I recently purchased an orange handbag (Tuesday Morning, $10.00 – score!), which would not be my usual fashion choice, but I was dazzled by the bright color and fun bangled straps. It just says, “summer” to me, and it’s jazzed up my rather boring wardrobe.
It is similar to this Prada handbag, a steal at $599.00.
Suddenly, everywhere I go, perfect strangers – women – comment, “Oh, I LOVE your purse!” The grocery store, the movie theater, church….other women admire my lovely orange bag.
“Tangerine!”
“Citrus!”
“Fresh!” they say. I just smile demurely and act like I paid a Prada fortune for it.
My husband, however, has taken to calling it my “Home Depot” purse, because he says it is the exact shade of the Home Depot logo. Also, because that’s his favorite store, he is naturally reminded of it. Coincidentally, I have been using a small orange spiral to jot my to-do lists and keep my doodles in. He calls this my “Home Depot Ensemble.”
Obviously, he has no fashion sense, only DIY sense.
Here’s the weird thing. Yesterday, I was actually IN Home Depot, purse over my shoulder, and a random man in the aisle said to me, “Hey is that your Home Depot purse, haha?”
You’d be so proud of me. I did not glare at him but actually poked a little fun at men’s idea of fashion and we had a little chuckle right there in Lawn and Garden.
I guess when men see orange, they automatically think “Home Depot,” and when women see orange, we think “haute couture!” Funny how we are wired so differently, and respond to things at such disparate levels. I shake my head in wonder.
Have you had an “orange purse” type of experience….you know, the kind where you look at a man and ask what planet he’s from? Have you noticed things that look one way to you, that look entirely different to your husband? Are you able to enjoy the differences or is it a point of conflict? I hope you’ll share.
Seeing orange, er… tangerine,
Rachel
