Beyond Big & Tall: First Time Shopping in 30 Years

 

Beyond Big & Tall: First Time Shopping in 30 Years

It is amazing that so many things in your life can click that you don’t have enough time to talk about them all on your blog in any given weekly post. I’m posting two blogs this week, something I haven’t done in years. 

The mind is funny sometimes; what it remembers and holds onto. I vividly remember my favorite button-down from college. The shirt was a green and black checkered shirt, size 3XL, and I bought it at Old Navy. The shirt always appeared wrinkled even when it was just fresh out of the wash. Man, it was so comfortable. I would have worn it every day if I could have. 

There is another reason I remember that green and black checkered shirt. Why do I always hold it in such high esteem? It was the last piece of clothing I picked out or purchased, not only at Old Navy but outside of a Big & Tall store or a Big & Tall section. I know I got the shirt at the start of my junior year at IU. That means the last article of clothing I purchased at a normal clothing store was thirty years ago this fall. 

The summer before my junior year, I spent in Bloomington. During the week, I would work my ass off; it was when I first started cycling. I would eat well and ride. On the weekends though, I would party my ass off, eat whatever I could get my hands on to make up for the lost time during the week, and I put on serious weight. I note that, not to belittle myself, it is just a fact. In fact, I ended up putting on more weight through drinking and binge eating than I cycled. So, when summer turned to fall, and it was time to get my jeans out of the closet, nothing would fit. My jeans wanted to split me in two. 

Not sure how I ended up talking to a pledge from Terre Haute about this one Friday evening. I did, and he mentioned his dad got plus-sized jeans at this store back in Terre Haute, and he would happily go there with me and pick out a couple of pairs. So, we hopped into the Phoenix (my 1995 red Chevy Camero convertible) and headed to the Haute. 

I got a few pairs of jeans. They were still Levi’s, and that was important to me, and I was happy. From that day forward I only shopped at that store in Terre Haute or the Destination XL. This would later change to DXL and Kingsize Direct. However, every article of clothing either came from a speciality store or an online Big & Tall store. It was the way.

The last time I went serious clothes shopping was last winter before my trip to the Dominican Republic. Two of my four oldest friends, Chip and Katie, took me shopping at DXL. They forced me, and I use the word loosely, to purchase clothes that actually fit me. Not the baggy, oversized clothes I normally got. 

Since that trip to southern Indiana, I’ve been attempting to buy clothes that fit well, avoiding baggy or oversized items. I realized many clothes in my closet now fit. Can’t count how many new cycling jerseys I had that I brought out of the closet: The Punisher and Steal Your Face jerseys being just a couple. 

When it was time for me to step out of the Big & Tall era of my life, I knew I had to call Chip and Katie and head back to their house to take me shopping. There was only one store on my mind for that trip. It was Old Navy. 

Why Old Navy? Old Navy offers reasonable prices. Katie and Chip have called me cheap more times than I can remember, and I am not cheap. Practical, not cheap. I am living in a body that is rapidly adjusting. The jeans I planned to purchase during my Newburgh trip will probably last me only one to two months at the longest. So, it made sense to me to stretch my shopping budget. That, and for the first time in 27 years, I don’t have a steady paycheck coming in, so it seemed reasonable.

The trip to Old Navy was amazing. Not because of the purchases. We didn’t end up buying anything. I have stumpy legs, and while we found my proper waist size for the time being, we couldn’t find my length. Not to worry, that is what the internet is for!

For the first time in I don’t know how long, a 44 waist went around me. I think in my journey I have gone from a 72 waist and am into a 44. It was tight. When I sat, I thought I would split eventually, but they went on. I also tried on a pair of 2X pants. At my largest, I was wearing an 8X. The joy I felt. The accomplishments I have made. Truly, it was an amazing experience. 

From Old Navy, we went to Dillard’s. There I bought a 46W pair of Levi’s. They are a little tight, but I will slim into them. They were on sale for $24. Remember, making my money stretch here, so a deal like this I couldn’t pass up. Oh God, maybe I am cheap. Oh well. Doesn’t matter. What matters is that for the first time in three decades, I purchased apparel from a retailer other than a Big & Tall store. 

I have to thank Chip and Katie for taking me shopping. I hope they understand this is now their new job. Since Dorothy is still in California and Rachel is in Colorado, someone has to be the Billy b fashion coordinators, and I have elected them. For cycling kits, I can match things up; for real-world clothing, I can’t. So thank you, Chip and Katie.

My Old Navy jeans arrived yesterday. We are in a heatwave right now, so they will remain in the packaging until it cools off. However, it was an awesome trip with my awesome friends, and I have some new awesome clothing out of it! Rock and roll!