I did not care about clothing before... well before I moved to Montreal. I can remember stating to Marmy that if I was moving to a city I was going to have a language barrier in, I would have to be dressed better. Montrealers DO know how to dress. And I was making some money there, so I liked to at least look around. I was very fond of Simons.

Here in Toronto it kinda grew out of hand. No, not the purchasing of clothing but the actual desire to have "nice clothes". That was a combination of needing semi-formal for The Store and ... well, working with a bunch of gay men who complimented the way I chose to dress. Flattery is a great boost to the ego and to the clothing budget. Soon after, Marmy pointed out that my taste in clothing had quickly outstripped by budget.

That makes buying clothes very difficult now. Before this situation, I could easily make the rounds at Zellers, Walmart and maybe The Bay if I was feeling rich. Now, a walk through Eaton centre finds things I love (cannot afford) and things I loathe (my price range) and I have to hunt clearance racks and sale bins and outlet centres just to be even slightly satisfied. And considering the current budget added to Xmas shopping, last night was a rude & annoying awakening to how much it costs to look good.

We won't talk about having to now buy a size of clothes to cover my belly. *frown* December 06 07