s. They are wide leg, perfect to balance my large thighs. They actually fit my curves (i.e. my tiny waist and large ass). They are a natural waisted pant, which is now in vogue again. However, part of why I’ve loved them is they work with all of my vintage tops, and have a very 1930’s sportswear look about them. The only drawback is that there are two pleats in the front. Now, because they fit so well, the pleats lie nicely, and I can forgive them. Now that I’ve said all that, I am thinking I need a new pair. Not to replace the first pair, but to supplement. I’m thinking wide leg again, because, well, I’ve got thighs…and nothing skinny will work for me, unless I want to look dumpy. Which, I do not. I wish to look tall and slender and elegant. I am also thinking flat front. Possibly with belt loops…possibly. Also, I am thinking cuffs. What do all you fashionistas think? Could I pull off a wide legged cuffed trouser??? Where can I find a pair to fit my ample rear, yet not gap at the waist such that I could keep a friend there? I also need them to be affordable, and I would love for them to last for years. I like to buy things that I love that I will have for a long time, because it is so difficult to find the perfect clothes. When I do, I get very attached…if something happens to the item, I mourn. I try to find a replacement, but everything I look at only screams to me how it will never be as perfect as what I had.
3) Here’s where I get crazy. (Yes, here. Not before.) The last item is a pair of fabulous dark jeans. The pair I’ve got is giving up the ghost. They are Express stretch jeans. I got them brand new for $1 at a thrift store. They fit me as though someone made them for me. They are dark, and because of the hint of stretch, they are flattering and slimming, not sausagey. However, thanks to my thighs….the inner seam is fraying. They didn’t have any ridiculous fading on them. They didn’t look like they had been worn in a sandbox before I got them. They were perfect. About a year after I bought them, I actually set foot into an Express store to see if I could get more. Well, heaven forbid they actually manufacture anything for more than a minute. All I could find were what they called an “editor” pant. Some of which were in denim. Most of which had the forementioned fading or dirt marks. Bah. The one time I am willing to fork over and buy something in a retail store at full price, and they don’t have anything.
So, I am still on the hunt. Today, I looked at The Sartorialist, who is covering his fashion week shopping. He was at APC in NYC, buying jeans. A big discussion about raw denim ensued. At first this sounded totally ridiculous. Buy the smallest size you can fit into, they will stretch. Don’t wash them for the first 6 months until they are broken in. The washing instructions were varied. Some said to dry clean once a year at most. Some said to wash them in the shower, while wearing them. Some sites that sell them say to wash them inside out, by themselves. Some go with the dry cleaning. Some go with the wear-a-day air-a-day approach. However, somewhere in all of this…they became an obsession. Supposedly, they are like old-timey jeans. You break them in yourself, because the denim is totally unlaundered, just like back in the day. Any fading or wear happens from you actually wearing them. They conform to your body. They last for a billionty years, because they start out so virginal and pure. I’ve actually looked at some of the sites. The APC jeans seem to run from 100-130 Euros. That’s a lot of damn money for a pair of jeans. However, if they really last for as long as all these devotees say….the per wearing price would wind up being less. However, all my friends tend to be broke like me….so I don’t personally know anyone who has purchased raw denim. If I can knock over a bank, I would love to be the first. Also, APC is French. What are the odds that they run any cheaper in one of their stores in France? Along with that, what are the odds that they won’t call me an American cow and boot me out of the store, as they only have jeans for Parisian girls who are seven feet tall and whose diets consist of cigarettes and coffee.
Hrmmph. I guess this brings me back to the yoga I should do to tighten some of my weak muscles, and the cabinets I should rip out. However, I will envision myself wearing the perfect pair of black shoes, and changing between the perfect black pants and the perfect jeans. I am actually considering making the black pants. However, I am not a cobbler, so no shoe-making for me anytime soon. Also, I don’t feel I have the tailoring skillz as yet to make a pair of jeans. Maybe this is why I wind up buying full skirts most of the time.