November is almost over and although temperature keeps above the zero most of the time (morning frosts are rare this year), constant rain and lead-coloured clouds makes one to look for warmth and cosines. Yes, it is the sweater weather time, so I went and dug out all my packed away knits, looking for something nice to wear while the quarantine continues and all our days slowly merge into one. I was taken aback that although I have quite a lot of warm and lovely sweaters for outing purposes, I almost have nothing to wear day-to-day at home, both to look representable enough if the need of a Zoom call arises, as well as to feel comfortable while cooking dinner or lounging on a sofa with a book. What's more, although I have some nice looking knits, they have their own problems, mostly many of them being too... short. That's why today I went for a quick second hand store shopping spree and as the title of this post suggests, I ended up in the men's section of clothing. So here's an explanation how and why did it happen.
Previously in my life I have bought some clothing items that were from the men's section in the second hand stores. It was mostly t-shirt with super heroes or other awesome-looking designs, because (apparently) women have no need to be offered quirky and geeky t-shirts (*sighs in irony*). I also own a pair or jeans that were originally men's, but they fit me really well, besides it has the perfectly sized POCKETS (yes, the size of pockets (or the lack in general) in women's clothing never ceases to baffle me...). Since I usually do peruse menswear while looking for working clothes for my husband (fixing a house does require constant supply of clothes that usually get stained and have to be cut to rags pretty quickly...), I have noticed that there are some nice looking sweaters, cardigans, and jackets there, that I could probably fit myself into. As I was browsing the women's clothing today at my local second hand shop, I have noticed, that most of the knits that I would consider buying were on the short side. By saying that they were short, I don't mean crop top type of garment, I mean this:
This kind of sweater looks nice with skirts or with very high-waisted trousers/jeans, but when you have a regular waisted jeans on, there's usually a gap that, when you bend down, exposes your back to the elements of the nature. Or if you raise your hands up (or if you do something else than standing completely still) it exposes your belly, and if it is barely +20 C in your flat (or +8 C outside and you're working in your garden while the sweater just keeps crawling up under your vest or jacket) this is not what you want. So, as I was browsing the new old stuff today at the store, I noticed that, yeah, many of the knits that I liked were like this. So, before I lost my hope, I went to the men's section of the store, and what do I see? The perfect sweaters are there! Beautiful colours, long enough to cover below the hips (yes, I know, my pear figure does not work with longer knits, but you know what? I don't give a fluff when it comes to comfort in my own home), pleasant materials (looking at you, acrylic yarns), and the prices are ridiculous. For example, I got this dark brown sweater for 6 €:
This baby I got only for... 4 € and it is THE PERFECT sweater, I swear:
What's more, I've picked up this houndstooth patterned shirt, that is long (waaay below my hips, but here I wear it tucked in) and slim fit, so it really looks flattering and comfy. The price? 4 €:
But that's not all! At the end of the isle, I've stumbled upon a wonderful thing - a navy blue, military-inspired velvet jacket. As I was trying it on in a cabin at the store, oh boy, how bougy I felt!.. The jacket was a bit pricy (9 €), but the instant Mr. Darcy vibes that I felt left me without I doubt - I had to buy it:
I've spent 23 €, but I've got myself two lovely long sweaters, a nice shirt, and a dashing jacket! This kind of quality, designs, and prices are the things that I find usually lacking in the modern women's clothing at the second hand stores (because vintage clothing is a whole different story). Therefore I have to apologize S and M sized men in advance, because now I know where to find the clothes that I really want to wear.
Stay safe and see you in my next post!
Photos © Things I Like Blog
Comments