Requiem For The Fallen
May. 29th, 2010 12:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyspriteI lost a pair of friends this week.
They've been part of my life for.... gods, probably a decade. They've been there for me without question or complaint, rain or shine, whenever I needed them. I counted on them. I needed them.
And this Wednesday, my favorite sandals finally died.
These weren't just any shoes. They were the Perfect Sandals. Flats, because while heels are nice, when you want to actually walk around in the summer, you want comfort. Leather, so they were sturdy and stain-proof and water-resistant. Just cushy enough to keep me from getting blisters, but not so squishy that they got mushy over time. The straps were just the right length and width, so they didn't rub against my foot or slip back and forth or press into my skin. And they were strap-only, so there were no wide spots of fabric or leather to trap sweat and dirt against my foot. I have never before or after found a pair of sandals this amazing.
And, unsurprisingly, I wore them constantly from the start of warm weather until probably way too late in the season. I realized over the past year that they were starting to get rather worn and tired, and I've been slowly looking for replacements, but nothing near as good has appeared. And finally, as I was wandering around town this week, body and sole finally parted company.
Unfortunately, this catastrophic and total shoe failure happened about 2 1/2 miles into what was supposed to be a 5 mile walk, leaving me to barefoot it the final mile and a half or so from Porter Square to Harvard Square, and thence to try to nonchalantly shuffle through my errands pretending I wasn't holding my right shoe on by sheer force of willpower and kind of squinching my toes around the edge of the sole. Luckily, my angel of a husband hadn't quite left to meet me yet, and was able to pick up a spare pair of shoes, saving me from having to continue the charade through dinner.
Farewell, sandals. I loved you, and I will miss you.
Much more successful and less tragic, though, was the outcome of said errands from that same day....
I have spent most of my adult life searching desperately for the right bra, and failing abysmally. Aside from being woefully underendowed, I am apparently just tiny all over - a custom fitting at an overpriced specialty boutique revealed that I need a band size of 30, which, for those who don't wear bras, is not generally commercially available. Most mainstream manufacturers start at 32, and I've had people at said same overpriced specialty boutique tell me that there's no such thing as a size 30 bra.
I've learned since that they were wrong, but in spite of the theoretical existence of such garments in my size, they have proved to be rarer than hen's teeth and unicorns. And possibly unicorns with hen's teeth. Calls to over half a dozen different stores that claim to specialize in rare and hard-to-find sizes have yielded nothing - they just sound surprised, then confused, then dig through their collection and come back to the phone shrugging and apologizing. I had more or less given up, and resigned myself to just wearing too-big underwear and looking and feeling lousy.
But a friend recently mentioned a new store opening up in our area, and, well, hope springs eternal. So I called and asked if they had anything in a 30B, not expecting anything. And damn if they didn't say yes. Multiple styles, even, and I should come on down anytime, no need to schedule a fitting or make an appointment.
And I did. And they had them. And.... holy cow. I knew the ones I was wearing before didn't fit, and weren't exactly pleasant, but I hadn't realized just how uncomfortable and unpleasant they were until I managed to put on something that actually *did* fit for the first time.
The band fits around my chest. It doesn't hang there, and slide back and forth, and abrade the crap out of my rib cage. The straps stay on my freaking shoulders. And now that the body of the thing isn't hanging and sagging off my torso, and my goods aren't falling out the bottom, I actually look like vaguely like a girl, instead of a preteen boy with a disturbingly awesome ass.
So. Amazing. And they were even pretty, too. I only bought one, wanting to wear it for a day before dropping *too* much money, but having had it and worn it for more than five minutes now.... I'll be going back. I need these. I love them.
All praise and glory to Forty Winks in Cambridge, and all honor and gratitude to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dreda for informing me of their existence. Slowly but surely, inch by agonizing inch, I may just someday learn to be happy with my body....
They've been part of my life for.... gods, probably a decade. They've been there for me without question or complaint, rain or shine, whenever I needed them. I counted on them. I needed them.
And this Wednesday, my favorite sandals finally died.
These weren't just any shoes. They were the Perfect Sandals. Flats, because while heels are nice, when you want to actually walk around in the summer, you want comfort. Leather, so they were sturdy and stain-proof and water-resistant. Just cushy enough to keep me from getting blisters, but not so squishy that they got mushy over time. The straps were just the right length and width, so they didn't rub against my foot or slip back and forth or press into my skin. And they were strap-only, so there were no wide spots of fabric or leather to trap sweat and dirt against my foot. I have never before or after found a pair of sandals this amazing.
And, unsurprisingly, I wore them constantly from the start of warm weather until probably way too late in the season. I realized over the past year that they were starting to get rather worn and tired, and I've been slowly looking for replacements, but nothing near as good has appeared. And finally, as I was wandering around town this week, body and sole finally parted company.
Unfortunately, this catastrophic and total shoe failure happened about 2 1/2 miles into what was supposed to be a 5 mile walk, leaving me to barefoot it the final mile and a half or so from Porter Square to Harvard Square, and thence to try to nonchalantly shuffle through my errands pretending I wasn't holding my right shoe on by sheer force of willpower and kind of squinching my toes around the edge of the sole. Luckily, my angel of a husband hadn't quite left to meet me yet, and was able to pick up a spare pair of shoes, saving me from having to continue the charade through dinner.
Farewell, sandals. I loved you, and I will miss you.
Much more successful and less tragic, though, was the outcome of said errands from that same day....
I have spent most of my adult life searching desperately for the right bra, and failing abysmally. Aside from being woefully underendowed, I am apparently just tiny all over - a custom fitting at an overpriced specialty boutique revealed that I need a band size of 30, which, for those who don't wear bras, is not generally commercially available. Most mainstream manufacturers start at 32, and I've had people at said same overpriced specialty boutique tell me that there's no such thing as a size 30 bra.
I've learned since that they were wrong, but in spite of the theoretical existence of such garments in my size, they have proved to be rarer than hen's teeth and unicorns. And possibly unicorns with hen's teeth. Calls to over half a dozen different stores that claim to specialize in rare and hard-to-find sizes have yielded nothing - they just sound surprised, then confused, then dig through their collection and come back to the phone shrugging and apologizing. I had more or less given up, and resigned myself to just wearing too-big underwear and looking and feeling lousy.
But a friend recently mentioned a new store opening up in our area, and, well, hope springs eternal. So I called and asked if they had anything in a 30B, not expecting anything. And damn if they didn't say yes. Multiple styles, even, and I should come on down anytime, no need to schedule a fitting or make an appointment.
And I did. And they had them. And.... holy cow. I knew the ones I was wearing before didn't fit, and weren't exactly pleasant, but I hadn't realized just how uncomfortable and unpleasant they were until I managed to put on something that actually *did* fit for the first time.
The band fits around my chest. It doesn't hang there, and slide back and forth, and abrade the crap out of my rib cage. The straps stay on my freaking shoulders. And now that the body of the thing isn't hanging and sagging off my torso, and my goods aren't falling out the bottom, I actually look like vaguely like a girl, instead of a preteen boy with a disturbingly awesome ass.
So. Amazing. And they were even pretty, too. I only bought one, wanting to wear it for a day before dropping *too* much money, but having had it and worn it for more than five minutes now.... I'll be going back. I need these. I love them.
All praise and glory to Forty Winks in Cambridge, and all honor and gratitude to
dreda for informing me of their existence. Slowly but surely, inch by agonizing inch, I may just someday learn to be happy with my body....
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 05:03 pm (UTC)As for your favorite shoes, if they are that perfect, it may be worth hanging on to them and getting them copied. Perfect clothing is rare and should be honored. Or, if you know the brand, they may have something similar that will at least fit as well.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 07:35 pm (UTC)I'm on a quest for sandals myself. I've sworn off cheap shoes, so I need to get out to the not-very-convient Clarks as the only comfy shoes that regularly come in wide widths. But once found, I have heels I could RUN in, they're so comfortable.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 08:06 pm (UTC)I'm glad you found a good bra place!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 01:05 am (UTC)instead of a preteen boy with a disturbingly awesome ass.
LOL!
Not, though, that I've ever seen you as a preteen boy. (Awesome ass... well. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 04:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-31 07:01 am (UTC)(Yeah, that size doesn't exist at all, and cannot be
fudged with extenders, because the extra width/length
is needed in the FRONT)
30B is a standard size
Date: 2010-05-31 09:33 pm (UTC)They are neither cheap or US based, but you may enjoy luxuriating in their online catalogue.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-01 03:00 pm (UTC)(Incidentally, you may have further luck with Figleaves - they tend to carry a much larger range of sizes than brick-and-mortar, and have some really excellent sales.)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-01 08:29 pm (UTC)