Susan's Fashion Flubbery

Another oldie but a goodie. This blogging business really is the closest thing to keeping a journal I have ever done.


It is quarter to six Monday evening and I am home alone.

I like being home alone.

It hardly ever happens.

And the reason I am home alone is because I didn't go to the function I was suppose to go to with Shawn.

Don went instead.

I was going to go to this function and then use it for fodder for my blog. Well obviously that won't happen now. But I just now realized that I can write a blog about not going.

Confused?

I will explain.

I wonder if any of you know Donna Tracy? I know that Kim and Richard do because apparently she lives by them. Well Donna is one of the sweetest most sincere people you could ever hope to meet.

How do I know her you might ask.

I know her, because she works, as one of the directors, at the ARC. She is the one letting Shawn be a volunteer this summer at Partners and Pals, the ARCs summer camp. Well Donna called me last Tuesday or maybe Wednesday ( I never remember details like that.) She called to tell me about a golf tournament, slash, fund raiser, dinner, being held tonight to benefit the ARC. The Arc has outgrown their current building in Richland and they are planning to build a new one to better serve their needs, and because of this they are doing various fund raising type activities.

Donna didn't tell me about this particular fundraiser because she thought I should be up-dated on the ARC's every move.

No. She told me about it because she wanted Shawn and I to go to it and kinda be spokespeople for the great programs through the Arc that Shawn has participated in and enjoyed so much.
I told her yes of course we could do it.

Then comes the STRESS!

It is being held at the Meadow Springs Country Club from here on known as MSCC. It will be attended by MSCC type people. People that have money to donate to causes such as this. People that are used to fancy dinners. People that know just the right way to dress for occasions like this.

People who are Movers and Shakers.

I am not a Mover or Shaker. I have no desire to be one either. But I do have a desire to help out the ARC because they are such a worthy organization, and they have done so much for Shawn, and for so many other people like Shawn.

So I told Donna yes, and then immediately started to freak out. I had absolutely NO idea what I would wear to something like this. She said she wasn't quite sure either. Something she said, like business casual.

Business casual?????

Even though I can picture what that would be for a man, after all it is a golf tournament. So the men will have on nice casual slacks and nice polo shirts. But I could not picture in my mind what that would translate into for a woman. Donna wasn't really sure either. She said that she was probably going to wear some nice slacks and a nice shirt.

AAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH! ! ! !

I have nice casual clothes. At this time of the year, I wear mostly Capri pants and nice casual tops. I think I look pretty put together for a stay home mom. But, and this is a big BUT. I see women all the time that work, and look very polished and professional. Also I watch "What Not To Wear" and "How Do I Look. "

I have always wondered how Stacy and Clinton would pick me apart.

I don't have the slightest clue how to look polished and professional. I have always admired women that are, but that is not me. Well I decided to go out and at least try to find something suitable.

I went to Catherine's. The store for Larger Women. Because no two ways about it I am a Larger Woman. Now this doesn't really bother me too much, believe it or not. I'm more comfortable with myself now than I have ever been.

Okay, off to Catherine's.

They have nothing, NOTHING. Everything has a sailor motif with stars and anchors. Or jungle prints. And last, but not least, embroidered flowers. Mind you I don't have a problem with embroidered flowers.

FOR MY MOTHER.

Okay, I tell myself, don't panic. Where have you seen the kind of clothes you have in mind. Hmmm? Gee where do I spend the most time shopping and where do I buy a lot of my clothing?

Walmart.

That's right Walmart and I'm not even embarrassed to admit it. They have a lot of really cute plus size clothes. I can also fit into quite a few of their regular sizes in an extra large.

Yeah, Walmart, good idea.

Well I get to Walmart and start looking around and they suddenly seem like Super Casual Central. There are a few nicer looking, slack type Capri's. The problem is that they have cuffs and they are so long, that instead of looking like nice corporate type Capri's, I will look like I am ready for a flood. So, no, to the nice cuffed slightly corporate looking Capri's. Then I think, wait a minute. In my closet is a pair of very nice looking blue and white plaid Capri's that look really nice on me.

TA DA!

I will wear these. Okay pants problem solved. One less thing. Now what to wear with my nice blue and white plaid Capri's? I usually wear a cute white short sleeve top and I think I look pretty good. But, Usually when I see the women dressed the way I am hoping to dress, they don't have on knit tops. Oh No. Woven. It's almost always some kind of button down woven top. Okay. Okay, I tell myself. Don't panic. How hard can it be to find a nice button down woven top? I go back to the plus size section of Walmart. And there it is. A really cute, sort of young looking, woven, button down, plus size top, that even comes in white. And it looks like the tops I have seen in several other stores, which is good, because even though I do love to buy clothing from Walmart, I didn't really want to walk into the MSCC wearing something that screamed,

Yeah that's right, she bought me at WALMART!!!!


And, as luck would have it, it's even the kind of top that Courtney keeps telling me I should get. Okay, time to try it on. Now I am a little bit nervous because it has puffed sleeves. Puffed sleeves seem to be really popular right now. And even though I don't have a problem per-say with puffed sleeves, I do think that women with a certain arm circumference are best off avoiding puffed sleeves. I suddenly remember that, this is exactly why I haven't let Courtney talk me into buying one of these shirts. Oh well. Oh well. Desperate times and all.

I do end up getting a much bigger size than I need because those sleeves look SO TIGHT.

And as a matter of fact they were tight.

New dilemma.

Do I get the size that fits me all over but is a little squeezy on my arms? Or do I go with the comfortable arms and look like I am drowning in the shirt?

I decide to do what women have done throughout history. Suffer for fashion. I get the size that fits all over but kinda squeezes my arms.

Boy, if I were only in charge of sizing plus size clothing. Of course that is a whole different blog.

Now I have the top. I have the Capri's. What else do I need?

Proper footwear of course.

I have some really cute white slides that are just a little bit dressy without really being dressy. Yes, Yes, those will be good. But then I start to think. I have been wearing these since last summer and maybe they aren't as nice looking as they use to be because they have seen a lot of wear.

AAAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! AGAIN!!!!!

Well I finally came up with a solution that was so perfect I really don't know why it took me so long to think of it. Do you want to know what I finally did? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


I told Don to take Shawn and go to it instead of me.

PROBLEM SOLVED.