The Fitting Room Ideal

If there was a 'fitting room watt' bulb available - I'd use it in every room of the house.

I have a friend who point blank refuses to try things on in a fitting room. REFUSES. And it completely baffles me. Why would you choose to buy something to then try it on at home and, after deciding that said something makes you look like a crazed shoulder pad fanatic (and THAT, is where my love of fitting rooms comes from...) have to take it all the way back to the shop?

It got me thinking about the way some people feel about these compact little decision makers. While it is a handy thing to have, you shouldn't trust them too quickly. In reference to the fitting room bulb, I think we can all agree that you can prance around the 65x50" box like Kate Moss for a good twenty minutes - but as soon as it comes to wearing your new purchase at home, away from the fitting room, you hate hate hate it. 

So while some girls take issue with the many mirrors reflecting all their 'bad bits', my issue is that the fitting room makes me look BETTER than I actually do. I think I might start calling them 'Fixing Rooms' instead... little rooms that provide a short lived ego boost by tricking you into thinking you look amazing. Which is wonderful when I'm having my Moss moment - but not so great the other 23hrs and 40 mins of the day...

The 12 Stretch.

Like the majority of women in the world, I'm not that body confident. I do look at other girls wishing I had their legs/bum/tum and pick faults with myself when I'm looking in the mirror. But - you have to tease me into the gym. Yep, I'm one of THOSE people. The only types of exercise I regularly indulge in involve doing laps up and down the high street, the occasional persuasive lunge to squeeze myself into a pair of jeans within the strict boundaries of a changing room, or the somewhat contortionist yoga movements involved in unleashing yourself from a top that you realise, only after putting it on, is far too small for you.

 More recently I’ve found myself doing reps of a new kind; a stretch and hold exercise guaranteed to lengthen and tone the arm….I call it the ‘Size 12 Stretch’.

Image: Pinterest

I remember a simpler time; a time where I could leisurely feel around behind the 8s and 10s before finding myself a size 12 and heading on my merry way to the till. No more. Nowadays I have to weave past the 4s, avoid eye contact with the 6s, fight through the fleet of 8s taking up half of the rail and ask the size 10s for directions before reaching the tops flirting with the back wall…my beloved size 12s.

I’m not here to argue on behalf of the ‘real girls’. In my opinion, a girls weight doesn’t determine her existence. I’m sure to all of those born petite or for those exercising their way to the front of the clothes rail…being excluded from the 'real' gang just because of their weight must be pretty hurtful. However, I can’t help but notice a decline in anything above a size 10 being properly stocked in high street stores, making way for the petite parade.

4,4,4,6,6,6,6,6,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,10,10,10,10,10,10,12- BINGO!!

With all this excessive stretching, my issue is no longer finding a size 12….it’s finding a size 12 with a sleeve generous enough to accommodate my Popeye-lookin’ super muscly right arm.

Maybe I’ll just stick to online shopping ’til I can bump myself up the rail to the 8 Reach or the 4 Grab…

x

Stop, drop and roll...

Like I've mentioned before, one of the best/worst parts of my job is all the clothes/shoes/websites I'm exposed to. Sometimes I'm just sitting minding my own business when BAM! An email with so and so's new A/W collection comes through. And while I know I should stop, drop, and roll the hell away from it... I never, ever do.

I thought I'd share a couple of my finds with you - first up is Sheinside.com. Think a mix between Asos and eBay, but without the bidding. They do Free Trials with a few different items every week - all you have to do is like their Facebook Page and share the Trial Item on Facebook, and they pick a winner! Worth it for some new threads, right? 

Aside from the freebies, the rest of the website has a lot to offer. There's a good mix of copycat fashions (think Zara coats and Asos denims) and individual designs - all at shamazing prices. I tend to go for the free delivery, which can take 5-15 days, but you can also get Express delivery in a few days for about a fiver. They're really good at keeping you informed with when the item has been dispatched and give a tracking order incase you get antsy about when the beautiful little package is getting dropped on your doorstep. Finally - as if I've not sold it already - every time you make a purchase, you receive She Inside points which eventually land you a VIP status on the website. I'm not sure what that means yet, but c'mon guys! VIP! 

Next up is a sentence I thought I'd never say. I am a Nasty Gal. 

Oh yes, that's right! Well no, it's not right actually. I am a self-proclaimed nasty gal due to my strong love for fashion website Nastygal.com and all there completely un-nasty pretty, pretty clothes. Admittedly, the name put me off before I even browsed the website (I'm a bit of a snob like that I guess) but man am I glad I looked anyway (even if it was for purely judgemental reasons at first). It's like Asos with all the catalogue-y crap cut out, and because it's a UK version of an American site it's different from stuff you'll find on its UK counterparts. Plus a lot of the staple items are slightly cheaper! I've not bought anything from the site yet (oh Pay Day, where for art thou?) but as soon as I do I'm sure there will be a post about it - I predict many a purchase in the future!

x