It is that time again – why? It is writ in black and white that I bought enough bras in December 2009 to last me several years, but now they are all – how can I put it? – unsatisfactory, and they make my bosoms look sad. You may think that I have more pressing issues than sad bosoms at this moment, especially if you have been reading my blog this year; for it has been something of an annus horribilis in the health and vitality department, and no mistake. But sometimes attention to the small (38 double D, if you want to know) details in one’s life can bring uplift of several kinds, and Mr. Signs and I have a short holiday planned. Unlikely as it seems, we have been invited to stay on someone’s boat in the south of France, and I need a few glad-rags. Even my knickers have holes in them and look miserable.
So back I go to M and S, this time in Brighton, which is convenient. I get white linen trousers, summery tops, cotton nightshirt, multipacks of knickers. I have to be focussed and not get diverted into Primark or any of the more interesting Brighton boutiques because after an hour or two I will turn into a pumpkin. The woman in the bra department says she is run off her feet and has no time to do a fitting. I say, that’s ok because I know my size. She asks to see what bra I’m wearing and when I take my top off she says the strap is riding up my back, which is a very bad thing. I have chosen to try on something called a T shirt bra, not the kind of thing I would usually get as it is padded and has wire underneath but I have been reliably informed (by someone whose bosoms looked glad and uplifted) that they were just the thing for wearing under summer tops, and they are only £16 for a pack of two. But the wire rides up and presses unkindly, the padded bit perches above the bosom and I can’t see how anyone manages to wear something like this. Moreover, between the time it took to get the bra and try it on, I have turned pumpkin and have to sit down. From the other side of the cubicle door, the bra department woman asks how it’s going, I say I’m not sure and she says ok and not meaning to rush me but there’s people waiting to get in and would I like to make an appointment for a fitting later on or tomorrow?
Never mind. I did not get all the things in one day. I have taken the best part of the week to do the shopping thing because I know how it goes – and the sandals I bought (not M and S but Birkenstock) needed to be taken back and exchanged because the leather cut into my ankle (and yes I know about Birkenstocks and how you need to wear them in).
But the sun has properly shown its full-on, beautiful face; I have done a bit of writing; second root-canal treatment seems to have done the trick and it almost seems as though, for a short space at any rate, I will not have to visit the dentist again; two good writing friends visited today. Apart from that, I have been on my own since Monday, and will be until the weekend. Twilight. A great canopy of lilac sky. The mew of seagulls.
Tomorrow – Bravissimo!
10 comments:
Tevas are easier to deal with than Birkenstocks, for my feet anyway.
And "not meaning to rush me but there’s people waiting to get in..." Really? Wow, I'll take a pushy US saleswoman on commission over that. Sheesh. Doesn't have time to fit you? That is her job. But, thanks for the reminder of how fortunate I am not to need them.
Good underwear is an underappreciated blessing.
Never heard of Tevas, Zhoen, must look them up for future reference. Birkies are lovely, though - with the right pair, and once feet adjust.
you are very brave to go to Bravissimo...
I have been wearing Birks for years (not the same pair you understand, as they do wear out, fall apart etc after a time)and would not now wear anything else in the summer...
WV - firion
what might that be?
F B, the Birks are driving me mad! Got another pair that don't cut ankles. But little toe and the one next to it bash into the rim, though foot fits perfectly (with required margin) everywhere else. I swear they have changed the shape slightly since I last bought them.
WVL - blempe what you get on your toes if they keep bashing into the rim of your Birkenstock sandals.
(and why should I have to sign in on my own blog? I ask you!)
CanNOT get on with BRKNSTKS either: wrong kind of feet methinks
A little time alone to drift at your own pace can be lovely. Enjoy :O)
Uplift at home and in the South of France!
There are no fitters at all in most U.S. stores, no salespeople at all.
I like thinking of you in new togs.
Cusp - well they won't refund so I'll just have to wear them in. I'll probably grow to love them. Sixty quid - I'd better.
Mim, no fitters? You must try the Bravissimo experience. You'd have to come to the UK for it though, I guess.
I endorse Tevas too - and they go in the sea.
Have a wonderful hol (with or without new bra).
Ach Belinda - why didn't I consult you and Zhoen before getting the Birks? But it's goog to know about Tevas. I just don't get on with ordinary shoes.
There are certain items of clothing that I just hate shopping for, bras being one of them, shoes/footwear and jeans being the others.
I've been a lifelong A-cup girl and believe it or not, it's hard trying to find a bra that flatters and fits when you have trouble filling the smallest cup size. As for shoes and so on, being a size 8 and bit wide I am well-catered for in beige coloured K-shoes (no!!!! I don't wear them!!!) but there's nothing that you'd call elegant. I can get away with wearing men's boots and DMs. (My mum approved of my DMs and monkey boots in my youth because at least I was wearing 'sensible shoes' .)
Jeans ... well, the fashion for low rise waistlines and hipsters has gone on for long enough and they're not always flattering on the young and skinny either, but for older birds like me who want to hang on to their rock chick past .... oh dear indeed!
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