There are lots of stores around town, to shop for clothes, if the shopper is a teenager....age 30 is tops. There are very few stores around town for shopping, if the female body is mature, or over weight, or out of shape. Years of working out at the gym and jogging have kept my weight down. However, there is little I can do about aging. The alternative is dying. I think I will keep on living, thank you.
That leaves the problem of finding clothes that fit, are comfortable and don't make the lady look as if she is following teen trends...yuck!
One way I've solve the problem is to sew my own. I love to sew. The sewing scene has changed, though. The fabric stores now carry a lot of supplies for "crafts"...read...clutter. No thank you. I don't need more things around the house to dust...even if they are very clever.
Among the artsy-crafty items, good fabric can be found, but less of it when I did a lot of sewing. My time allocation has also changed. I do less sewing and do more alterations. It's faster than sewing from a pattern. My dressmaker's form got rusty . It got thrown out. I went looking for a new one and went into sticker shock. 500 dollars? Do you know how many dresses, blouses and slacks I would have to sew to recoup 500 dollars? A lot of clothes to justify that expenditure. Instead, I look elsewhere.
It now is necessary for me to shop in upscale stores to find clothes that fit and are flattering on me...read...expensive. Talbot Knits is one of my favorites. I treat myself to one new item every spring and fall. I promise to throw out or donate, at least two outfits for every one outfit that I buy. In that way, some order is restored to my tiny closet. There was an ad on TV for Talbot's today. I admired the clothes, the models (thinner than I am, but they are thinner than most women.) One outfit consisted on slacks cut off at the calf. It is an updated version of pedal pushers...what Lucy used to wear on black and white television. I don't have anything like that. Perhaps these cut offs will be my next purchase. They will replace two pairs of shorts. A woman with grey hair shouldn't be wearing shorts anyways.
I am a "hands on" person. I paint the walls, dig in the garden, wash the car. Those lovely clothes from Talbot's sit in the closet. I spend most of my time in stretch jeans and some old pullover. The shoes on my feet are scuffed up old sneakers. They are practical clothes for work. Yet I continue to follow fashion and buy a few pieces. Some event may come along that requires me to look good.