Too Posh

My Christmas present from my father was a $300 to spend at a high end shop on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. With all that's going on, I was a bit shocked to receive such a generous present. This is especially true as he had me write and sign the Christmas gift for my brother, which was significantly less than $300. My dad said I had worked hard to get his affairs in order (my brother has contributed...not much) and he wanted me to have a nice outfit for work. He said that this store, hereafter referred to as Posh Store, was having a huge sale and I should be able to afford a nice outfit.

I said nothing, but I was quite skeptic on how well this expedition would turn out. Posh Store probably has trouser socks that begin at $200. I can't imagine finding an entire outfit unless I time warp back into 1975 or Posh Store is having a 95% sale. Also, after checking the online site, Posh Store does not appear to cater to the plus-sized crowd. I have zero desire to walk in and have someone greet me at the door with the information that there is nothing in my size (yes, this has happened to me before).

If there is one thing I learned during my drive down Wilshire Blvd is that Rodeo Drive, while not as bad as Manhattan or downtown Chicago, is a damn obstacle course. Pedestrians disobey traffic lights and cars seem to stop wherever they please. People do use their emergency lights, but I have a hard time believing that there are that many vehicles in a small area in need of service at the same time.

Next time, I'll go to the official web site (I just found out there is one) and look at the map ahead of time. Fortunately, I only had to drive around the block twice before I found the parking for the store.

The sales lady was perfectly nice, and her face did not twitch one bit when I mentioned my price limit. She did agree, albeit quite obliquely, when I stated that clothes would *not* be sold in my size. Sadly, even purses were not available to me. There were some deeply discounted shoes in my price range. However, the bright colors, non-conservative styles, and high heels screamed "sex me, daddy" and not "I am a mature, professional woman." This was interesting as the shoes on their online site really are quite different than what was offered in the store.

I ended up getting a fragrance set, which included a charm bracelet in addition to the 3.4 oz bottle of perfume. Total price? There was a special going on so I was able to get the fragrance set for less than $200.