When I was a little girl, I came home one day and announced that our family needed to have an emergency plan for our home. I sat with my parents and mapped out escape routes, a meeting place and different contingency plans based on horrifying variables (fire, earthquake, intruders etc.) that we prayed would never happen. As an adult, I’ve adopted this same practice, but instead of life threatening disasters, I’ve applied it to fashion emergencies. Before you write me off as completely crazy, let me explain:
In New York City, there’s an Ann Taylor or Gap or random clothing store on every corner. So if a (skinny) girl spills coffee down her white blouse an hour before an important meeting, she can zip over to one of those stores, find something in her size and be back to work in no time. But what if a PSP has a catastrophic fashion emergency? The nearest store that might actually carry her size could be 10, 20… or even 50 blocks away!
Because of this, every time I start a new job I develop a fashion emergency plan in case “something” goes wrong. When I worked near Grand Central I felt the safest. There was a Lane Bryant, Macy’s and an Old Navy within 10 minutes of my office (five minutes in a taxi) and there was also a random store called Strawberry on the same block as my office where I could usually find plus size basics.
When I moved to a new job in the Financial District I would casually explore different stores on my lunch break. There was a Dress Barn and a Strawberry but when I went in they informed me that I’d have to go further uptown to find a branches of their stores with a plus size department. With my apartment being a 45 minute train ride from my office, I began to wonder if I should put a spare outfit in my desk drawer just in case. Mind you, I have never had a fashion emergency that required me to buy something new during work hours and to be honest, I didn’t know what would qualify as such an emergency. But the fact that I didn’t have options made me nervous, so I kept looking.
A few weeks in, I remembered that Century 21 had a plus size department! I made my way over one day and was relieved to see a decent array of tops, dresses, jeans and slacks in my size. I didn’t buy anything, but I could breathe easier knowing that new, clean clothes were a five minute walk from where I worked.
My contingency plan was set.
Fast Forward a year later to… yesterday. I had on a black dress that hit just above the knee, a cardigan, pearls, knee-high boots and a pair of black tights. I went to the ladies room and when I pulled my tights up I realized that there was a huge gaping hole in the inner thigh. This hole was the size of a softball and it had snags and runs coming from all directions which meant it was only going to get bigger. If there was a time to flip into fashion emergency mode: this was it.
I grabbed my purse, threw on my coat and ran to Century 21 where my plan was to get a pair of leggings that I’d seen in the plus size section the last time I was there. I pushed my way through the tourists, up the escalator and just when I was about to turn towards the 3rd floor plus size department, I saw this:
See that long piece of tape? Underneath it are the words “Plus Sizes”. The plus size section at Century 21 is closed. My fashion emergency plan was ruined. My heart sank as I felt the snag in my tights creep a little farther down my thigh.
So much for being prepared!
OMG I love it! That's so true, we need a fashion emergency plan! I have this issue all the time. Awesome post. BOO @ Century 21 for nixin' the plus size dept!
wow, i didn't even know that century 21 had a plus sized dept and now it's gone. sigh…in the meantime, you can try de janeiro for very basic emergency needs. i mean like really basic. the plus size dept is across the street from the main location. ny and company is also down the block. everything is on nassau st.
Oh my dear PSP, how did you forget the hosiery department??? As you know, I work a few short blocks from you, so Century 21 is my go-to as well. And I just purchased plus size black opaque tights in their hosiery area last week! I do lament the lack of their plus size section, but at least you can rock some emergency back up tights next time you have a snag.
Lol, Grand Central Strawberry…that takes me back. I used to be over at the Pfizer building.
Yeah you're stuck over around the FD because all of the Broadway and Fulton Street stores are small and only carry mainstream sizes or are closed due to the MTA building in the area.
Your new plan should be to hop the cab over the bridge to Downtown Brooklyn. Same 10 min ride depending on traffic.
Or the R to Court or A to Jay and there's a Lane Bryant right there on Jay Street. Should take no longer than 15 minutes by train.
Clear nail polish around the edges of a snag will keep it from spreading :-).
I have a mall about 5 mins away from my work lol, I dont know what I would do without it!
Heya. LOL
Well I like what you said,As a junior i want some suggestion. Check my video.Thanks http://ceesty.com/wmofVm
Well I like what you said,As a junior i want some suggestion. Check my video.Thanks http://ceesty.com/wmofVm
Hello there, I found your web site via Google while searching for a related topic, your web site came up, it looks good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Are you tired of your ac repair in Dubai? Are you looking for Certified Professionals to carry out your ac repair with improved facilities and in an expert way?. Hot and humid conditions are not easy to tolerate, especially when you are not used to them. But, thanks to the air conditioners – living in such extreme settings can also become a pleasant experience, and more so if you are in Dubai.
Hi. I just found your site and I certainly love it. I also like to talk about sofa steam cleaner from time to time. Good to be here, regards!
Howdy, you’re definitely right. I constantly read through your content attentively. I am also fascinated by excel lessons, maybe you could write about this from time to time. Cheers.
I love what you dudes are now up to. Such cool work and visibility! Continue the great effort friends, I have added you on my excel web page.
Good day! This is my very first comment here so I just wanted to say a quick hello and say I really enjoy reading your posts. Can you suggest any other websites that deal with wireless presentation systems? I’m as well extremely curious about this! Thanks for your time!
Hi there I’m truly grateful I discovered your website, I really found you by error, when I was browsing on Digg for new home plans. Anyways I’m here right now and would simply enjoy to say many thanks for a great posting and the all-round exciting website (I furthermore adore the theme/design), I do not have the time to read through it all at the minute though I have bookmarked it and moreover added your RSS feed, so whenever I have plenty of time I’ll be returning to go through much more. Please do maintain the excellent job.
I constantly read through your content thoroughly. I’m likewise considering where to buy Ethereum, maybe you might talk about that occasionally. Bye!
Wonderful goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely fantastic. I actually like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it wise. I cant wait to read much more from you. This is actually a wonderful website.
Thank you for sharing the idea, I bookmarked the website. I am also looking for information around red light ticket, are you aware the place where I might discover a thing such as that? I’ll return in a little while!
I actually came right here from another web page relating to traffic fine check and considered I should read this. I love the things I see so I am just following you. Looking towards checking out your blog yet again.
Good day! This is my very first reply on your site so I really wanted to give a fast hello and say I truly enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you suggest other sites which deal with valid credit card numbers? I am also pretty interested in that thing! Thank you!
ANPC is a free nation for and by the living men and women of the earth. This Private Nation is a grassroots association based out of Indonesia having its own International Charter, Peace Treaty, Constitution, Rules of conduct and has adopted the Declaration of Human Rights. These Treaties have been Registered by International Notice to the Hague and World Court as well as other agencies worldwide. The entire goal and mission of ANPC is WORLD PEACE and freedom for all the nationals of the world, focusing on a peaceful gathering together of all tribes and nations. Our living men and women are to live as Peaceful Inhabitants on the land, striving always to create a better world today and for future generations.
I simply want to mention I am new to blogging and honestly liked you’re blog. Most likely I’m want to bookmark your site . You surely have great articles. Regards for revealing your website.