What to Do When Mate Makes Date of Shopping
DEAR HOT: Thanks for your column on why men lack the shopping gene. My girlfriend dragged me shopping the other day because she needed a black patent-leather trench coat. We looked at 300 coats in about 25 stores and bought none. I was so exhausted that I couldn’t come to work the next day. I stayed in bed and drank real Coke--not diet--and smoked red-pack Marlboros and watched tractor pulls on ESPN. How can I keep my girlfriend happy but avoid this in the future?
DEAR NOT-SO-HOT SHOPPER: Consider yourself lucky.
After trying on 300 coats she could have bought a truly hideous one just to make you feel as if something was accomplished. Then every time you saw her in that nasty coat you would be reminded of your shopping exhaustion--plus the Coke-Marlboro-ESPN hangover. The coat alone might have ruined what was left of your relationship.
If she asks you to shop with her again, go only if you’re feeling up to it. Set a time limit on your participation, take frequent food breaks (Diet Coke for her, double-decker greasy hamburgers for you) and occasionally sneak away to the electronics department.
FEET FIRST: OK, so nobody walks in L.A. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore your footwear. We found some totally excellent shoes for men and women from John Fluevog, who is to shoes what Edward Scissorhands is to hairdos. The designer, who hails from Vancouver, does high-funk shoes with exaggerated details such as 2-inch-high platforms, multiple buckles and outrageously pointy toes or bulbous rounded ones, in the Doc Marten fashion. Prices range from $90 to $175.
To satisfy your craving for ‘70s nostalgia, there are buckled shoes out of floral tapestry fabric aptly titled “Munster Platforms.” These shoes are definitely not for the squeamish. If you’re in Seattle, Vancouver or Boston, you can visit a John Fluevog store, or order the “John Fluevog Academy of Cuisine Sole Food Cookbook & Shoe Catalogue” (which also carries some Doc Marten styles) from the Seattle location, 1611 1st Ave., Seattle, Wash. 98101; (206) 441-1065. Or the Boston locale, 328 Newbury St., Boston, Mass. 02115; (617) 266-1079. Some styles are carried at stores locally, including War Babies, Antenna and Retail Slut.
DEAR HOT: I feel that you somewhat shortchanged the shopper who inquired about trendy clothing in large sizes on March 15. I am a Size 24 who is infamous for my collection of unusual, funky, one-of-a-kind clothes. In fact, I refuse to wear anything that doesn’t have an attitude. Therefore I can give additional leads . . .
My favorites are a store called Jill Sharma in Brentwood and Costa Mesa; The Forgotten Woman in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach; Great Changes, which has a regular store in North Hollywood and a discount/annex store in Studio City, and my absolute favorite shop in the world, Fine Things From Wendy Spencer in Torrance. Although this is not specifically a large-size store, it carries gorgeous, handmade wearables that can be made to your specifications if they don’t fit you right off the rack.
