Camping Socks

 I kind of miss our local White Stuff shop, which shut down in 2021. Not o much because I liked shopping there, I thought it was generally a bit expensive for what it was and I am no fashion victim. What I like about White Stuff is that their shops are quite quirky, see this post for instance. It's not about the clothes, it's about the place. That said, they do have nice things sometimes. Last time I went to one, I was tempted to buy these "camping" socks. I get through socks at a ridiculus rate and these would fit nicely if we were to, well, go camping one day. Which we might, we never know. But I didn't buy them because, well, they were kind of pricey for a single pair. I mean if it had trains on them, I wouldn't even have hesitated. But yeah, they still looked cool.

The local White Stuff shop is closing

My wife gave me some sad news today: our local White Stuff shop is closing. Now I hate clothes shopping in general, but I happen to like their clothes. It's where I found my favourite jumper, which if nothing else made me very grateful that we have one nearby. It also has (had) a cool Kid's DeN and Manky Franky. So it makes shopping there at least bearable and often useful, even if there are more affordable shops. Well, we'll have to find another White Stuff. There are plenty in nearby towns, so it might not be all so bad, but I wish we still had that one close and I hope the chain survives.

My autumn jumper

You might remember that I blogged back in 2018 about this jumper from White Stuff. I bought it then and it quickly became my favourite jumper, because of its fiery autumnal colours. It is, by any practical means, my autumn jumper. It does not look like this picture though. It is barely more than a year old and it is already looking worn out. This is how much I love it. Wearing it out of my favourite season helps me stay patient when I long for it. Because when it is not autumn, I think of autumn and I prepare mentally for autumn.

The autumn jumper

I don't care one bit about fashion: a lot of the clothes I have are at least a decade old and I have no problem wearing them until they fall apart, because I find old clothes comfier and I don't care one bit about fashion. Which sometimes irks my wife: she would like her husband to wear things that are a bit more up to date and a lot more colourful. Because a lot of what I wear is dark blue, charcoal grey, blue-grey, olive green (her most hated colour) or black. So she was very happy to find this jumper from White Stuff, which she thought would appeal to me because 1)it has the same kind of cut of many of the stuff I wear and 2)with its fiery orange colour, it looks very autumnal. My wife knows me well and knows how to sell me something. I did not take much convincing: autumnal colours, cosy and warm, discount available, plus a free mug that also looks like an autumn mug, I bought it yesterday. It is now my new official autumn jumper.

Manky Franky the stuffed stag

Remember the mysterious stag's head at the local White Stuff shop? I blogged about it before (twice actually). Well, it turns out the stuffed head has a name: Manky Franky. Or Franky for short, he apparently goes by his second name. We went there last weekend and little Wolfie got fascinated by it and kept pointing at the head. One of the staff, I think she was the manager, told him: "Oh, so you like Franky. His full name is Manky Franky, but just call him by his second name." So the mystery of the stag's head is partially resolved. The stag has a name, and a certain personality, sort of. I must say I quite like that name.

KiD's DeN

I took this picture at the local White Stuff. I hate shopping everything and everywhere, except books and thus in bookshops, but clothes shopping I maybe hate the most, even when I love the clothes I bought. That said, I have developed a certain curiosity towards White Stuff and their displays (see this post) and I must admit the company managed to make shopping there tolerable and make the place family friendly. Thus, they had there a "Kid's DeN", which little Wolfie was quite curious about, albeit not enough to go in there without his daddy. I thought it was the best place to be in the shop. In fact, I wish they had kid's dens back in the clothes shops I used to be dragged to when I was a child

The stag's head at White Stuff

You remember that I blogged a few months ago about a stuffed stag's head that is in the local White Stuff. I was wondering then why there was such a trophy in a clothes shop, near the changing room. And it struck me today. No, it is not to hang the clothes if the rack is full. It is because a lot of what is sold at White stuff, from what I saw at least (my wife buys me a fair deal from there because she likes the brand) is woodland themed. Have a look at the socks she bought me last time, for instance. As I love forest and wildlife, this makes me like the chain a bit more. In any case, the mystery of the stag's head is now solved.

Les papas et les renards

C'est la Fête des Pères aujourd'hui, ma première vraie de vraie Fête des Pères. Qu'ai-je eu droit à, me demanderez-vous? Des bas avec des motifs de renards de White Sutff. Cadeau de mon petit loup sur une idée de ma femme: comme mon fils a des bas avec des motifs de renard (mais pas de la même compagnie), il tombe sous le sens que j'en aie aussi. Cela tombe bien: je suis à court de bas. Je l'appelle petit loup, mais on pourrait bien dire petit renard. Dans tous les cas, on a maintenant des bas qui se ressemblent.

A mysterious stag's head

Last weekend, we stopped briefly at the local White Stuff just before closing time because it was pouring outside. We did not stay long, but I had the time to notice (again) this mysterious stag's head, which is hanging on a wall by the changing booths. My wife reckons it's not a real one. She likes the clothes sold at White Stuff and, being vegetarian, finds taxidermy utterly cruel. So maybe it is wishful thinking. I reckon it is a real one. I also happen to love stuffed animals and stag's heads. We grew up with one above the fireplace, my father's hunting trophy, which my mother always found tacky. Anyway, I find this stag's head interesting for another reason: what was the purpose to hang it there? What is the appeal for the customers, mostly women, of a clothes shop? Next time we go to this White Stuff, I might actually ask, although I doubt the employees know. And this would add to the mystery.

Un nouveau renard en vitrine

Je reviens encore une fois sur ce billet et celui-ci, à propos des renards dans les vitrines des magasins. En voici un autre, dans la vitrine du White Stuff local. C'est donc le troisième renard (au moins!) que je vois. Vous voyez sans doute où je veux en venir: le renard est l'animal emblématique de l'automne, comme je me/vous le demandais dans ma dernière question existentielle. Celui-ci n'est pas aussi bien que les autres, il fait un peu minimaliste. Cela dit, c'est une preuve de plus de l'association que l'on fait entre le renard et l'automne dans notre psychée.