Monologues

Different people have different ways of overcoming their grief and anger.

You either crank up your radio with angry/sad music to deafening volumes or watch a comedy film to cheer you up. Some would eat their way off their emotions, especially women who indulge themselves in sugary food like chocolate and ice cream. I, for one, like many women prefer to indulge myself in retail therapy this time simply because I had cash to burn and I didn’t want to add more weight than I already should have not.

Coming from a girl who didn’t do shopping for almost 2 months, a little retail therapy seemed like a better choice than stuffing my face with food given the fact that I have not been exercising since God knows when.

I’ve always loved to have my retail therapy done on weekdays. The amount of people flooding the mall on weekends is beyond crazy. If I can’t even walk along the corridors in a straight line, how will I ever be successful in getting a pair of garment in my size and needn’t have to queue outside the fitting room until my limbs start falling apart? Plus, the sales assistants are always too busy to entertain you when you need their assistance. Try going into a shoe store on weekends. You’ll end up spending more time waiting for the sales assistant to get your shoes than trying them on. Needless to say, having my shopping done a fortnight ago after some girl talk over lunch at Nando’s with Jocelyn and Simin was exactly what I needed.

The E-Buzz crew: Jocelyn, Simin and myself Photo courtesy of Jocelyn

My order: Extra Hot 1/4 Chicken with Old Style Chips and Corn Photo courtesy of Jocelyn

Terrence, Jocelyn’s boyfriend joined us for lunch too but occupied himself by playing games on his iPhone while we girls were chatting away.

Terrence's way of killing time Photo courtesy of Jocelyn

It was a pity that Jocelyn and Simin couldn’t join me for shopping. If not, we would have had the chance to give Simin a makeover like we did to Krystle, a friend of mine who couldn’t care less about fashion. Nevertheless, I had a great time strolling the aisle of the departmental stores and picking out items I liked.

My first purchase was a cognac-coloured vintage-looking skinny belt from Moris.

Moris' vintage-looking skinny belt, RM18

What I love about this belt is its tiny belt hole design on every 5 millimeters of the entire belt makes it stylish yet functional enough to be cinched on the waist or on the hips. It’s definitely a great buy and a fantastic alternative to Topshop’s leather mini plait belt selling at RM85 which I had eyed for quite some time. Thank God I didn’t buy the one from Topshop or I’ll curse myself when I see this similar one from Moris, which I got for RM18!

Topshop's leather mini plait belt, RM85

My next serious stop was ELEMENTS; after some quick rummaging through the clothing hung on steel rods and shelves of accessories. I fell in love with this pretty black suede wedges with tiny rhinestones on them the minute I laid eyes on them. I wanted to get my hands on them so badly but the sales assistant told me they ran out of sizes. Like WTF! I was so desperate I even asked her to call the other store in Gurney Plaza to check if they still have a pair in my size. But I was in no luck. From dressy outfits to laid back outfits, this pair of pretty suede wedges will look gorgeous paired with anything as they’re so versatile; but I guess it was just not my day. Nevertheless, I got myself something worth purchasing — adjustable leopard print skinny belt.

ELEMENTS' leopard print skinny belt, RM21.90

As Fall kicks in, animal print is this season’s fashion trend. Not only is this belt right on track with this season’s trend, it is as versatile as the skinny belt from Moris. Because of its belt length adjustability, it can be worn from the waist to the hips too. Its bold print can certainly dress up a simple outfit. It was priced at RM21.90; quite a good buy, I would say.

Before I made my way to Forever 21, I dropped by several stores. I went into a small boutique which I’ve always thought was too cramped for its bulky arrangement and spotted the exact dress I bought from the pasar malam (night market) in my neighbourhood three weeks ago. Despite already having owned that dress, I was curious to know how much the boutique was selling it for, so, I checked the price tag. The grey jersey dress with a frilled neckline which I bought for RM27 was priced at RM75! What a rip off! I feel sorry for the person who is going to buy the dress there.

Grey jersey dress from pasar malam Original price: RM31.80 Discounted price: RM27

My next and final stop was Forever 21. I instantly became a lunatic when I saw the season clearance sales. The prices range from as low as RM7 to RM 75. That’s like 50 to 70 percent slash off its original prices. I went in and out of the fitting room like a dozen times and each time with 5 garments in my hands. Before I knew it, I spent 3 hours in the store till it closes and was not even done going through all the sales rack. There was this chic off-shoulder white graphic tee which caught my attention but I had to pass when I spotted a hole in it before making the payment.

Instead, I got my hands on these:

Forever 21's white jersey tee, RM25

Forever 21's off-shoulder top, RM40

Front & back view of Forever 21's leopard print zippered tunic, RM50

This zippered tunic is my best buy because of its zippers that run all the way from the top to the bottom of the tunic. Its dual-functionality makes it possible to be worn as a dress or could be turned into an oversized vest if the back is worn as front with the zippers unzipped.

Who said a country that experiences summer all year round couldn’t keep up with this season’s fashion trend. Simply wear your Fall trends into your summer clothing and you’ll make heads turn!