Queer-eye for the straight woman

[KnottedYet]

I don't shop at all anymore, I just wait for Knot's clothing reviews and buy that.

Oooh, tell Susan! Can I work on comission? (hee hee).

I don't know doodly-squid about fashion (LoriO, I need your salesguy!) but I can talk about clothes!

[KnottedYet]

No ones ever been banished from the kingdom as it were, but I do know of two people who chose to leave.
Sometimes people take things too personally or don't have the wherewithal to simply brush it off.

My favorites are the ones who leave with great fanfare, talk trash about TE forums on another women's bike forum, then come quietly back to TE.

While that is deeply offensive (yes, I'm a d*ke, but not a "vegetarian earth goddess witch," just ask my minister at the next church potluck) it does say a LOT about the quality of TE forums. Despite vitriolic diatribes elsewhere, this is still a "home" on the internet for women cyclists and they come back.

In large part, I think, due to the amount of LEARNING that goes on here. We all love bikes. We all understand that love. And through bikes we meet folks we'd be unlikely to meet otherwise. We do a little bit of looking through someone else's eyes, simply because we *do* see eye-to-eye on bikes and riding.

Yeah, we *all* put our pedals in our mouths (good one, IFJane!) but we take a step back, take a second look, and work to understand what's going on from another's perspective. (and I don't "go after" the woman who said these things about me, because I can understand the closeted world she's struggling in don't want to "run her out" of TE. I know how I'd feel if I lost TE, and I can imagine how she'd feel if she lost TE. It's a learning experience.)

Now, if we could just rule the world...

[LoriO]

ok, group hug (((((((hug)))))))))

Now, anyone want to go shopping???

[KnottedYet]

YEAH! I vote we go to LoriO's store!!!!

[Trek420]

It's Deja Vu all over again

OMG, I normally HATE shopping, but I don't think I have ever had so much fun shopping as I did today.

.... when I went shopping with a group of TE gals. And there was this great gay guy, I think he was one of LoriO's fabulous Dads .... and then we had lemondrops and .... and I just went to take the recycling out, there's no outside lights and little kitchen lights and I stepped right into a pile of my mutt Maes .... oh, now I've really put my foot in it.

[OakLeaf]

ok, group hug (((((((hug)))))))))

Now, anyone want to go shopping???

YEAH!!!! But I still need Nigel from "The Devil Wears Prada." I need him on retainer.

[bmccasland]

I may live in one, or at least a third world country... but I have consistantly gotten good service at Banana Republic. YMMV, but try going some day other than a busy weekend afternoon. I took a pretty silk paisley skirt in last saturday morning and said I wanted to find tops to go with the skirt, for work, and they pulled things out. This was after a trip where I mentioned the skirt, and they told me to wait and bring it in. They wanted to know if I was looking for "work" or more casual, and pulled things accordingly. When I couldn't decide between two sweaters, to complete the look, we asked another sales person for his opinion. They grasp the concept that I only wanted to buy ONE, but which one? AND they even suggested that I didn't need to buy both.

Unfortunately for my curvy hips, I have to have their slacks tailored, BUT they're made so that tailoring is easier, as compared to other brands of women's clothes. The difference is how the waist band is put on, compare women's slacks to men's slacks - the men's are made to be tailored, but most women's isn't - the men's will have a verticle seam hiding under the center back belt loop, but most women's slacks / skirts won't. I'm not happy about needing to have things tailored, but to get the fit right, it's a necessary evil.

Anyway, I'm a happy Banana Republic customer.

[Trek420]

Brief shout out to our own TE. Anytime I've called they've provided store-like shopping experience and advice online or over the phone. I've often read reports of TE'sters being pulled off the phone or out of the office to try something on for a customer because they are about the same size/shape as the caller.

I think that's normal for them if someone is in doubt and they have time.

Long live TE