I'm going to digress here for a moment. Why is it that I could buy jeans in any waist size from 34 upwards with a 30 or even a 28 inch inside leg, but when I want to buy a 28 inch waist, then it's almost always a 34 or at best a 32? Is it that uncommon to be that slim and short, or is it that there's an assumption that all short guys pile on the pounds? Imagine how much of a freak a guy with a 28 waist and 34 inside leg must look! It's so annoying....and so I will buy things at a bargain price as I see them, or summer clothes in the winter and winter clothes in the summer and store them up for a trip to the tailors.
The alterations pile contained the following items:
- Two pairs of Levis cords; one in navy, one in tan.
- Three pairs of jeans; a pair of dry denim Wranglers, a pair of vintage red-tab pale blue Levis and a pair of white Levis.
- Two pairs of pale blue Ralph Lauren summer trousers (both brand new, why did I buy two identical pairs?).
- A pair of slim-fitting brown Duffer trousers in cotton.
- Five pairs of Sta-Prest; a deadstock pair of Levis in navy, a pair of Duffer in black, two pairs of Merc in cream and strawberry (these are the flimsiest sta-prests you will ever see) and another pair of deadstock Levis, this time in a shade between stone and tan.
- Two pairs of Farah hopsack weave in grey and brown.
- Two pairs of heavier weight woolen trousers; a beautiful pair in charcoal grey by Nicole Farhi and a darker pair, just off black, by All Saints.
It's ridiculous really isn't it? Seventeen pairs of unworn trousers in addition to all the pairs I have hanging already (and that's been rationed drastically to just eight).
I got tough, I decided to put seven of them on ebay, though that includes the strawberry Merc trousers which I'm still umming and aahing about- how often will I get the chance to buy some lightweight summer sta-prests in a fantastic colour like that? In fact even as I write about them, I know in the back of my mind that I'll keep them.
And so that's six for ebay (the spare Ralph Laurens, the cream Mercs, the two deadstock Levis Sta-Prests and the two pairs of Farahs). It doesn't sound like much to an outsider I imagine, but it feels like something of a betrayal.
The alteration bill for the keepers will be something like £140 which, now that I'm currently on Jobseeker's Allowance, is over two week's income. Sacrifices, sacrifices.
I hope that ebay- which I'll write more on soon- comes up trumps, I'm kind of relying upon it!
