CRUISING THE SHOPS ON LAS OLAS

Garment by American Soul, photo by Pam

Did someone say shopping in a new and trendy locale? Las Olas is said to be trendy, so I will go with that.

The Riverside Hotel was our destination recently and much to my delight, the historic hotel sits smack in the middle of  Las Olas.

Listen, the Big O wasn't the only one recently treading in the land of, "it's very expensive." Yeah, that line from, Pretty Woman, will never die, but it and the term snooty sales clerks does fit certain occasions.

But, back to historic shopping.

Cool new shops always draw me in, but a funny thing happened on the way to the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. I discovered I had to shop.

I sort of forgot to pack appropriate tops to coordinate with white shorts and capris. I not only had none that would match, I had none.

On second thought, maybe this wasn't so funny, but as an unofficial
shop-a-holic, it was ironic.

Let me explain.



Tossing togs into a small bag for an overnight car-cruise, I paid scant attention to wardrobe details. Odd for me, but as we continue our quest to conquer all things historic hotels in South Florida, I fall on my fashionable sword. My packing was lacking!

Clad in a sleek (my opinion only) tank dress for arrival in Fort Lauderdale, imagine my consternation when I realized my tiny bag was missing tank or tee tops!

Needless to say, it is quite warm and humid in August, so shorts and cool tops are required attire.

What to do?

Easy.

Hit the shops of Las Olas and get busy. Bring money, because you could hear those infamous words about price, a lot.

It quickly became apparent that cute and simple tank or tee can run you $70 and up. I'm talking a simple cotton top that runs no more than ten dollars at Target.

Heck, I've shopped on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, so I get overpriced jazz.

Strolling and perusing, Gaz (Gerry) in tow, we popped into almost every store on the street, realizing we had to either cough up the cash or get the car from valet and head for cheaper shopping zones.

However, we weren't prepared to throw in the designer towel until we had given it our best shot. Guess what?

A top for twenty bucks was found in a place called, American Soul. The garment is cute as can be, with a London design splashed on it. Perfect.

Or was it?

After the pleasant, if weary looking staffer, said it was a Medium, I said sold, she bagged it, Gaz paid (he's accustomed to how this goes down) and we were off to the Riverside for a quick change.

The stylish top was a Medium in some parallel universe because it fit like my original skin. TIGHT.

No matter, I made it work for a few hours knowing it would never touch my skin in the future.

Best part? Wearing the top, Gaz and I were relaxing at a bar in the hotel lobby and in walks non-snooty sales person from American Soul.

She didn't look weary anymore and we had a lovely laugh and chat. No, I kept mum on the size thing.

Oh, regarding snooty sales types in trendy stores?

We found that was not the case on Las Olas. In fact, when I candidly told them I was not interested in plopping down almost $100 for a simple tee, they smiled and did not disagree.

Las Olas, I will be back and who knows, I could go ahead and spend more than twenty dollars for a top, but I will hit the fitting room first. -- Pam