It’s the first shopping day, and Pam has $5,000 and a 48-hour deadline. Clinton and Stacy are on hand to check that she sticks to their rules: Pam has to look for bright colors that draw attention, shirts and dresses that cinch at the waist to accentuate her curves, and flats to complete her feminine look.
… … …
“Okay, let’s take a look at how Pam is doing,” Stacy said, pressing play on the portable DVD player.
…
(Pam is in a high-priced boutique, looking out of place.)
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in a store this fancy, so I’m not really sure where to start. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get over the price of everything, just because I am really conscious about my usual clothes budget. It might be a bit of a shock.”
(She begins to look around at the racks of clothing, and comes upon a spaghetti-strap silk dress.)
“Really? People would wear this out? I think I would wear this to bed maybe, and not even like on a normal night to bed. More like if…” Cutting off her own thought process, Pam waved her arms and put the dress back on the rack, then walked away embarrassed.
…
Clinton laughed, “I love how she couldn’t even finish her sentence.”
“I’ll finish it for her,” Stacy teased. “More like if she was sleeping at her secret boyfriend’s place.”
“That just never gets old,” Clinton ruled, a smug smirk on his face.
… … …
(Pam stands at racks of trousers.)
“So, I am trying to find either a straight-leg or wide-leg pair of pants, but it’s really hard to tell what shapes these have on the hanger…”
…
“Which is why you take a few pairs off the rack and try them on!” Stacy screamed at the portable DVD player.
… … …
(A sequence of shots shows Pam looking at the prices of clothing items.)
“Oh this coat is cute… but oh God, five-hundred dollars. We’ll just put this back…”
.
“Who knew cashmere would be so pricey?”
.
“I’m sorry, but this is way too expensive. No. No. No. No. No.”
…
“Well, okay, she is going to have a certain amount of sticker shock, because she’s going for quality pieces here that she’s not used to,” Clinton said in her defense.
… … …
(Pam makes her way through a rack of skirts.)
“It’s so difficult to tell what’s going to look good on me… Usually I just go in and buy three or four of the same thing in different colors, so I’m not really used to shopping this way.”
…
Stacy shook her head, “Well she’s going to have to get over that, because if she wants a stand-out style, she needs to have variety in her wardrobe.”
… … …
(Pam picks a few items and heads for the dressing room. Moments later, she comes out in a magenta patterned dress with ruching at the waist.)
“I think I liked the concept of this dress more than I actually like it on me. It’s really just… too busy, I think.”
…
Clinton threw his hands up in disbelief, “Is she kidding! Her body looks amazing in that. She’s probably just never seen herself in a pattern before.”
“Look at the way she keeps pulling up the neckline. I don’t really think she’s ever seen that kind of shape on her body,” Stacy explained, “So of course she’s going to be apprehensive about what is too revealing and what actually looks good.”
… … …
(Pam heads for her next store, another boutique with high-fashion items.)
“I don’t know why, but I think I like some of the clothes in here a little more. They seem a little less… over the top, I suppose.”
(She begins to sort through a rack of tops, pulling out a light green top.)
“Oh, I love this one. I never really wear green, but Stacy and Clinton have been telling me I need to wear more colors, so I think I’m going to try this on.”
…
“Yes!” Stacy cheered. “That top is perfect for her.”
Clinton nodded, “I think she’s starting to get the hang of this.”
… … …
(Pam comes across a denim blazer on a mannequin.)
“I really like this. I think it’s really got that whole… sophisticated thing going on…”
…
“She’s finally picking up on the fact that sophistication comes from cut and shape of the clothes,” Clinton said proudly. “So honing in on those shapely pieces is becoming easier and easier.”
… … …
(Pam takes several items into the dressing room and comes out a few moments later in a brown skirt paired with the green top.)
“Oh my gosh… It’s amazing that this is not all that different than what I’ve been doing, but it looks so much better. It’s all fitted and has nice shapes...”
…
“Holy moley!” Stacy exclaimed. “Look at the curves on her in that skirt!”
…
“This is definitely going home with me,” Pam declared about the outfit as she admired herself in the mirror.
… … …
(Pam emerges from the dressing room again, this time in a pencil skirt and purple short-sleeved top.)
“I like the top a lot, and especially this thing here around the shoulders…”
…
Clinton stifled a laugh, “It’s called ruching, dear.”
…
“But I think the skirt is making my hips look a little big, so I’m not going to get this… But I think I can find another skirt to go with sweater, which will give me two good work-appropriate outfits.”
… … …
“Okay, so Pam’s doing pretty well with clothes,” Stacy stated. “Now let’s see how she does with shoes.”
… … …
(Pam walks into a small shoe store and begins looking at flats.)
“So I was told that I should be looking for flats, because they’re comfy and yet still stylish…”
(She holds up a pair of brown flats.)
“These are really cute. I think that I could easily replace the Keds with something like this.”
…
“I think at this point, anything is better than the Keds,” Clinton scoffed.
…
“And the price is… Oh my God. I could buy so much art supplies for the price of these shoes.”
…
Stacy put her forehead in her hands and let out a deep sigh, “She needs to really stop worrying about the prices of things and start thinking of the clothes as investments.”
“Exactly,” Clinton agreed, “And she needs to remember that spending the money we’re giving her isn’t going to cut into her art supplies budget.”
… … …
(Pam stands in front of a mirror with a pair of black flats on.)
“Now see, I always have this problem! My right foot is a size seven, and my left foot is a seven and a half, so one shoe will always be either too tight or too loose.”
…
“You know, that is actually a really common problem,” Clinton told Stacy. “And I think what a lot of women do is they buy the tighter shoes and think they can stretch them out, but then they don’t want to put in the effort for that, so the shoes just end up sitting in their closet.”
“Right,” Stacy nodded. “The better thing to do is to just buy an insert, or even make your own, so you don’t slip out of the shoes and they end up fitting you perfectly.”
… … …
(Pam giggles to herself as she stands in front of the mirror wearing a pair of gold, strappy heels.)
“I’m sorry, but I have never seen my feet in shoes this… elegant? I don’t know what I’d wear these with.”
…
“How about a cute black dress?” Stacy offered.
“Or something blue?” Clinton chimed in. “Or green? Or purple? Really, she could pair those with a lot of things and be just fine.”
Stacy gave him a shrug, “I don’t think she quite knows how to match these kinds of accessories yet, so that’s what we’ll have to work on with her tomorrow.”
… … …
(Pam buys a few pairs of shoes and later is interviewed by the What Not To Wear camera crew.)
“I definitely had a few hurdles to get over in terms of dealing with the prices of things and actually trying things on, but I think I got a few really good pieces today and hopefully tomorrow will go even better.”
…
“I think that’s a fair assessment of how her day went,” Clinton nodded. “She was not by any means perfect, but she did a get the hang of what looks good on her body and what to look for when picking out items.”
“But what’s missing,” Stacy interjected, “Are the more fun pieces to her wardrobe that really make an outfit hers. I think she really needs to get past just wearing the basics and start to get a few more items that reflect who she is.”
“Yes, because she is a whole lot more than sweaters,” Clinton chuckled.
… … …
Coming up, Pam needs some help at branching out of her comfort zone:
“I have just… never seen myself like this.”
“Well this is all you, baby.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
I hope people like their Pammy, cause there is a lot of her in this chapter. There's also a lot of references to different pieces of clothing, so naturally I added photos at the end for visuals. Some are items we've seen her in, and some are... well, not. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me on this!!
Special thanks, as always, to Little Comment. Enjoy!!
Special thanks, as always, to Little Comment. Enjoy!!
Chapter End Notes:
A plethora of photos!!
The "dress" Pam would only wear to bed. (Seriously, they call this a dress.)
The magenta patterned dress she tried on at the first store.
The denim blazer Pam thinks is "sophisticated."
The outfit with the green top and brown skirt.
The purple top with ruching at the shoulders.
The pencil skirt that made her hips look big (and really, would make anyone above a size 2's hips look big).
Brown flats are better than Keds.
Gold strappy heels!
