old favourite

I heart this Muji dress, worn to death.

I also heart this particular dressing room at Zara, where I snapped this photo. Only the Ngee Ann City outlet has these two corner dressing rooms that are nice and long so that you can get a good look at what you're trying on (I hate mirrors about 15 centimetres in front of me) and you can walk a bit to see how the item moves. There's good, clear lighting that doesn't give you a headache. There's a little stool to perch your things. There are enough hooks and a shelf for your clothing. The dressing room curtain closes completely. You have complete privacy to try something, scrutinise, and really enjoy shopping. Only two of all the dressing rooms there are like this.

(I didn't heart the black thing hanging in the background, I tried it on mainly to kill time and to see if I look as bad as I imagine in drape-y sleeves. I do.)

The only other dressing room I love with as much passion are the Massimo Dutti ones, also at the Ngee Ann City outlet as it happens. They're all fairly roomy like this one, with nice stools, clear lighting, sufficiently space to hang up clothes. The Massimo Dutti ones get extra points for being beautifully decorated with cute framed prints, leather covered stools, chrome fittings, lush drapes, and plush upholstered walls. It's a pleasurable, tactile experience being in there, much like trying on their clothes themselves, which have the best fabrics amongst all the mass-market labels.

I fell in love with a sleek black sheath in there, and wondered whether the dressing room played a part. I had an Audrey Hepburn moment, and it helped that there wasn't neon lighting, but something a little more soigne.

(The other outlets are similarly decorated, but the cubicles are smaller.)

If only they had three-way mirrors...