Since I'm usually buying fabric for theatrical costumes, I'm happy
to answer: "costumes for a play--we're doing [fill in blank]!" The
salesperson hasn't always heard of the play ("Bartholomew Fair" drew a
lot of blank stares), but is always engaged by the idea of talking to a
"theater person." If there's no line waiting behind me, I'm willing to
get into a discussion of any length the salesperson wants, and some of
the conversations have been pretty long, actually. AND if I'm lucky
(i.e., if asked "When are you doing it?" or "Where's the theater?"), I
get to hand her or him a postcard advertising the show--so besides
human contact there's that public-relations/advertising dimension.
I say "salesperson" advisedly, because although a lot of my shopping
is perforce at a Jo-Ann, my favorite mill-end store is run and staffed
by a charming Arabic gentleman.
My father was always delighted to talk to anybody. As a teenager I
found it excruciatingly un-cool when he got into conversations with
gas-station attendants, toll collectors, waiters and waitresses,
janitors, and unknown passers-by, but I now understand what a wonderful
thing it is to meet the world that eagerly, and I find myself emulating
his spirit more and more.
--Ruth Anne Baumgartner
scholar gypsy and amateur costumer
On Jun 12, 2006, at 2:00 PM, Dawn wrote:
I find it's not worth the effort most times to try and come up with
something flippant. The girl doing the cutting has had a long day and
just wants to go home (and I remember when I had crap jobs like
that...) so I'll usually just say something like "skirts", or "I don't
know, but this was too pretty to pass up".
Luckily for me, our local Renfest is a pretty popular event around
here, and well advertised, so I can say "costumes for renfest" (even
if it's really going to be a 17th century man's frock coat ) without
getting strange looks or having to explain anything awkward. I'm sure
that when I'm buying for multiple projects, historical or not, it can
be hard to figure out what it's for, unlike the endless parade of
grandmas buying fleece or prom fabrics.
Dawn
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