Today I had to tackle one of those dreaded areas of my life: clothes shopping. I realize that for many women (and men) taking time to pick out just the right outfit is a pleasant pastime, perhaps even fun, but for me, shopping is one of those activities that rivals cleaning out the refrigerator. The reason is simple: I am 4 foot 11 and I am not thin. Clothes are not designed for me. They are designed for women who are at least 7 inches taller with wispy waistlines and firm arms. Alas…I was desperate and had to go. I am attending my daughter Sarah’s medical school graduation need week and I needed something besides any of my well-worn clothes to wear.

I had a gift certificate from so long ago that I actually can’t remember who gave it to me. (No, I truly don’t clothes shop very often.) So, off I went to Bloomingdale’s. Now, let me say right off that I am a bargain hunter, too, so this is not the store I would normally pick. A classic button-down shirt for $350 is not my cup of tea. Remove a zero and you’re more in my ballpark. Therefore, once I located the women’s floor, I headed right over to the clearance rank to see what I could find. The first sweep through did not appear promising. Wrong fabrics, too-busy prints, too many ruffles and flourishes. Oh dear, oh dear…

Then I remembered something I recently read about envisioning yourself being successful and I gave myself a little talking to about not being so negative. “I will find the perfect outfit,” I mumbled as I walked all around the women’s section, looking carefully at every rack to see what I might find. Well, after a full circle, I stumbled onto a sale rack tucked in the corner and after a brief flurry of negativity, I began systematically to go from garment to garment. “This one isn’t too bad,” I muttered as I put it over my arm to go try on. “And maybe this one is okay.” I did this over and over until I had an armful of clothes, most of which I would never consider wearing to clean house much less anywhere else. Alas, my mood began to lighten. Maybe I could at least have a little fun and be adventurous. I didn’t have to buy any of these things, after all.

The gist is that over the next hour and a half, I tried on at least 50 garments. Blouses, dresses, and pants and, no, most of them didn’t work for a wide range of reasons that all boiled down to looking wrong on this particular body. (That is the truth – no cry for support there.) However, I did emerge with two pairs of pants that fit perfectly (well, with a little alteration of the length), and they were great colors, very soft and comfortable and also seriously marked down. This is total victory for me. Plus, I got a chance to see myself in a few styles that weren’t completely awful and that under other circumstances I might consider in future. This is near-victory for me. So, bolstered as I was with all that, I headed off to another store where I had another long-unused gift certificate.

At that store, H&M, the price was not an issue. In fact, I was shocked at how reasonable all the prices were. So, off I went and after another hour, I checked out with two shirts, two camisoles, and a bra. Wow. My money had really gone along way here.

So, now I have something to wear to my daughter’s graduation and also a few other things that will serve me well at least until my next foray out into the shopping world.

The funny part is that I ended up buying exactly the same clothes I always wear: a shirt with a camisole underneath with dark pants. On my body, this no-frills combination seems to work better than lace and ruffles.

However, now that I have tried on everything in Bloomingdale’s in (or near) my size, I believe I can see how a few ruffles might work one of these days. At least, I keep hoping that I will eventually find just the right dress with hint-of-ruffle that will transform my wardrobe and buying experience into one with just a little more oomph. A girl can hope, can’t she?