because, obviously, women my size don't wear clothes

[aryanhwy]

Last week Joel lost his umbrella and since mine had completely sheared into two pieces during a big storm in December, we went out today to the big department store on the Dam Square to get new ones for each of us. The Bijenkorp is the only place that we've been able to find reasonable umbrellas. Just as you shouldn't spend less than €50 on your bike lock, we've found that you really don't want to spend much less than €40 on your umbrella, if you want it to last one more storm.

We then spent the next two and a half hours walking from the Dam Square to Muntplein stopping in every clothes store that looked like they might possible have pants for me. I'm looking to upgrade my wardrobe a little bit -- I have plenty of skirts, but otherwise most of my pants are jeans, and I'd like something a little bit more professional for when I'm at conferences and don't want to wear skirts every day. I have a fairly clear picture in mind of what I want, and it's a fairly broad spectrum. I didn't think it would be as hard as it was. The first place we went in had two floors of pants that I can only describe as "old". No, thanks, I don't need to dress like a 40 year old to look professional. In two places we actually found pairs worth trying on, but in the one store, the extra-small was design for someone with bigger hips and longer legs (by like 6 inches!) than me, and at the other, the size 34 sat so low and loose it felt like it was bagging around my knees. OK: So, we need something which is either 32 or less, or smaller than extra-small. In the next dozen or so stores that we went to, not a single pair could we find which was smaller than a 34. And we were looking in both little botique stores and big multi-floor department stores. The street we perused is basically the place to go clothes shopping in Amsterdam, so if I can't find anything that fits there, I'm pretty much screwed. Why is it so hard to find clothes my size??? The only thing that I can think of is that women by size don't wear clothes, and hence stores don't have to stock things in my size. >(

We made up for the disgruntlement some by stopping at a Häagen-Dasz. Mmmm.

And the shopping trip wasn't a complete waste: At the second place we stopped in, there was a coat that caught my eye, so I tried it on. It fit well and Joel liked it, so we ended up buying it, even though coat-shopping wasn't on the agenda and I hadn't expected to spend quite so much money today. But we've been looking for a new coat for me for about two and a half years now, and this is the first one I've tried on which has all the requirements I want, fits well, and Joel likes, so it wasn't exactly an impulse purchase.

But it would've been nice to come home with some pants.

Comments

[tedeisenstein.livejournal.com]

Ever try shopping even in regular waist sizes for men's pants with a 26-inch inseam?

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

In my freshman/sophomore year of college, I was able to fit into men's army pants (and I still have a fondness for that color of green... I'd love to find another pair someday). Unfortunately, in the last three years or so I've developed some *ahem* womanly curves, which means there's actually a significant different between my waist measurement and my hip measurement, which is not a feature to which men's pants usually cater.

[adelais.livejournal.com]

Wait a minute, I thought size inflation was supposed to be a U.S. phenomenon and everybody in Europe was all svelte and stuff. You mean they've been lying to me?

(Says she who has to go pants shopping this afternoon and expects to be frustrated for entirely different reasons.)

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

When we went back to the US last June, the difference in the svelteness of the average European vs. the average American was pretty shocking. But even here I'm on the small side. As Joel pointed out, it doesn't help that I'm moderately short and am trying to shop in a country with the highest proportion of extra tall people that we've ever seen. (I need more than one hand to count the number of Dutch men that I know that are over 6'4" or 6'5").

[adelais.livejournal.com]

Heh. My quandary right now is that all pants in the stores seem to be cut for women with skinny legs, no butts to speak of, and, weirdly, no difference between waist and hips. Which is pretty much the opposite of my pre-pregnancy figure (my waist is rapidly disappearing now, necessitating the new pants). Oddly enough, maternity pants are cut exactly the same way -- you'd think pregnant women could safely buy "mom jeans," but apparently not.

[katerinfg.livejournal.com]

:-) Well, if you make enough trips to Häagen-Dasz....

[frausensei.livejournal.com]

Now you've made me want to go pants shopping. I actually have enough work pants though, and need to replace my favorite jeans (which are too worn out) and get a new pair of cargo pants (which I've been missing since the last time I had a pair). Maybe if I get enough grad school readings done I can shop after that ...