Best Cheap Suit
About 50 pounds back, I had a closet full of very nice suits and blouses that I really liked. When you lose a lot of weight, everyone says "oh didn't you (or won't you) have fun buying all new clothes?" NO, I hated it. It took me years of shopping and finding just the right style of suit I liked to get all those clothes and now I was stuck on very short notice buying all new clothes with no new money. For some reason, the year I lost all the weight was the year clothes manufacturers stopped making navy blue clothes. I couldn't find a navy suit or even a sweater in navy for two years. I just recently found a navy suit, but they only had it two sizes too big. I bought it and took it to the dry cleaner to have it taken in. But I digress.
In the past two years I have eventually found a really nice suit, here and there and I have about three or four really cheap suits that I bought in a pinch. My wardrobe, while not complete had become adequate. Then I started gaining weight. Seven months of struggle left me frustrated and dissatisfied with wearing clothes too tight, so I decided to break down and buy new suits in the next size up. I even said to myself, the hell with the cost. I'm not even going to look at the price tag. Nordstroms had one suit. That's it--in the whole store, one suit. Ok, they actually had three--one was the blue suit I had already purchased and one had stitching on the outside--it was awful. So Nordstroms had only one suit. I didn't even look at the price and I went to try it on. The jacket was just ok, but the pants didn't fit (I had picked up the wrong size) and they weren't even lined. $275 for unlined slacks. I was about to leave totally disgusted when the sales lady said that they do have suits in another area of the store. This was an area I rarely went to because they are very expensive, but I was desprate. I wasn't going to look at the price tag, really. But I did. $598 for a mediocre, ugly suit jacket. I left.
When I first needed suits and I had no money, I went to jc penney. I hated it, but they had some suits and they were cheap. I went to jc penney. The suits were all short sleeved (because it is summer I suppose) and some were capri pants. That will never do for court. So I delved deeper into the clothing department, past the jewelry counter, past the make up counter, past the party dresses, into the deep dark corners of the clearance racks and found suits with 3/4 sleeves. I was just about to give up when I came accross on jacket with long sleeves. It was part of a three piece suit. Ok, it had a ribbon trim that constituted the full sleeve, but I am really desprate at this point. The slacks were pollester with elastic. I tried them on and they were huge--I'll throw them away I thought--I have black slacks. The jacket fit beautifully. It was size 12 and even though the pockets were fake, it looked very taylored. I didn't even try on the sleeveless top that came with the ensemble and I made my way to the long line at the check out. It was the middle of the day on a week day in a huge mall--there had to be 10 people waiting in line. Where do those people come from? Why are they shopping in the middle of the day on a weekday? When I paid for the suit, it rang up at 1/2 of the price of the marked down price. $20 for a three piece suit. As the salesgirl put it in the bag, I noticed that the top was a size 10--oh no, I said, the size of that piece doesn't match the suit. I went back to the dark corner to find another size 12, but there was literally no others there. Ok, I'm never going to wear a sleeveless top anyway. $20 for an ok jacket is a really good day shopping.
When I got home and hung up the suit, I found out that the reason the pants were so roomy is because they were a size 14. So I had a size 10 top, size 12 jacket and size 14 pants. The next day I put them all on (I can't stand having new clothes that I don't wear right away) and they all fit (well except that I had to wear a tight belt to keep the pants up--which was a very nice change from my slacks being way too tight). That was the best cheapest suit I've ever purchased. Except that it was all wrinkled, it looked pretty good too.
In the past two years I have eventually found a really nice suit, here and there and I have about three or four really cheap suits that I bought in a pinch. My wardrobe, while not complete had become adequate. Then I started gaining weight. Seven months of struggle left me frustrated and dissatisfied with wearing clothes too tight, so I decided to break down and buy new suits in the next size up. I even said to myself, the hell with the cost. I'm not even going to look at the price tag. Nordstroms had one suit. That's it--in the whole store, one suit. Ok, they actually had three--one was the blue suit I had already purchased and one had stitching on the outside--it was awful. So Nordstroms had only one suit. I didn't even look at the price and I went to try it on. The jacket was just ok, but the pants didn't fit (I had picked up the wrong size) and they weren't even lined. $275 for unlined slacks. I was about to leave totally disgusted when the sales lady said that they do have suits in another area of the store. This was an area I rarely went to because they are very expensive, but I was desprate. I wasn't going to look at the price tag, really. But I did. $598 for a mediocre, ugly suit jacket. I left.
When I first needed suits and I had no money, I went to jc penney. I hated it, but they had some suits and they were cheap. I went to jc penney. The suits were all short sleeved (because it is summer I suppose) and some were capri pants. That will never do for court. So I delved deeper into the clothing department, past the jewelry counter, past the make up counter, past the party dresses, into the deep dark corners of the clearance racks and found suits with 3/4 sleeves. I was just about to give up when I came accross on jacket with long sleeves. It was part of a three piece suit. Ok, it had a ribbon trim that constituted the full sleeve, but I am really desprate at this point. The slacks were pollester with elastic. I tried them on and they were huge--I'll throw them away I thought--I have black slacks. The jacket fit beautifully. It was size 12 and even though the pockets were fake, it looked very taylored. I didn't even try on the sleeveless top that came with the ensemble and I made my way to the long line at the check out. It was the middle of the day on a week day in a huge mall--there had to be 10 people waiting in line. Where do those people come from? Why are they shopping in the middle of the day on a weekday? When I paid for the suit, it rang up at 1/2 of the price of the marked down price. $20 for a three piece suit. As the salesgirl put it in the bag, I noticed that the top was a size 10--oh no, I said, the size of that piece doesn't match the suit. I went back to the dark corner to find another size 12, but there was literally no others there. Ok, I'm never going to wear a sleeveless top anyway. $20 for an ok jacket is a really good day shopping.
When I got home and hung up the suit, I found out that the reason the pants were so roomy is because they were a size 14. So I had a size 10 top, size 12 jacket and size 14 pants. The next day I put them all on (I can't stand having new clothes that I don't wear right away) and they all fit (well except that I had to wear a tight belt to keep the pants up--which was a very nice change from my slacks being way too tight). That was the best cheapest suit I've ever purchased. Except that it was all wrinkled, it looked pretty good too.
posted by KathrynVH @ 5:28 PM
2 Comments:
At June 21, 2007 at 5:57 AM,
Marcel said…
Exactly the way senario I go through when I shop. There is one difference, my stores are Goodwill, Second Time Around and Salvation Army. My price is $3.00 for a shirt and $3.50 for pants. I get what I want or I do not buy.
How is it that your weight is changing? Is it on purpose? If you want your weight to stay the same, weigh yourself every day in the morning and adjust that days meals accordingly.
At June 29, 2007 at 10:58 AM,
KathrynVH said…
Dear Uncle Marcel, I'm afraid that I did not read this post until today (6/29). My "you should" post was not directed at or near you in any way. I love your comments and look forward to hearing from you.
The problem with adjust your meals accordingly is that losing a pound or two would then be a giant green light to chocolate chip cookies galore.
The weight is going up about five pounds every six months as I tire of counting calories and going to the gym. I've hit a good period of dedication in the past couple of weeks but I'm only a bag of reeses peanut butter cups away of losing all my hard fought ground.
I'm working on it forever and ever.
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