The Introverted Thinker is sixteen and female, but despite the stereotypes, she does not like to shop. However, she is growing and wears clothes out.
Our town has a new mercantile, run by locals. We checked it out last year but it didn't have much that we wanted. The IT found a pair of pants last year, but decided they were too expensive.
We were trying on various things in the dressing rooms.
"IT, are these shorts too old fogeyish?" I asked.
She considered me. With careful diplomacy and no sarcasm: "Mom, they are age appropriate."
Ouch. Forget those.
Now she was trying on shorts.
"Are those shorts age appropriate for you?" The shorts were down to the knees. I'm pretty clueless about what 16 year old girls are wearing, but they didn't seem quite right.
Impatiently, "Mom, the age appropriate shorts are the short shorts and I don't wear those!"
Neither of us bought shorts.
She did find the pair of pants that she tried on 6 months or a year ago, much more on sale, and got them. They are "outdoor" magical fabric. She has decided that she doesn't like cotton or jeans and she always scorned jeggings. A few years ago we were back to school shopping in North Carolina while visiting cousins. All of the jeans were either jeggings or had on purpose holes in them. The IT rejected these with scorn: "I'm not buying jeans with holes." She waited until we got home and ordered from LL Bean.
Her current chosen style is "athletic". Since she swims once or twice a day and mountain or road bikes most days too, it makes sense. She won't have anything to do with shirts with cleavage. She has one skirt, practical black, that is good for orchestra concerts, music contests, weddings and funerals. She covets wool t-shirts. We ordered two, on sale. They should be here soon!
Yesterday she biked to school in the new pants. "It was raining, but the fabric doesn't get very wet and it dried out in about fifteen minutes. I like these. Cotton would have been wet all day."
And that is how the Introverted Thinker goes shopping.