If you’ve ever needed justification for purchasing a wonderful but expensive piece of clothing, you’ll like “The Suit That Turns Me Into a VIP” by Christina Binkley in the Style section of Thursday’s Wall Street Journal” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122532908184782719.html). Every woman has at least one piece of clothing in her closet that was a stretch to purchase and that makes her feel great every time she wears it.
If what used to make you feel great doesn’t do anything for you anymore, it may say something about where your life is. Perhaps you’re changing and your clothing hasn’t caught up. I think it’s interesting that Christina’s hand-me-down Chanel jackets from her friend still “stop sales clerks in their tracks”. The jackets didn’t change, just something about the friend. I’ve passed clothing on to a relative that I thought was past its prime, and when I’ve seen it on them, wondered why I gave it away. The faults that I couldn’t miss before have become invisible.
Of course, often it really is the clothing that has changed. The pills or fading can’t be denied, and it’s time to let the article go. From my past 3 days of bra fittings, it’s definitely time to let my old bras go. I’ve changed and the bras have changed.
If you’re a D or higher woman, you know that spending more on a good bra is worth it. I’ve been spending more on bras since I was a sophomore in high school when my sister introduced me to Cameo Couture bras. I think they cost $34 in 1982–a fortune. They were purely industrial, but they gave me all the confidence I needed. Smooth, no bouncing and perfect lift. (I stopped wearing them when the smooth cup didn’t come in my band size after I gained weight, but if Cameo bras are still around when I return to my 1994 weight, I’ll wear them again.)
Spending more on a good bra isn’t always enough. We sometimes wear the wrong bra just because the right one won’t work under a top we love, especially one with buttons. My goal is to create shirts that look great on D and higher women wearing the perfect bra underneath. If it’s a splurge to buy, it’ll be worth it.
