The Spendy City
Just the kind of weekend I like--one full of friends and activity and food and shopping and enough photogenic subjects that I don't have to think too hard about the words I put here on a Monday morning (uh, er...afternoon into evening).
Late Friday night, Simon mentioned off-hand that it might be fun to go out for bagels the next morning since it was our first full weekend home in ages and since he, unlike me, remembered we were out of cereal and he knows there is no suffering my attitude when I open the breakfast cabinet only to rediscover anew and re-mourn anew the lack of cereal every day until we replenish our stock. So--a bagel date! How delightful! And what a perfect way to jumpstart a day spent shopping for a dress to wear to his sister's wedding at the end of the month.
Distinction of Note: To him, the bagel date was a suggestion; to me, the bagel date was the lynchpin.
Come Saturday morning, we're awoken by a call from Simon's oldest friend, who was visiting from out of town and found himself stranded and up for brunch, if we'd have him. When I hear Simon in the other room say, "Nope, we don't have any plans; I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes" I narrow my eyes and lower my horns and kick into full-on grumples mode.
"Um, I thought we were having a bagel date."
"We can still go out for bagels. With Brian."
"But we're supposed to go dress shopping."
"We can. With Brian."
"But!"
"Don't be a baby." Exit stage left.
"Wah." Immature stomping of feet and pouting of lip.
We ended up going to brunch at Zazie in the hip happenin' Cole Valley part of San Francisco, meeting up with Brian's smokin' hot fiance and her friend. (I had a Nicoise salad topped with a filet of seared tuna, and good lordy was it perfect. Crunchy green beans, purple pitted olives, roma tomatoes, a few roasted red potatoes and roasted red peppers...mwah!)
Even though the food and the company couldn't have been more delightful, I was still so caught up in my stupid plan that as soon as we were done I was ready to hug, kiss-kiss everyone goodbye and head back over the bay to attack the dress stores I had been plotting out on my strategy map all last week. But, Hey, how about we just wander around the Haight for a little bit? I was in a fantastic dress shop there yesterday and you just might find something. Yes! That sounds like fun! We don't have anywhere else to be! Everybody in? Let's do it! Hooray! I was a little less thrilled than I should have been, though, because I have to be in a very special mood to enjoy purposeful shopping, and I have to be in a VERY very special mood to enjoy purposeful shopping with other people, especially a stranger, an acquaintance, and two boys. I again narrowed my eyes, although taking care no one could see because whereas I don't mind making myself look bad, I do mind making Simon look bad.
Well and so, we went to Ambiance, I tried on three dresses that were to die for and one that was waaaaay too big (vanity sizing strikes again!), and walked away with the perfect dress for the wedding, and at a reasonable price, which was initially a doubtful outcome when the first five dresses I looked at in the store were $300 and up. The turquoise dress pictured in the previous entry was picked out and forced upon me by the fitting room attendant (who was also shoving four-inch heels under the door and hawking pashminas), and although she was right, it DID look amazing, it was a little too...haltery and...paisley?...for my taste, and besides, the other dresses put it to shame.
Of my other two fantastic choices, Simon was a huge fan of the first one and was ready to have its babies (and speaking of making babies, they let him come in the dressing room with me, which I LOVE*), but as soon as I zipped up the final dress, it was all over. "That's the one," he said, although it was more like "THE ONE" and I think there was an angel choir hallelujahing through the air vents. "That dress makes the last one look like a rag to wash the floor with," he said, and so it was done. One store, one dress, one low, low price. (Except I couldn't stop thinking about the second-best dress for the next twenty-four hours and went back to get it on Sunday, even though I have nowhere to wear it (although I hear it might make a nice floor-washing rag). More on that later.)
Now, if you're paying attention, you know what it means that I didn't purchase the paisley dress:
It was on sale. And he's wanted one forever. And it's SO SHINY.
It also happens to sound like a million bucks, and it also happens to make my boyfriend happy beyond all measure, and thus it was that I had nothing to complain about and was forced to be pleasant for the rest of the day, harrumph. Simon was also on the giddy side, what with the new guitar, the fitting-room strip show, the food, the friends, and, oh yeah, the jacket he got from a garage sale while we were walking about--a $20 offer brought down to $8 because he's so darn cute.
And so it was with a little stripey bag on one arm and a boy and his guitar on the other that we toured the neighborhood searching for the misplaced car, found the car, drove our friends back across the bay, dined on schwarma and gelato, dropped them off at a relative's house, went back to my place to play with the cat and the guitar (Simon was right; it's great for taking photos in), and then ended up where we started, at his place, and with martinis and a movie and a solid promise of a Sunday bagel date. He knows how to put me to bed with a smile on my face and a reason to wake up in the morning, that's for sure.
***
Bagels! Hot drinks! Dressing room shenanigans, pt. 2! Ten new T-shirts! Work! Play! More play! Deja-vu dress shopping! Gardens! Running! Transcontinental phone calls! Cafe snack with another set of friends! More movies! More fun! More more more! Later!
*We did not make babies in the dressing room. Even if we'd tried (not that we would...), we couldn't have gone very long before the attendant would have interrupted us by suggesting that some peep-toe stilettos would really compliment that position and would I like to see them in black as well as the red? (I snipe, but the heels she gave me "for effect" with the dresses looked great. I just don't need an extra four inches and/or a broken neck, thanks.)
I too found a FABULOUS dress this weekend. I felt so pretty in it that Al encouraged me to buy it, even though it was a bit more than I'd usually spend on a dress (or any clothes, for that matter). About 20 minutes later, I found the perfect shoes to go with it. I do have a wedding to go to in October, and I plan to wear it there (though if I'd *tried* to find a dress to wear to that wedding, I wouldn't have found one!), but I think I might just wear it around the house now and then, too. It makes me feel *that* pretty.
that is a fan-freakin-tastic dress. you are so gorgeous girl. wowza!!
Can we see "the one" dress? I thought the haltery/paisley one was gorgeous and looked great on you. If you bought a better one, I'd like to see it!
Bahh, you didn't buy the paisley! So much for sartorial advice. Look forward to seeing the real thing.
Now, I want to see pictures of your dresses!
I LOVE Ambiance - I own 2 things from there and I don't even live in San Fran - crazy!
(OK, it's really not that crazy...)
I'm the same way - you gotta shop when the mood strikes!