June 14: Old Navy, New Experience

With my son's pre-school graduation a day away, we had recently perused his closet and realized he did not have anything, which we could reasonably deem, "nice" to wear for this big event; unless of course one considers a super-hero T-shirt and athletic shorts proper graduation attire. We did not. The boy is going to graduate pre-school once in his life, and with no gown to don, we needed something appropriate. So, after dinner, the family made a trip to Kohl's where we found a nice blue polo and some khaki shorts that would do the job. Even had him try on a little shirt/slacks/tie outfit, at his request, which looked adorable on him; but he opted for the more comfortable shirt/short combo and I, myself, was pleased with his choice between the two. On the way back home, I got the itch to do a little shopping for myself; being in desperate need of some athletic shorts...the official summer garb of those, like myself, who work out of their home. Enter Old Navy - the home of quality, yet moderately priced, clothing for Dad, Mom and the kids! The funny thing about Old Navy is I never know how to size their clothing. I usually take a medium, but for some reason an Old Navy medium always looks more like a large. Then, there is the shrinkage factor. My experience with Old Navy attire is that it tends to shrink after washing/drying. In the past, I've usually selected my presumed size and rolled the dice on it. Maybe it's because I've always been a little weary of those communal dressing rooms or maybe it's just because the whole schtick with Old Navy has never been about cleanliness or order. Their fitting room section always seems to be mired in a mess of clothing piles and filled garment racks; kind of like the outlet shops at Birch Run. But tonight, I took the journey....I used the Old Navy fitting room for the first time to ensure my shorts were going to be a good fit. I had to, this one pair marked "Medium" looked like Val Kilmer could have fit into them - 2010 Val Kilmer that is. And, the shorts did, in fact, fit me. Plus, I was able to try something new in the process, not to mention confirm for all of you that, despite their appearance, the fitting rooms at Old Navy are not as scary as they may seem. The customers though, at least at this location, well, that's another story.