February 22/13

After a day that can quite easily be labeled as a rollercoaster, the only thing to do really is drink some beers and then go and spend a ridiculous amount of money at Lucky Brand Jeans.  Am I right?

As I noted before, my favourite jeans are borderline, showing signs of weakness, and likely are soon to become a pair of lazy jeans, or maybe even a pair of jean cutoffs.  They certainly aren't going to be good for work soon, and yes, I wear jeans to work.  If I have a meeting, I'll dress up, but otherwise, I keep things fairly casual.  The higher-ups don't seem to mind, or else if they do, they haven't told me as much.  I guess they figure that I'm showing up and doing good work, so it doesn't matter if I show up in jeans.  Policy work is by and large think-work anyway...there are times when you have to do the communications work for which more professional attire may be called for, but as long as I'm providing solid, evidence-based analysis for senior management, it doesn't matter if I do it in jeans, a suit, or a bloody tutu.

With my favourite jeans on their way out, I need new ones.  I prefer just plain old Levis, but wouldn't you know it, there is no Levis store in Ottawa, and to be frank, finding jeans means either buying the uber-expensive designer jeans (I'm looking at you, Nudie Jeans and Rag and Bone), going way down-market to the junk sold at Urban Outfitters or Forever 21, or worse still, buying the Mom jeans.  At the mid-market range, there's pretty much only Gap, and I am not digging on the styles they carry these days.  Call me an old curmudgeon, but whatever happened to a simple, plain straight-leg jean without fake fade washes.  Or even just a boot-cut that doesn't look like a bell-bottom?  Skinny jeans?  Well, I'll keep my black pair, but otherwise, I'm not interested in showing how conical I'm becoming from the waist down.  Oh for a simple, clean pair of jeans!

So this is how, after a morning of being upset, an afternoon of being active, and an evening of drinks, I end up wandering into Lucky Brand Jeans and dropping $250 for a pair of jeans, a belt, and a shirt (the promotion was buy a pair of jeans, get 50% off any shirt; as for the belt, I just got suckered into it, that's all).  I'm a more pliable shopper when drinking :)

A good old pair of Levis...

...Wish you were here.