Like, Shopping Isn't Always Fun

Oliver up and got himself a new job. This is a good thing, but it requires a lot of new wardrobe items. Dress shirts, ties, nice pants. He doesn't own many of any of these things, so we have our work cut out for us.

Tonight was the first trip to the mall, something we've been putting off for awhile. I like shopping as much as the next girl - a little less actually, but not that much less - but I only like shopping for me. Shopping for someone else, especially a man who has to wear boring things like ties and dress shirts in french blue and white, is pretty awful. Especially when the man I am shopping for hates to buy clothing and drifts away every five minutes to go stare at escalators or displays of mannequins.

Worse still, I am completely out of my element in the men's department. What's in style? Which combination of shirt/tie will make you look like a stylish urbanite, and which will make you look like a hog feed salesman? Answers? Anyone? I have often thought ahead, looking at the years and years I will spend attempting to dress a life-sized Ken doll, and wondered if I shouldn't subscribe to GQ or one of those men's fashion magazines. Get a hold of this clothing thing. In the end though, even the thought of reading any of them makes me feel annoyed and impatient.

I guess we'll continue to fumble our way through, then. We actually did okay tonight. Oliver will look presentable, even if he'll be looking presentable in the same two pairs of pants over and over again.

A couple thoughts: why are men's dress shirts stuck together with pins, folded over tissue paper, etc.? How are you supposed to try one on? And ties: expensive! How do the tie barons get away with this?

And a final, coded note: for anyone who has talked with either of us within the last few months about Oliver's work plans, yes, it's "that" job! You know what I mean, right? Sorry to be so vague.