One Size Fits All

As usual, I am struggling for summer clothes. Each winter I get comfy and accustomed with my pencil skirts, cardi’s and tights only for the sun to surprise me with an appearance, throwing me into panic about what to wear. A bit late, I hear you shout, the sun has been out for ages now and so moaning about the lack of suitable items in the wardrobe is a little old-hat, shall we say.

The poor state of my wardrobe is not really what I wanted to discuss, it’s more of a scene-setter really. Basically, desperate for summer garments, I found myself in New Look after being reliably informed by my eagle-eyed Mum that their sale was quite good. But on my search for frocks-a-plenty, I was faced with an unexpected and very annoying obstacle.

I spotted a cute little navy pencil-like skirt with gold buttons, very nautical I thought, and very ‘me’. Now, usually I range between a size 10 and 12, so always have to try on both. As the skirt was on the sale rack, the available sizes were limited and therefore I could only take a size 12 into the dressing rooms. I then saw a pair of cropped trousers, similar colour and detailing to the skirt – perfect! Again, limited sizes so I took a 12. I then grabbed a pair of cropped linen trousers, size 10 to try and thought if these, by some miracle, all fit, my summer wardrobe has just improved 10-fold.

Off I skipped to the changing room.

And this is where it all started to go wrong, very wrong.

The cropped linen trousers; Size 10: Fitted very well around the waist, perfectly I’d say – good I thought. On further examination, although fitting well, they just didn’t look quite ‘right’, so I put them to one side.

Blue skirt with gold detailing; Size 12: Too tight! I could do it up, but it looked and felt really tight and I just couldn’t possibly feel comfortable enough to wear it. But how can this be? If a size 10 in the trousers fitted so perfectly, how can this skirt in a BIGGER size be so damn tight?

Blue trousers with gold detailing; Size 12 (so note, same size and style as the aforementioned skirt): FAR FAR TOO BIG; Practically fell off my hips.

I am confused, very confused.

How can sizes in the SAME SHOP differ so much? I know I’m not the only one who has frequent problems with differing sizes in differing shops, which is why I have to try both a size 10 and 12. But differing sizes in the same shop? How can this be? And why should this be?

Do we not have enough trouble clothes shopping as it is?

It would be so much easier if we could just ‘know’ our size in each shop, surely? Well, it would be so much easier if we could just know our size and be able to get this size in every shop we choose to visit – but that’s an age-old argument that never seems to get resolved.

I think it’s time we started a revolution – clothes style.

A Multi-Tasking Rebellion

I can multi-task. I know I can. I do it everyday without even thinking about it. The fact is I don't want to multi-task - why would anybody want to, unless it's absolutely necessary? Which is indeed, the reason for my adherence to this social construct disguised as a talent. I have to - plain and simple - being at home with a 4-month-old baby boy - I just have to. An unavoidable evil, shall we say?

It's a strange concept really, when did it become such a celebrated gift to be able to do more than one thing at once? I can't see the appeal myself. Unless, of-course the tasks in question are for example, drinking a jack and coke whilst eating veggie sushi and debating the moral and social issues bought to light in 'The Sopranos' - now that I can see the appeal of. Somehow though, I don't think members of the 'Women are good at multi-tasking' brigade are talking that kind of multi-tasking.

To positively embrace this (some would argue) God-given talent as something the whole female race is good at seems ludicrous to me. Ok, I admit, as a Post-Modern Feminist, anything that clumps a whole load of individuals together and sticks a big, fat, identical label on them is going to make me recoil and react with some kind of allergic reaction.... but, surely anyone can see that this is merely making more work for our sisters and at the same time, making the women who aren't good at multi-tasking feel as though they are, wait for it... failed associates of the 'Successful Woman' society. And what about the men that are good at multi-tasking? Because there's no denying it... just as not all women are good at it, not all men are bad at it - it's a fact. Just like not all women drivers are likely to claim on the insurance every time they park the car - it's true!

So I say, to hell with multi-tasking. Do one thing at a time, unless
a) It's a matter of life or death,
b) It revolves around or involves something enjoyable, or
c) It means getting the job/s done quicker and this in turn means more time for previously mentioned enjoyable activities.

Now, back to The Sopranos....