Shop girl

Maybe I'm destined for the nice, clean, structured, demure environment, as opposed to the chaotic, rugged, artistic one I have always envisioned. The first job I unintentionally landed after uni was glamorous-sounding Executive Assistant to the CEO, or as everyone else likes to say, Little President. I was originally aiming for a job in media, advertising, and--goodness--even film.

When I came to Australia, the most I was hoping for was a waitressing job or, at the worst, kitchen hand. Instead I got a job in retail for an upscale Australian brand that makes corporate and formal clothing line for men and women. I'm seeing the connection between my old job and this one, though, and realizing the advantage of the former to the latter.

Where I work

Today I had a customer who couldn't decide what color of shirt to buy. She finally decided on a white shirt with gray and black stripes, which is totally my style, but up to the last minute before paying, she still didn't look sure, and asked me for the nth time between that and a pink shirt. I knew she was looking for a soft look, so I told her my background and said I used to have tons of shirts in pink shades because, hey, I'm a woman, and just because I'm in a testosterone charged environment, why should I camouflage my femininity? "Exactly!" she exclaimed. She got the pink shirt.

My favorite thing to say is a toss up between, "... AND you can wear it with jeans during the weekend or for a casual look" if it's a shirt, and "... AND it looks great with a suit jacket for work as well as dinner party dress" if it's a dress. I did both today, but it's such a quiet day I only made two sales. A South American looking woman came in with her friends and turned the shop upside down. She was looking for a "conservative" dress for work. I made her try a silk black and white geometric print dress, which managed to look professional yet sexy at the same time. It honestly looked fab on her; because she had a voluptuous body, anything else that's structured would've looked ridiculous and, frankly, she doesn't strike me as a conservative type. Bonus: it was the last one of its kind, and in her size too! But she walked away from it. I guess the silk fabric made her feel sexier than she liked.

Tomorrow, I wish the lady who tried on a dress this morning and said she'll think about it will come back. I also wish a woman suffering from a bad breakup with a coworker comes in and buys seven shirts, all the dresses in her size, our flashiest cufflinks, and the nice champagne suit. That would be lovely.