I've been worrying a little too much about the age issue lately and am trying to get beyond it. It's just that becoming a grandmother and turning 60 within the span of three months has sort of unglued me. I can't seem to get my head around it, and find myself mumbling, "I can't be 60...," almost as often as I start sentences with, "Remember when..."
But there's a new year starting and it seems time to move on and tackle some of the more serious issues. Like shopping.
My daughter went shopping recently. Not high end shopping, but Goodwill shopping. And not regular Goodwills, but three massive Goodwill outlets filled with Goodwill rejects that are sold out of overflowing bins instead of racks and priced by the pound instead of the piece.
She's a lot like me, with an eye for a bargain and a willingness to spend her Saturdays at garage sales or rifling through warehouses in search of a find. She's also like me in that she often makes the mistake of opting for quantity over quality.
Which means that sometimes she arrives home with 50 pounds of clothes--or floor to floor clothing once I dumped out the eight super-sized bags in search of treasures for myself. Unfortunately, her finds on this trip were heavy on large sizes and I didn't find much to try on.
Unlike my age, my weight has stayed in the low numbers over the years and I rarely wear anything larger than a medium. Not a bad problem to have, but not nearly as good as it sounds either. Because, although my weight hasn't changed, it certainly has shifted. "I remember when I had a waist," is a common refrain.
I uttered it again when I tried on the cute little Ann Taylor skirt that I pulled from the pile--the one that was tailored. The one that, unlike me, had a waist. The one that wouldn't come close to zipping shut and sent me back into the pile and not climbing out until the next day when I found a small pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans.
The jeans were a keeper. They were made out of that wonderful stretch denim that looks just like the real thing--at least in low light and to someone who wears bifoculs. My girls may scoff, but stretch jeans are one of the few things that can get me through a day without leaving a button indentation on my non-existent waist that lasts until my next bath. I love them.
They're almost as good as the Gap jeans that I discovered on one of my own bargain hunting trips.
I've been shopping at Gap for years--mostly for my daughters, but also for myself. Gap has great sales, and it's gratifying to hang things in my closet with tags that my daughters don't turn their noses up at. It's one of the few stores that I've been able to shop side by side with them without eventually saying, "I'm just going to run over to the elastic waist department for a minute," or, "Meet me outside of Naturalizer at 3:00."
It's only been in the last few years that the Gap dresses have started to feel a little too short, the tops a little too tight, and the store a little too young. I still went in, but I rarely left with anything other than Christmas candles. I got the bag, but not the gratification.
Until one day when I went in and saw a pair of jeans on the sale rack, in my size, for $4.98. I'll try on anything for $4.98, even jeans that look like they might be cut a little skimpy--like they should have been sent to T.J. Maxx as an irregular because someone cut the top five inches off the pattern. Like you can't hold them up without wondering what you're going to do with the extra inches of underwear that will be peeking out.
But low prices resolve a lot of reservations. And I'm actually getting comfortable with a little underwear showing. I've even been known to show a little bra strap myself on occasion. Okay, not necessarily on purpose like my daughters, but still. And thank goodness for that, because I made a great discovery that day.
Gap has these amazing jeans called "Low Risers." They look just like regular jeans, but they stop many inches below where your waist used to be. Now, admittedly, when you first hold them up, you're tempted to put them back because, "Whoa...these things are going to fall right off." But when you try them on and turn around in front of that slightly too-well lighted mirror you realize that your hips have expanded right along with your waist and will comfortably keep them up through whatever contortions you have to do to get out of your Lazy Boy.
Sure, you may not want to bend over too far, but you're probably not doing that these days anyway. And, yes, you may need to buy some longer shirts and shorter underwear, but that's a small concession for being able to breathe comfortably. There's no waist band cutting into your stomach, no zipper extending over that dangerous area of belly fat, no sucking in to get that big button through the too tiny button hole, and no embarassing elastic waists to stare at you from your dresser drawer and remind you that you've turned the wrong way at another fashion corner.
I'm telling you these "Low Risers" will stop you in the tracks of your unfashionable, but comfortable, shoes. They're tailor made for the over 50 (okay 60), no waist body. Why Gap isn't out there marketing them to the aging baby boomers, I don't know and don't understand. Because there's a thick-waist market out there just waiting to be tapped.
They've certainly sold me. I bought multiple pairs and am breathing more comfortably than I have in years.
And, really, I can't be 60 if I still shop in Gap.
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Comments
Macy's also has stretch jeans in petite sizes which means you can be actually find jeans when your legs don't resemble giraffes!
Rated♥
Paul--I'll take the 40, but can I still have my senior discounts.
Cranky--Yeah, 60 is hard to reconcile. And covering all inappropriate areas of flesh is a good start. Could you explain that to the ones wearing speedos.
Jerry--A compliment indeed. And thanks for the nice words.
Fusun--Humor helps. I don't do malls much anymore either, just Gap.
Looking at my "60" picture dated....2002!
Enjoy. It beats the alternative. / r
Happy new year.
~r~
Phyllis--Blessed for sure. I've never been at an ideal ratio.
LeepinLarry--Rest assured, I'm well stocked. At $4.98, I went kind of wild.
takingadvice--Thanks, me too.
Julie--Thank you. You have to be in the mood for the outlets.
Mama--Keep checking. They'll mark them down. And skinny jeans? Yeah, ick.
Divorce Bard--Hmmm...
I turned 60 this year and thing I noticed first was that . . . uh . . . something starts to go. The knees maybe.
Ann Taylor Loft also does a good job of bridging the...er...Gap..between my taste (at 44) and my daughter's (at 21). The cuts are modern without being junior, and they have great sales.
Good daughter--Yeah, straight legs are only for the very young
Bellwether--we really know our jeans, don't we.
Thanks to all for reading and commenting.
rated with love