Week 20 Wear Else?

Every Tuesday C has dance class and I never give my input on what she should wear. Some days its an old flower girl dress, or its green pants, with 2 sweaters, pink socks, a huge flower pin and a sewn crown, other times its her dance leotard. I let her decide what will be the best attire to make her feel creative for that hour. Often we run errands after class, and she is still skipping around on her toes. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all feel like this, wearing what we choose, without the fear of judgment from other’s comments.


I like to dress up too, but it seems lately that my life really doesn’t call for many Gala events or afternoon sailing trips on the Mediterranean coast. Trust me, I would love to dress like that, but it’s not realistic… so I’ve got to try looking my best in a pair of jeans and flats. My Stylist Eileen at Wear Else taught me that it won’t take much to improve on my existing wardrobe. As you could tell from my week 18, I was a little nervous that Eileen was going to tear through my closet and inspect every stain, tear and stretched out piece of clothing and tell me to toss it… turns out she only suggest 2 things to give away, which were things I haven’t worn for a long time anyway. My non designer clothes were neatly laid out on the bed and she paired my items with others I would have never tried before. (BTW, she didn’t even attempt to pry open my underwear drawer!) I can’t believe her level of professionalism and non judgmental approach to reviewing my wardrobe and after she left I felt proud that I wasn’t that far off track.

Now even shopping with girlfriends doesn’t compare to the experience I had at Wear Else in Oakridge Mall. Girlfriends will give their opinion to what you have chosen to try on… but would a girlfriend reserve you a change room, pick out a wardrobe selection, offer you water, and then show you around the store? uummm, nope. Eileen’s 19 years with the company changed my views on what a Stylist really does. She is a wealth of information yet she is so approachable and so excited to help. We had fun, I learned so much about her job, her influences on what is going to be in store for the next season and even got to meet one of her regular clients. I also learned that anyone can have this experience… if you are looking for a new wardrobe, or just a new skirt you can call any of the stores to make a complimentary appointment. After figuring out what you are looking for (along with sizes, favorite colours or looks) the stylist will preshop and pull items for you so you are ready to try on clothes when you arrive!

After trying on so many clothes, and wanting most of them, we narrowed it down to a few items(Was it the Rich and Skinny Jeans, the Matiko flats or 1 of the 2 Michael Kors Jackets?) My Mom then walked in with my 2 kids, to which Eileen’s client turned to me is slight amazement. The look on her face was asking if those 2 little people were mine and I nodded. Wow! The final day of this contest and here was someone complimenting me on my ‘young’ body and style! Wasn’t this what the contest was all about? Trying to feel stylish, refreshed and toned. I giggled, because for that moment I felt proud that someone mistook me for having a pre baby body. Up until today I have used a marker of 2003 as being my fittest and feeling the best about my body. Now that my spirit and body(and fashion sense!) have surpassed that marker, and the fact that I have a husband and 2 kids, makes me appreciate my hard work so much more.

As I walked out of Wear Else I felt I had an extra skip in my step, a new sense of style… oh, and a new Michael Kors Trench! Thanks so much Eileen!