Gemma Cartwright writes...
I should be in absolute heaven at the moment. I love the 1960s, I hate my stomach and I love bold prints. All these tunics, smocks and shifts should be absolute perfection. So why, when I went shopping for an emergency party outfit the other day, could I find absolutely nothing to wear? I found myself actively seeking something with a waist, something in a more subtle colour, something that didn't look like everything else in the world. I found nothing. In fact I ended up going out in a two year old boring black top and jeans. I'd like to say I was taking a stand but really I was taking the easy way out. And avoiding spending £50 on something I didn't really like....
It's always the way when I'm shopping with a purpose. I can't find a single thing I like. This is the reason I hate shopping for shoes when I actually need them. I'm fine if I stumble across a pair of ridiculously overpriced leopard print heels when I have no cash, but when I need nice smart black pumps for work? No chance. Last time I had a wedding to go to I ended up buying a dress in Camden market because there was absolutely nothing on the high street that I'd be caught dead in (or could afford). I've not worn the dress since.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who comes across this problem? Surely the reason so many people hate shopping is because they can't find what they want when they want it. Suddenly my favourite passtime becomes absolute hell and I find myself going home in a bad mood, getting a greasy takeaway and moaning into my chow mein that nothing looks right and I'm too fat / ugly / tall / short / blonde / pale / picky for fashion.
I'm convinced it's why most men despise shopping. The idea of a 'fun' trip to the shops is a bit alien to most of them (unless it involves buying something other than clothes). Of course it doesn't help if they have a girl like me dragging them round the shops. An unplanned trip to waste a bit of time in the shops is fine. When I do this, I just meander in and out of shops with no real idea of what I want. But if I'm after something specific, I'll go from one end of the street to the other, then back to the middle, then four miles down the road, and still end up buying something I saw in the first shop. For this reason I generally like to shop alone. I find it's safer for everyone's sanity.
I just wish I could find what I'm looking for when I do it. They're beginning to recognise me at the takeaway now...
