In and Around the St. Croix Valley

Dinner ;)

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple pants

Have you seen the sales out there? Everything from cars to socks is marked down as much as 95% off the original price. I decided to help boost the economy and headed out to the sales.

 

I spent one whole day at the Mall of America perusing the merchandise, making up my mind to only buy things that were an extreme deal and only items that I really needed. Total time spent in dressing rooms: 3 hours. I never thought that I’d be negotiating with myself over a $3.00 sweater, but I was. “Do I need it? Is the fit perfect? What do I have to wear with it? Does it look like a $3.00 sweater or more like its original price of a $193?”

 

I certainly helped to boost first quarter ’09 sales figures. I came home with a trunk full of bags, and didn’t spend more than $70.00. Seriously, they were giving stuff away.

 

I went to my closet, cut off the tags and started to put my outfits together. Why I bought the purple velvet pants from Ann Taylor was beyond me, but there they were, so I mixed and matched. For the $5.00 price tag, purple velvet was still a stretch for me, but I must have deduced in the third hour of dressing room nakedness that even if I wore them once, it was worth it. I’m sure Sarah Jessica has weak moments too.

 

I wore the purple pants to work the next day with a cute little floral sweater and coordinating scarf thinking I looked pretty put together. Total original cost had I bought my ensemble back in December = $519, today’s price tag = $12.00. “Nobody will know,” I thought, figuring I was the only one out there at the sales.

 

After a short meeting Nick walked into my office and said, “Say Karin, I was going to ask you during the meeting but I got sidetracked, but are those purple pants from Ann Taylor?”

 

Did he just ask that? Nick was a guy, not some DJ spinning chick with a masculine name, nor a fashion buyer for Nordstroms, but a real guy. What was he doing identifying my purple pants by brand? Then on second thought, there was nothing wrong with the Ann Taylor brand, and of course Nick wouldn’t have known about “The Sale,” so I cocked my head and said, “Yes they are Nick! I love Ann Taylor, shop there whenever I need to pick up a few things,” even though I hadn’t been to Ann Taylor in years.

“I saw those pants when I was there,” Nick said, “Weren’t they on the clearance rack for like $5.00 after all the discounts? My wife looked at them and decided to pass.”

 

Many rebuttals came to mind, but instead I went on the offense. “Nick, what kind of guy goes shopping at Ann Taylor? Doesn’t that threaten your masculinity? I think you should keep that little Ann Taylor thing to yourself or you’re going to be the subject of some not so pretty jokes. Can you say Clay Aitkin?”

 

Nick wasn’t embarrassed at all, and continued to discuss my blue light special wardrobe.

 

I did some serious introspection to try to figure out why I cared if a co-worker knew the total cost of my outfit. What was the big deal? Did I look cheap? Was my ego bruised? My image tarnished? Was Nick telling anyone? Or, worse yet, did everyone already know because there was a neon sign flashing across my forehead that said, “Karin’s closet comes from K-Mart.” What was the big deal?

I went home and told my husband, thinking that he’d provide some therapy. “Can you believe Nick at work asked me if these purple pants were $5.00?! The nerve of him. I think he must be gay because first of all, what kind of guy shops at Ann Taylor, and secondly, if they do, who remembers price tags?”

 

“Those pants were $5.00?” my husband asked.

 

“That’s not the point,” I said, “We’re talking about Nick. Do you think everybody knows my pants were $5.00?”

 

“All I’m saying is, those pants look like $5.00. Even if someone doesn’t know how much they are, they don’t look good on you. You overpaid.”

 

This is why God created sisters.

 

I was going to take the $5.00 purple pants off and throw them away, but I was home now, and no one else would be seeing me. I’d prance around the house and prove their worth. I accessorized them with a belt, boosting my look by a few bucks.

 

That night, I got online and thought I’d improve my spirits by iChatting (live video conferencing) with my daughter in California. “Mom, I want you to meet my new friend Holly from Laguna Beach. Say hi to Holly, Mom!”

“Hi Holly,” I said, wishing that I at least would have put on some lip gloss to meet the new friend. “Hang on, Reide,” I said, “I just want to get a glass of water, I’ll be right back.”

 

I got my water, came back to my computer and sat down. “Okay, I’m back. What’s up?”

 

“Hey Mom,” Reide said, with Holly still smiling back at me, “Are those purple pants you have on from Ann Taylor?”

 

What gives?

 

If anyone wants them, I have a pair of purple pants for sale for $2.50. I won’t tell a soul.

 

 

 

Karin Housley is realtor. To search for homes in the St. CroixValley or anywhere in the Twin Cities, visit her website at KarinHousley.com or contact her at Karin@KarinHousley.comor 651-430-0400. Be sure tune into The Karin Housley Show every Saturday morning at 10:00 on AM 1220, listen live at KLBBRadio.com or watch it on Valley Access Ch. 14 or MNSun.com.