Fashion victim

Part of the school uniform where I did my A-Levels in England was a dark blue V-neck jumper. It was compulsory for us to wear it throughout the year until Spring was officially announced, which would be some time in May or late April. For a foreign student like me who wasn't quiet used to the cold, I kept the jumper on almost throughout the whole school year. When it got too warm, some of the girls would wear the jumpers tied round their waists, much to the displeasure of our Headmaster. In fact, it so incurred his wrath that he brabded them 'victims of the tyranny of fashion'.

I have to admit feeling a bit like a victim these last few weeks. Having spent two months of maternity leave in shapeless T-shirts and baggy trousers, I was fretting over what to wear back to the office. Granted, I have regained my pre-pregnancy weight, but there's been a noticeable shift in the terrain. Certain parts have grown, while my previously narrow hips have become almost non-existent. I also realised that my scarves and workclothes were mismatched. My female logic deduced only one solution: SHOPPING!

Coincidentally, Hubby received some discount vouchers for the new MJ concept store. So of I went to check out the new outlet, with a mental list of the stuff I need:

1. Dark brown or grey trouser suit - jacket must end below bum to hide flatness
2. Plain dark blue shirt to match existing patterned blue scarves
3. Plain maroon/dark red shirt to match existing patterned maroon scarves

Instead, what I bought were:

1. White shirt with red stripes
2. White shirt with black stripes

And was tempted to almost buy:

1. Black court shoes with cute ribbons

The reason being, I had a RM20 discount voucher that I could use if and only if the value of clothes purchased are at least RM120. And being a loyalty card and discount voucher junkie, I just had to spend money to make a saving. Some logic, huh? And this coming from an Instrument Engineer who designs Safety Systems for gas plants.

I figured I'd only need to spend RM100 in total. But the sales and marketing guys at MJ are really clever. The shirts I bought cost RM69.90 each, which meant I actually spent close to RM120 - no real saving. Any other combination of clothes that appealed to me would've cost RM119.80. I bet they marked up the price by 10 ringgit that month, just to snare hapless gullible consumers like me.

And I still haven't found what I'm looking for to match all those scarves.