Shopping Day · Real Men Real Style Community

Shopping Day

This year has felt like one long plot twist. I was laid off, picked up side jobs, and somehow wrote books through the chaos. And because my bold ideas seem to arrive at the least practical moments, I also told my wife to leave her stable job and finally chase her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. Yes, while I was unemployed. I knew how wild that sounded, but it was still the right call.

She earned her master’s degree with a 4.0 GPA and pushed through student teaching with steady patience. That has been one of the bright spots in a difficult season.

Every year her best friend and I go on a holiday shopping trip. It is our tradition. We visit a few stores, hunt for the right gifts, and finish with Blanco Tacos for dinner. It is an odd little ritual, but it works.

This year my definition of extravagant stretched farther than usual, and the gift ended up firmly in the expensive category. Her best friend did nothing to protect my budget.

We visited Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Nordstrom. I drifted toward the loud pieces my wife usually likes, the ones that practically call attention to themselves. Her best friend kept pulling me away. Then she pointed at the sweater I was wearing, a very nice Armani with no visible branding, and said to the salesperson, “See. He does not need to shout. Why would she.”

After that she delivered the line that stuck with me. “You already proved you can afford it. Now I want her to enjoy it.”

Moments later she realized I own cashmere and alpaca while my wife owns neither. She turned to me with a look that said only one word, and she said it out loud. “Robert.” No affection. No softness. Just pure judgment aimed directly at my soul.

At Louis Vuitton we found the right piece. A soft, understated cashmere sweater with a small tag at the back of the neck. Nothing loud. Nothing trying to show off. Just quiet quality. The salesperson added, “Pieces like this never get counterfeited. There is nothing loud to copy. The value is in how it is made.”

That made me laugh because it was true. Counterfeits chase noise. They copy the items that yell. No one is spending time making fake neutral sweaters.

So yes, I bought the sweater. Yes, I overspent. And yes, my wife’s plant, more commonly known as her best friend, absolutely guided me into doubling my spend. I fully admit I walked into that trap.

At checkout the salesperson handed me parfum samples. L Immensite, Imagination, Ombre Nomade, and Meteor. Victory. It was the first time I ever received samples meant for me. Gifts from my wife do not count. This felt like a genuine achievement.

We finished the night at Blanco Tacos, laughing about the day and pretending my budget would recover eventually. After that we wandered through the Nordstrom Icon and Ambassador Party, although that is a whole separate story.

In the end the experience summed up the year. Quiet choices, steady effort, and nothing that needed to shout to matter. She is still getting a normal Christmas, with a few long-standing wants finally met. Now I can only hope she likes what she gets, because this time I chose the quiet piece instead of the loud one she usually reaches for.

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