“Your dresses should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show you’re a lady.”
Edith Head
It was on my way to work that I first saw her out of the corner of my eye, walking just a little ways ahead of me — wearing the same outfit as me.
Now, given my penchant for shopping at Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic, I really shouldn’t be shocked by this predicament. Nonetheless, decisions needed to be made and they needed to be made quickly.
I figured I had two options. If there’s any chance she looks better in this outfit than I do, I must quicken my pace and get well ahead of her. That way, from the perspective of anyone coming towards us, I am clearly the innovator and she is the awkward copycat. On the other hand, if I am quite certain that I look better in this outfit than she does, then I should catch up to her and match her pace.
This will set up the real life version of a classic feature of gossip magazines known as “Who Wore It Best”, wherein two celebrities are shown side by side in the same outfit and we are asked to judge: who wore it best?
Now, not to be vain but allow me to be frank: I’m not a bad looking girl and I wear my outfits well. So we are perfectly set up for a rousing game of Who Wore It Best Street Edition (WWIBSE).
As I quicken my pace she seems to sense my approach. Like an antelope with a lioness on her scent, she cocks her head to the side and makes a sudden deke left, into the safety of a coffee shop. But I already have my coffee dammit!
And that’s the trouble with WWIBSE; not everyone knows when they’re playing and sometimes their desire for coffee distracts them.
Also, you don’t really get a definitive winner and it’s hard to know when to stop. Some might suggest you’ve crossed the line when you follow your competitor into the coffee shop and order the same thing they order; but clearly they don’t understand your commitment to the game.
Play on!