Shopping with hot chicks
I was visited over the summer by a stream of women friends. Each wanted to do what any red-blooded female visiting a new city wants: shop.
And each, to a head-turning degree, is beautiful, in ways ranging from serene propriety to va-voom. But what united them beyond their loveliness and shopping stamina is that each (save one) mentioned that she had some flaw that is best hidden.
So in 30C weather we had the resolutely covered upper arm, the long pants hiding "chubby knees". I sat in a café with a Stephanie, a Viennese woman who would not unbutton her high-necked black blouse because "my collarbones are not my best feature", while sweat dripped off her forehead.
One visitor called this her "vanity", which everyone possesses. And how about cutting ourselves some slack?Do we really think some nameless person is going to say to his partner after work, "Do you know what I saw today? A woman with some padding on the inside of her knee!"
Well, to hell with that, especially when it's so hot the air ripples off the pavement. Besides, I like a little unstudied defiance, some tumble in a woman's rumble. I'm thinking of my friend Vicky's friend M., whom I last saw in a tight knit sheath that showed age 50+ bumps and rolls, eschewing a layer of nonbreathable binding but wearing a gumball strand of multicoloured Tahitian pearls, wafting perfume, eight shades of blonde-grey-whatever hair falling in a soft wave over one eye.
She is far more alluring to me than a perfectly coiffed and shapewear-packaged sister.
She is far more alluring to me than a perfectly coiffed and shapewear-packaged sister.
Doing my part to promote such imperfection, I trudged through the stickiness in a sleeveless dress or tank top, focused not on the heat, but on the warmth of these interesting, convivial companions.
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| Christine's new pearls |
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| Rubi's tote |
"Rubiatonta" found a chic black Bree tote bag; Christine chose an ethereal silver and grey pearl necklace (worn, above, with her Eric Bompard embroidered blouse) and retro-inspired silver flower brooch at Argent Tonic.
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| One of Jan's skirts |
Jan got two sexy secretary skirts at Muse that show off her movie-star legs; Stephanie went back to Austria with more black: a long jersey skirt by Marie St. Pierre. Kari fell hard for this pair of caramel Fluevog equestrienne boots.
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| Kari's Fluevog boots |
Local shopping–a welcome change from chain outlets–expands the eye and provides a delightful souvenir. And for me, an opportunity to indulge in a favourite activity: helping women find useful, beautiful things.
Comments
I have a VERY slim friend who also worries about her chubby knees and what she perceives as an extra bit of skin under which would show in a sleeveless ensemble. This sort of thing is not even on my radar screen.
Lovely things your friends purchased!
Beauty is not about perfection.
Susan: Good for you! Now if we can just build from here...
Francie
Women are sold a terrific message about being perfect, especially in the physical realm. An unrealistic goal for most of us, and not much fun striving for it- and ultimately of not much use to the world.
Helen
(Those Fluevog boots are divine!!)
I guessed you would like the boots; they are very light. K. bought them for Texas.
"...I like a little unstudied defiance, some tumble in a woman's rumble."
Perfect reminder of how our vitality is much more attractive than an overly produced image. I shall remember this phrase when I am fretting over my curves that are a little more irregular and exuberant nowadays.
Wonderful visuals of your shopping outings this summer, too.
L'age moyen: Beautifully put. And yes, this new home city is unlike any other place I have been so far.