holy-cow.se : Seven Days of Dee

Day 6, Wednesday–A Very Enjoyable Day

Sometimes things just fall in place and the gods smile down on you (I know Kandi has these days).

The day before I was discussing Macy’s with another in the group and she said she liked the one on Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile) better than the one on State Street, which I had visited on Monday.

After a lot of indecision, I decided I should wear the Tommy Hilfiger pink dress I bought at the consignment shop in Cleveland with Kandi, because I was going to dinner with the Pinkfest group in Oak Park. I never thought I would wear pink, but I like how I looked.

The Macy’s is next door to Watertower Place so I rode the escalators up and saw a small bench outside the Lego store, and next to American Girl Place. I thought both might make good backdrops for selfies, and they turned out pretty well.

I was trying to find the Macy’s entrance from the mall and saw a sign for White House Black Market. I’ve never shopped there, but have tried on their stuff at thrifts, so I decided to give it a try, and I’m glad I did.

The store was empty except for two sales agents, a/k/a sales angels, who I eventually learned were Victoria and Diane. I found four dresses in the discount rack and went to the change rooms to try them on. As no one else was there, I would leave the change room to take pictures, and Victoria would offer comments. I tried all four, nice but not gotta haves, and was getting ready to go.

I had heard Victoria and Diane talking about updating resumes and for some reason I decided to ask about Diane’s background (she was 72, Victoria 26). That question led to a roughly one hour discussion about retail, Diane’s daughter being engaged to an ex-St. Louis Cardinal, crossdressing, Victoria’s gay dad, Diane’s three exes and her stand-up routine, and other topics. I also asked Victoria for her opinion of a green dress I had tried on Monday, for which I was planning to return to Nordstrom later to buy (she said yes). After the conversation, I thanked them and they thanked me for coming in.

I went to Macy’s, tried on some holiday dresses and swimsuits, and then went to the last chance racks and found a yellow sundress. I tried it on, and fell in love with it. It was discounted to $36, so I could live with that. Texted my GG buddy Michelle for her opinion, and she loved it too. Decision made.

I figured I would return to White House Black Market and show Victoria what I had bought. I walked up to her and she asked to see what I bought, and I said I would prefer to model it for her. She readily agreed so I went into the dressing room and changed, and told her to close her eyes. She was jumping up and down until I told her she could open her eyes, and when she did, she loved it. She had me try on my sweater with it, and showed me how to fold the sleeves. She finished by saying I had made her day, and I said the same. She gave me her business card and her email, and I promised pictures of the green dress. We also took a selfie together. I had Victoria cut off the tags and I wore the dress the rest of the day.

From there I went to Nordstrom to see if the green dress was still there. It was, along with the same sales angel from two days before, who remembered my name. I tried on the green dress again, and bought it. I like the look and feel of it.

I was now shopped out, and paused for a rest and a Coke, before taking the train to Oak Park for drinks and dinner. The train was crowded (rush hour), but I found a seat. I have become pretty numb to crowds when out dressed.

Ok, I wasn’t completely shopped out. There was a consignment store near the restaurant, so I made a brief stop.

I was the fifth to arrive for drinks. Two more arrived after me, and one left before dinner. A later arrival come from a makeover at Transformations, a well known CD shop in Arlington Heights. Her wife doesn’t know, and she doesn’t want her picture taken (she doesn’t take selfies either). She worries about being discovered. We talked about my times out and how more relaxed I have become. I began to realize, all things considered, I have it pretty good.

So a fun day, topped off by a nice dinner and meeting new people, and two new dresses. Can’t get a whole lot better.