08/21/07

6:01 p.m.
The BF's been shedding some poundage lately and his wardrobe is beginning to look less than flattering, so we headed out to find him some shirts that might actually fit his newly slenderized torso. Wanting to try for a more "One Stop" solution rather than jumping in and out of the car on a hot, muggy day, we hit the Dallas Galleria Mall for the first time.

You know those places that you've been to where you can tell that they once used to be the IT place but they're not so IT any longer -- where there's that little bit of shabbiness around the edges, the air has kind of a sweaty, used-car-lot odor and the people wandering about don't seem to fit the "You're hip cuz you're Here!" vibe that the place is (now desperately) attempting to push?

Well, that was the Galleria.

We walked into Saks Fifth Avenue, and the men's section (once we found it stuffed away in the top floor and off to the side of the home furnishings department, as if there were something shameful about men's clothing and accessories that needed to be hidden from casual view) was like a cross between a high-end fashion store and a corner flea market -- there were some nice Armani, J Lindeberg, Zegna and Juicy Couture selections (I actually found a terrific black Armani raincoat in which they had every size but mine . . . of course), but the circular common hall that connected all the rooms was virtually lined with racks of old suits emblazoned with "SALE 70% OFF!" signs.

Classy.

A little disheartened, we made our way to the first floor where the likes of Louis Vuitton, Versace, Cartier and Gucci resided. This floor was practically void of any walking traffic whatsoever. Abercrombie & Fitch one floor up was thumping away and pulling 'em in, but Versace? One forlorn customer poking about amongst the sunglasses. Louis Vuitton? We were the only ones in the place. Gucci? Lots of loud music, next to no customers and not much merchandise to speak of, either -- they had a better selection of Gucci wallets and belts in Saks Fifth Avenue than they had at Gucci. The same was true of Versace and Louis Vuitton -- loads of women's handbags, very little of anything else.

Needless to say, the staff at each one of these stores looked like they were all about to lose their minds from sheer boredom, and when we walked into a jeweler's that offered a wide array of high-end watches, we were so aggressively pounced upon by an overeager salesperson starved for a commission that we quickly beat a hasty retreat.

I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure the Galleria has seen much better days.

8:46 p.m.
There's a big crowd of people down in the American Airlines Center plaza taking in the latest outdoor Family Movie showing: Grease!

Is the resurgence of interest in musicals due to American Idol?