A pessimist: Shop Horror!

My first opportunity to be majorly pessimistic arose this evening. Some clothes I had ordered online were delivered to me by post this morning, and so tonight called for a trying on ‘sesh’- when it comes to new clothes, some vital questions need answering. What shoes go best with this? What jewellery suits this style? And, can I wear a jacket with this item?

I eagerly un-wrapped my purchases, ready to do a few twirls in front of the mirror, but had my bubble well and truly burst when it came to the first item. It was a chiffon top in a lovely coral colour, but unfortunately, it just ‘hung,’- the whole style was just unflattering. And so I decided I’d be returning that.

I moved on to wearing the playsuit. Now this looked adorable on the website- the cutest, most summery thing ever. But unfortunately in the cold light of day (well, early evening) it looked nowhere near as striking. Urgh. I felt let down immediately and didn’t even bother trying it on. What would be the point?

Soooo, item number three, the first of the dresses, was a lovely vintage style black dress with a floral pattern. Again, on the website it looked delightful, but in my bedroom it looked painfully similar to a pair of my Nan’s curtains. I know that’s a cliché line, but the resemblance is uncanny. Now, I don’t think it would do much for my poor old Nan’s mental health if I was to go round there wearing this dress, and disappear like a chameleon into my surroundings. The whole notion put me off somewhat.

The second dress, my fourth and final purchase, was just overly snug, (the cabbage soup diet obviously hasn’t had any lasting effects!) and so that too became a ‘non- keeper.’

Now, under normal circumstances I would shrug, package them all back up, and be grateful that the postage returns are freepost and that the post office is only down the road. (I lived in a very rural area before uni, and this is my first experience of convenient amenities!) I’d also relish the fact that once my return was processed I’d have £82 pounds in my bank to spend on anything I wanted, and could buy a whole host of various fashions.

Contents of my closet- no new purchases. Grrrr.

Today however, with me wishing to consider the negative aspects of life, I began to get irritated by the situation. Not only did I waste over an hour of my time browsing the site and making the purchases in the first place, I’ll no doubt spend close to another hour in the endless queue at the post office. (Seriously, I would be surprised if an old biddy collecting their pension hasn’t dropped dead in there before!) Also, I paid a non-refundable £3.99 for postage and so this whole clothing scenario which I wish had never happened, actually cost me money! And then there’s the major kick in the teeth that through having to return the clothes I’m stuck with the same old boring summer wardrobe full of stuff I’ve had for years. Yes I need new clothes. No, it is not proving an easy task.

Even if I was to hit the high street there would no doubt be further irritations - a rude checkout assistant, a smelly changing room, a lack of size 10 clothing… the list goes on.

Is it just me or is shopping seriously over rated? If it wasn’t for clothes being somewhat essential, I really really wouldn’t bother with them. Urgh. I’m not gonna lie, my negativity is rife right now!