XXXL

After the windowsill-leaping escapade which left a giant rip in the hem of Hummus Girl's Chinese dress, I started to wonder:  where else could I buy more Chinese clothing that's closer than, say, Guangzhou?  I landed here, where I found some surprisingly low prices, especially for women's dresses.

I really wanted to purchase something for myself.  I bought a dress on Shamian island...think I paid around $8 for it (gasp)...but I've never liked it.  That whole shopping experience felt stressful to us--the bargaining, the pressure to find all the right souvenirs and remembrances of China, the angry, grieving baby in my arms, etc.  So I wound up with a pale lavender, satiny dress.  Terrible color on me, thigh-high slit, and quite frankly, just does not connote positive emotions for me.  Am I putting too much pressure on that poor dress?  Perhaps.  

Right now you might be thinking  Oh, get real.  You just needed an excuse to shop! 

Whatever.

So here's a fairly recent photo of me.  This will be important later in the story.

I ordered two dresses, hoping they'd fit, nervous to buy something without being able to try it on.  Had suspected maybe the dresses ran small, so I ordered two dress sizes up from what I would normally wear.

Aren't they pretty?  The red one is a fine corduroy!  How 'bout that?  And the blue one is cotton with a bit of stretch.  I like dressing up, but hate being uncomfortable.  These dresses are shorter and more practical, so I can wear them more often.

I am thrilled to report that they both fit perfectly!  Like they were made for me!  A very pleasant surprise.

Also a surprise?  This.

Can you read the tag?  XXXL.  Apparently, according to Chinese fashion standards, I wear an XXXL.  (Take a look back at the photo of me if you need to.)  I am going to try my best to find that hilariously bizarre rather than annoying, and will celebrate that I now have two new Chinese dresses that I love and will wear happily!