Bottom line: I left their office around 1. I was quite hungry, but put that aside for a bit of shopping. The little shopping center has a Target, Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory, Payless, Fashion Bug, and many stores I didn't go into. My focus was on dresses, with an eye towards blouses and a glance at pant liners. It was 70+ today so if I had one, I would've left it at home but... I Want One.
I found a few dresses I liked at Marshalls, but none I Like Liked. Burlington is one of those stores with so many choices my eyes glaze over and I rarely buy. Just looking is exhausting. I found many long slips at Targe, and ~ yes! ~ a pant liner! But it was a thin cotton. That's just wrong. I did not buy. I did learn that Marshalls, at least the ones with the huge shoe department, do have some 11s. I saw a lot of shoes I liked, some with higher heels and platforms than I've ever worn before, but none of those came in 11. But I do know that it's worth looking now.
Marshall's now carries a brand called Dollhouse ~ here's a direct link to their pumps. If I found almost any of these in 11, I would've bought a pair or six. They don't let you filter by size, so I looked at some different styles and saw NO 11s. Ah well. One look at the skirts page and it's easy to see that I'm a teeny bit older than their target market.
I also reaffirmed something I've noticed before: if my feet were one size smaller, my wallet would be a lot emptier.
The next place I had to be was Alexandria at 4. I had a "possible" in Falls Church, if she was home. I called. She wasn't. My GPS told me the best way to go to my 4 o'clock was to go through Washington. This is ALWAYS a bad idea, but it was ten miles shorter so I figured I'd give it a shot. It actually wasn't that bad. I passed a lot of small clothing shops, but didn't take the time to stop. I just wanted to get through all of the traffic circles that are epidemic in DC, and the double-parked and left-turners that are in every city.
After I was committed to the DC drive, my Falls Church customer called. I was thinking about stopping at the mall or TJ Maxx near my Alexandria customer ~ just to while away the extra time, of course. But as I still had time, I detoured to Falls Church, did what I needed to do, and headed to Alexandria.
My wonderful GPS sent me past the thrift shop where I've done a little computer work. I dropped in, looked at tops and dresses and shoes, found nothing exciting, and got to my next customer on time.
Driving from the customer towards my home I go right past a huge Salvation Army store but... nah. The boys are home, I'm still hungry, and I have to make them dinner too.
I still want a new dress or two before I go to Richmond.
I have decided ~ if I can stop at a mall to change on the way (very likely, it seems) I'll stop and get a manicure and pedicure too. It just finishes the look, even if the nail colour has to come off that evening. Note to self: Bring Nail Polish Remover!
And if anyone cares, my travel from Maryland to Falls Church to Alexandria to home is here:
An enjoyable travelog. I love maps and think you took a good route through DC for mid-day.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you had your "Meg" mind in gear for the trip but sorry that you did not score any hits. Half the fun is the search. Just think how enjoyable that trip from MD, through DC to VA would have been in you had been dressed, even partially.
I know that for some CDs dressing tends to be an all or nothing proposition. They either stay drab or make the complete transformation. I do as much dressing as often as I can and along these lines I have done several rides in semi-femme.
For years much of my girl stuff was secreted in small travel bags. Each gym bag had a dress, skirt, top, small purse and make-up kit, full under garments, a wig and a pair of heels.
If I had a drive of 2-6 hours where I could not be seen dressed at either or both ends I would get as underdressed as possible and then pull to the side of the road to do a partial change so that I would at least be driving with my breasts in place, my pantyhose clad legs protruding from a dress or skirt into my heels, a wig in place and limited makeup. I would stop again before my destination to make the quick change back.
While the transformation was not my best job it was good enough for me to stop at a convenience store for a soda, coffee or snack.
I had one incident on a long trip when the oil pump failed and the engine on my old Subaru cooked. I was on an interstate in the middle of no-where. I was wearing a brown, jeans skirt, casual brown pumps, black tank top over a slip, bra and breast forms, wig and lipstick. Black smoke poured from the tailpipe and the car coasted to a stop on the side of the road. Immediately a good sammaritan stopped to offer assistance. I convinced him that I was OK and did not need help. I had a first generation cell phone and was in an almost dead zone but eventually made contact with AAA. While waiting I was able to get rid of the wig, wipe off the lipstick and throw on pants over my skirt and a shirt over my top.
The AAA truck arrived and I had a coat to wear while I was towed to a gas station in a one-horse town. This was truly in the middle of no where. There was a general store, two cattle feed stores and one old gas station. I was hyper conscious of my undergarments and breasts until I could get into their bathroom to address that issue.
For your ride down to Richmond I recommend that you continue your planning and hope you do better than I did.
Pat
I have a couple of pairs of shoes from the Dollhouse line that I bought in a chain called "The Shoe Dept.". They do come as high as 11, and not all of them are quite as...well, slutty...as others.
ReplyDeleteMeg- My, what an intrepid worker!! Way to go... and combine shopping with work! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoyed MD!?!