Those who can, Do. Those who cannot, Shop.

It may be the withering Georgia heat, or perhaps just a little seasonal funk. Alternatively, a spell of delirium engendered by my long summer Drabbatical. Symptoms of whatever the hell it is have shown up in recent blog posts here, here and here. I have been pondering ponderous things. Weighing weighty issues. Reaching for the stars and herniating. More Debbie Downer and less Chatty Cathy. Wrinkle lines are showing on my bedewed forehead.

It is all well and good to try to figure out things. Sometimes however, one simply cannot figure some things out.

Those are good times to go shopping. And so I did. It helped to snap me out of my funk. Or at the very least it goosed the economy a scootch and gave me something a little more lightweight to write about.

Here. Let me show you what is in the bag. Long time readers will know that I hold a flame high for Ann Taylor. Quality fabrics, well finished garments, grown up silhouettes with classic lines and fresh contemporary flourishes. Confidently attractive stuff well in my style sweet spot. Very much in my budget too with the summer sales on.

Nestled away in the clearance racks were a couple of treats with my name on them. First up, the lustworthy Iconic Animal print skirt. Silk that stretches. We live in an age of miracles, yes? I picked up a Petite and so it rests a few more brazen inches about the knee than pictured at left, modestly slitted at the back and with an exposed chunky zip detail providing a little more visual interest. It feels like a million bucks. $30.00 down from $98.

I pressed my good luck a little further then, and lo, found this silk, shirred ribbon-front number. I need another black skirt like I need the proverbial hole in the head, but really friends, at $9.99 what precisely was I to do? Down from $90.00. One of them was left on the planet, and it was in my size. The defense rests.

My purse however does not rest. Wolford is marking down here and there. If you live in a city with a Wolford boutique, and if you have a thing for hosiery, well you must go visit. If not, take a look at Bare Necessities for a fair online assortment. Wolford is without question the worlds leading leg weaponizer, a sheer super power without rival. My new Satin Touch 20’s in a rich and versatile pewterish shade were marked down by 40% to a mere $20.00. Spending time in a Wolford shop with knowledgeable, courteous and freakishly beautiful shop assistants is a nice treat. Spending time with ones legs clad in these most carefully made garments is more than a treat. Put those things together, add nice discounts and I am defenseless.

Having saved a few shekels I loosened up a little a picked up a cute tunic just out of pure love and at full retail. Rachel Roy does a nice line of stylish value priced gear for fit young things for Macy’s and a handful of other shops. I confess a fondness for garments with gathers, shirring and extravagant details at wrist, neck and hips, and these style elements are very much Rachel Roy signatures. This little tunic has all of that, and as well is my first trip into the entirely feminine land of asymmetry. Guys clothing is always symmetrical, and so picking up a piece that is not is to me a nice moment. A first, a small first, but a first nonetheless.

It sits well on my hips on top of a skirt, but with a little tug, it slides nicely down over my amply padded rump for a different look. It will be paired with some leggings when the weather cools off very much in the way our hip-free model here is sporting it. Shameful behavior I know to buy something at full retail, but I remind you that I was working my way out of a funk.

Almost there too. I was left with one existential riddle. Am I the sort of person who purposely shows a bra strap on my one bare shoulder? This is just another one of those questions you do not know you will have to answer once you let the Cross Dressing genie out of the bottle. After some consideration, I came to the conclusion that I am not that kind of brazen careless woman. Again, age of miracles, you can actually buy clear bra straps and avoid the whole lingerie on the outside/tramp on the inside problem. Fredericks of Hollywood has a shop near you and stocks for a mere $9.00 a set of 3 translucent straps that hook into standard issue modular bras and are practically invisible. The allure of the bare shoulder without the aggressive come-hither glare of the strap. The little things do please me.

I am within 5 weeks now of my first Autumn trips out and about en Femme. The wardrobe is more or less in place. I am busier than I like with work just now but happier with the high levels of engagement than with thumb twiddling. The busy-ness leaves me less time to get my knickers in a wad about practically insoluble problems like the essence of gender and how it reveals itself within me, let alone anyone else.

I feel now well enough fortified to remain funk-free until September. If you are looking for a jolt of lightweight, carefree ease, I encourage you to venture out into the air conditioned comfort of a nearby mall for a quick fix for your own existential funks.