i've got my shoppin' shoes on and i'm ready to roll. if only 5:00 would hurry the hell up.

loehmann's, with their famous communal dressing rooms, is home to an endless array of great deals. my mission: black dress pants for upcoming holiday parties, a cool belt, and anything else that strikes my fancy. i am coveting a pair of "perfect" jeans, but i am slowly losing faith in the fashion industry to suit my figure. unfortunately for me, the average pair of jeans is not made for a 125 lb 5 foot tall gal with lovehandles. the search continues.

as much as i love loehmann's (and similarly daffy's back home,) i am continually struck by the oddity of the communal dressing room. these high scale bargain outlets demand that you strip in a mirror-lined room under harsh fluorescent light in front of countless frantic shoppers trying not to reveal too much, or adversely standing buck naked staring at a dress on a hanger. why?? i just don't get it. these stores pass themselves off as "clothing bargains for millionaires", so you'd think they'd at least let their classy customers try on their marked down DKNY pantsuit in privacy. maybe it is for security so the $60 tee shirts don't get stolen. or so people will be deferred from trying on the panties against their naked bums. or maybe they assume that anyone desiring expensive brand name labels is beautiful and nobody will mind watching them get undressed. but i can tell you, everybody is most definitely NOT beautiful. when overweight russian grandmas are bending over in front of me showing off the seams of their girdles, i want to rush through my trying-on process at 100 miles per hour and get out. not to mention the women wearing inappropriate underwear. competing for mirror space with sweaty chubby women wearing undersized thongs is not conducive to a casual contemplation of the sweater i'm trying on. but maybe that's the point. make everyone get nekkid in front of each other, so they speed through the dressing process and make rushed decisions on their items, buying more than they would if they had the time and privacy to stand in front of ther very own mirror bending every which way, scrutinizing every inch of the article of clothing they're wearing.

i think i'll run home before my shopping spree and change into bigger underwear.