Shopping in February
Kate Spade handbags and accessories always contain colorful little cards with witty fashion quotes. I’ve saved a few because they make me think of my Aunt Meme (Marie), my godmother, and her sister Aunt Laura. The two, both redheads, went hand-in-hand and were my grandmother’s younger sisters.
The one thing I learned from them was how to shop. Every Saturday in winter when I was a twenty-something working woman, I drove to the bus stop near their houses where we would take a short bus ride to Filene’s Basement in Boston. This was THE Filene’s Basement, the original home of the Automatic Mark-Down. Every garment had a ticket that displayed the price of the garment for four weeks. The last date on the ticket was the lowest price and if you had the nerves of steel to wait it out, you could be rewarded with a dress or blouse for nearly zilch. But you would also risk the chance that the item you coveted would be sold before it reached rock-bottom. The aunts were great at this game and when they lost, their attitude was pure French – c’est la vie! Being frugal shoppers who loved luxury though, it was a worthy gamble.
Both Meme and Laura enjoyed good-quality clothes more than anything. Much of their chatter circled around clothes and fashion. Meme wore the first white go-go boots I ever saw and she loved short colorful skirts and poor-boy stripped sweaters with newsboy caps. Laura was more conservative and wore fancy dresses and trim wool coats – the kind with fur collars and playful matching cuffs but they both loved leopard before leopard was big. Leopard scarves, gloves, and an occasional handbag or leopard tam. They were nuts for leopard.
When I shopped with the aunts, I looked for blouses and sweaters to add to my working-girl wardrobe. But they had a knack for finding things I never knew I wanted like a rag-knit moss-green sweater, set off with a demure cream crocheted Peter Pan collar. “Won’t this go with the camel skirt you bought last week?”, they asked. Sometimes I felt they knew my closet better than I did. They treated me to the rag sweater and many other things on our wintry shopping forays.
After a stand-up-only lunch at one of the strategically-placed hotdog bars located throughout The Basement (as it was called by diehards like us), we often separated for a little while. I wanted to go upstairs to the “real” store to check out accessories and cosmetics. It seemed that I was always searching for the perfectly knit holy trinity of matching hat, scarf, and gloves. But invariably, my purchases came from the Basement which the sister aunts always approved of. Fortunately there were bins of makeup called “seconds”, all jumbled together for the plucking. I remember finding an unusual China-red compact by Calvin Klein in a funny oval shape that was loaded with pans of bright eye-shadow like a child’s paintbox. It was as we were standing over one of these bins that I was told rather firmly by Aunt Meme that I needed to wear a lip pencil with my lip color. For one of those, we three traipsed up to the main floor where the aunts bought me two pencils from the Borghese counter, an Italian makeup line that was sometimes but not always, spotted in the Basement’s bins. I haven’t been without a lip pencil since that day.
Being much older than my aunts, my grandmother never had an interest in accompanying us on these shopping trips. Instead, she stayed home in her city apartment baking lemon squares and getting tea ready for our return. We always stopped at Nana’s to show her what we bought. The aunts called my grandmother “Nana” when I was around – almost as if they had deigned her the grandmother of us all – the wise one who hung back but proffered opinions and ideas. To this day, whenever I shop for clothing, I still lay my precious purchases out on my bed and examine each piece for quality and beauty just like the aunts did at Nana’s post-shopping teas. When I have a friend with me, all the better – as soon as I hand her a mug of tea across the duvet.
My dear aunts are long gone now but I’m happy to report each stayed as vital, chic and on point as they were during our heady winter shopping days. Sadly, department stores and their basements did not fare as well over the years. The aunts would not have liked online shopping without automatic markdowns and hotdog bars.
I still think of my vivacious aunts when Kate Spade tells me that “She had a way with words, red lipstick and making an entrance”, or “She looks for adventure around every corner”. It really feels like she is talking about Aunt Meme and Aunt Laura and the love they had for clothes, anything leopard…all the good things in life…and most of all, me.
~
Update: Some of you wrote personally to me and that was a lovely thing. I hope to respond to each and every one soon. And thank you for the comments you made on my last post – it was music to my ears!
I have decided to migrate my blog to another platform. It may take a while to do this. I will link the new blog in this space. My goal is to bring everything past and present to the new space. I believe the space will look nearly the same too. I’ll know more about that soon as it does involve certain steps and a bit of work. Email me if you have any questions or concerns or if heaven forbid, you don’t find anything here one day. emilyatheart@gmail.com
10 Comments
monika love
I have been rejected by my husband after three(3) years of marriage just because another woman had a spell on him and he left me and the kids to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this email address Driyayi48hourslovespell@gmail.com, have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a woman had a spell on my husband and he told me that he will help me and after 2 days that i will have my husband back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my husband. Thanks To Dr IYAYI. His email: Driyayi48hourslovespell@gmail.com and His WhatsApp Number: +23480054613715
ALFONSO ARMANDO
Do You Need Personal/Business Loan At 3%? If Yes contact us Whats-app +1(301) 329-5298 urgent loan we offer worldwide loan to who in need of loan the business opportunity you having being looking for is here again: inforamzanloan@gmail.com
NABIHA KARIM
This is beautiful. I could not have written it better. I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts. You have a way with femininity. It makes me feel graceful and I feel like I can conquer the world with red lipstick.
Debra Rodgers
You didn’t mention that for 30 years our dapper grandfather was general manager for the original Filenes Basement in Boston. We would go there as little girls and pick out whatever we wanted!
Ann
Donna – this was a wonderful post, and I feel as if I knew your aunts! It reminded me of our wonderful next door neighbor, Helen. Helen's home was built on an empty lot next to our "company home" and was beautiful She had great taste. Helen and my mom became the friends and would visit each other each night to re-cap the day. My mom loved to bargain shop, but when you mentioned laying everything out on the bed it reminded me of how when Helen came over to our house after dinner to sit and chat, my sisters and I would pull out what we purchased "in town" on our shopping trips and model it for her. She always had a great comment and tip for us ! To this day I think of her when I come home from shopping ( as I did after a haul at the Talbots sale last week) and wonder what she would say! When I started High School she bought me a bottle of L'Air du Temps as a gift….perfection! Thank you for sharing your family…and for bringing back memories of a special lady in my life.
galant
Oh, how wonderful your aunts must've been, Donna! I'd have loved a trip to The Basement with them (and with you.) I don't recall anything like that here, where I live.
Margaret P
http://www.margaretpowling.com
Gramspearls
My goodness this was well written! I felt like I was there with you. I think you know how blessed you were to have had your aunts and grandmother in your life. Sharing them had been a true pleasure. Thank you.
Warmly, Kathleen
Vicki
I remember basement shopping when I was younger. Not as much a bargain as your story but still a place to hunt for gems.
Sandra
This was so well written, a real pleasure to read. I am a West Coaster so never have shopped at Filene's, but I have heard about it. Your essay made me nostalgic for old time department stores and the thrill of the hunt.
Karen
I loved going shopping with your aunties! They sound just exactly the kind of ladies I'd enjoy sharing those girly moments with. I think I'd be in heaven with a bargain basement with a hotdog stand! Wow! That's living!