A Slice of Life & Les Soldes

It all started out innocently enough with what seemed to me to be a simple question.

The question in question (posed to someone verrrrry close to me -- I'm not naming names to protect the innocent) was: "So, what do you think of this dress!?" 

Can't you just feel the perky, hopeful cheery tone of the query? 

This is the conversation, by e-mail, that ensued. To make for easier reading and avoid the necessity of the "she said; she saids," we'll do it like this: I'm "T," the other person is "A."

And the conversation begins:

T: "So, what do you think of this dress!?"

A: "Is this for you?"

T: "It might be. Why do you ask?

A: "If it is for you, all I'm saying is, 'don't do it'."

T: "Why? I was thinking, theoretically, wouldn't it be great in black -- obviously not red -- with black tights and black boots?

A: "Yes, it would be. Is this dress for you or not?"

It looked great -- in theory. Or, it looks great on this model.

T: "Yes, it is and I already ordered it. I ordered one for you too -- in a different size of course and furthermore since we live on different continents we'll never run into each other and you will never be embarrassed."

A: "Let's get back to the point. You ordered this dress for yourself? You know you wouldn't wear something above the knee unless you planned to wear it with tights, boots AND pants."

T: "I am trying to make the painful, stressful, perhaps impossible move from 25 years of pants every day all the time to maybe one little dress. I figured, head to toe black, I'd be protected."

A: "I have no doubt you will like the dress, in theory. It seems like a great dress -- unless it turns out to be made of some weird material or isn't really black. 

"The questions I believe you need to ask yourself [Ed. Note: she really does talk like that] are the following: 'Am I REALLY, REALISTICALLY going to wear a dress with tights and boots? When is the last time I wore a dress? When is the last time I wore a skirt? Am I prepared to wear something that may or not completely cover my knees? Do I even own knee-high boots?"

T: "I ordered it in tall so it should cover my knees and yes, I own black knee-high boots. Just because you've never seen them doesn't mean they aren't in my closet -- someplace."

A: "Can I return it in January?"

Denouement: Both dresses were returned. They were truly dreadful, but that does not mean I am not re-thinking the dress/skirt/new me/new year/ let's try something new idea. 

I'm now off to the soldes in Paris for some recon scouting before I make any radical decisions. The markdowns started officially yesterday -- they're governed by strict laws of start and stop dates -- and the television news showed some nasty physical encounters over major electronics.

I'll tell you what's out there, what might be a good idea for us to buy now and most important, what are Frenchwomen adding to their wardrobes this time out.