Easily Distracted

So last Wednesday I ventured into the city during my delightful five hour gap. My quest? Clothes.

Ah, but not just any clothes. I was looking for something that conveyed a sense of professionalism, something that a naive little journalism student could wear to an industry night without being scoffed at by old men who work at the Kingaroy Agricultural Bi-annual Report... something normal. As someone who has worn nothing but conspicuous black outfits for the past ten years, this shopping quest had been something that had chewed on my nerves for quite some time. I don't have that self-indulgent "LOOKIT ME, I ARE UNIQUE WIDDLE SNOFLAKE!" attitude that many faggots like to flaunt when they're in alternative wears, but I did find myself coming mentally repeating such words as "normal" and "mainstream" as I browsed through the clothing racks.

Lolita has spoiled me- I went straight for expensive brands like David Jones, Witchery and Country Road. For the most part, I was completely ignored by the salesclerks. I don't know if it was because of my frilly black outfit or the jelly rolls said outfit concealed. Probably both. A lot of the evening wear was satiny and covered in seaquins, many with tags saying something like "These gowns are hand embroided. Sequins tend to come off when washed. This is normal. Please use the repair kit attached." Yes- you pay $450 for a dress that is made to fall apart. I tried not to wrinkle my nose. There were a lot of empire waisted dresses which looked like tents and slinky little numbers with too many beads sewed on. Bottle-blonde girls were holding skimpy halter necks against their tiny frames and trying to decide if the un-hemmed, un-flattering, sack-like pile of material was worth two pay cheques.

In the end there were only a couple of outfits I was okay with- a standard black dress from Witchery with a belt and frilly collar, and a dusty pink (!) blouse from DJ's with long sleeves and a nice high neck made out of transparent material. However, given that they were around $200 and $450 respectively, I couldn't really justify spending my hard earned government money on items that I deemed to be the least awful clothes I came across.

Now, I don't doubt that these are quality brand name garments that deserve respect- after all, they cost so much for a reason. Many of them would no doubt look great on other people and I'm sure that they have an inner beauty that I just can't see. But honestly, I had a hard time wrapping my head around how people could invest so much cash in outfits that had no personality whatsoever. I'd be happier throwing $50 at a Target cashier and walking away with some douchey cocktail dress that, to me, looked exactly the same as what I'd seen in DJ's. Fashion trends make sure that every shop sells outfits that look the same and it's very annoying.

So here I am minus any big brand shopping bags and oggling various alternative fashion websites. I have no idea what I'm going to do for the journalism club's upcoming cocktail party, but at least I'm spending my cash on clothes that I love rather than some kind of uncreative cosplay. Unemployment line, here I come!