Knowing I had at least two shoots left, and wanting to make the most of them, I decided to fully embrace the aspect of wardrobe. I had a plan in mind - a selection of clothing items I would try to get hold of for each of the two models upcoming. With that in mind, I got up early on Tuesday morning, grabbed my breakfast in the form of a bowl of noodles for 30 Baht, then hopped on a motorbike taxi headed for ItalThai Pier. From here I could take the water taxi which would drop me practically at the doorstep of Platinum.
For those who have not spent time in Bangkok, it might seem odd that I would comment on my mode of transit for getting to my shopping destination. Surely, I could have hopped in a taxi and simply told the driver where I was going. But anyone who’s been in Bangkok around 9:00 AM will know that traffic is so heavy you can’t really even call it traffic. I figure that if I took a taxi it would take me about an hour to get to where I was going. Using the motorbike taxi, then hopping on the water taxi, I made the trip in less than twenty minutes, and had a breeze in my face most of the time. I like the feeling of being on the move when I have a purpose in mind.
Having looked at the portfolios of two models I’d be shooting over the next two days, and folding in my own ideas of what I’d like to do for the shoot, I had a pretty clear idea of what I was looking for during my shopping mission. I’m not one who likes to shop for the sake of shopping; I like to go in with my hit list, check the items off, and be on my way. So I had made it a special point to get into Platinum soon after they opened, before the crowds impaired my ability to move quickly.
From my previous trip to Platinum, I knew at least one store where I could find women’s lingerie and similar items. So I made that my first stop. Along the way I saw a few other stores I perused, and picked up a few small items. In the lingerie store (I already forget the name), I purchased several items, including a “school girl” outfit I’d seen during my last visit. It felt a little strange to be carefully examining things like garter belts and panties, but I soon shed any awkward feelings and tuned into the fact that I was doing a job here. It was clear in my mind that I was fulfilling a purpose – I was looking for very particular items to match what I had in mind for the photo shoot. Even if I got strange looks from merchants or other customers, I couldn't afford to be concerned about that. I didn’t have time to worry about other people’s thoughts, and couldn’t concentrate on my “work” if I let that thought enter my mind.
I wandered through the rows of stores and saw many, many things I could have used for a shoot. The biggest problem for me was to keep things narrowed down, to keep a focus on a few specific outfits I would assemble. I was finding myself entering into a different realm, where I was feeling excitement and energy in looking for women’s clothes, letting my imagination soar. I realized I was “embracing” the aspect of wardrobe. Okay - it did feel a bit weird, but I was also feeling this is jumping into my work fully.
The one concern, or thought that was haunting me, was the question of over-spending and accumulating too many items. Sometimes I’d think, "Maybe I'm being a bit crazy". Here I was filling up these shopping bags with women’s clothes. I’d never done that before and it was a bit of a strange feeling. What would I do with all this stuff when I got home? These kinds of thoughts tempered me just a bit.
After picking up a few dresses, some undergarments, stockings, and the schoolgirl outfit, I decided to grab a latte at the Black Canyon Café, and sort out my thoughts. Once settled in with my beverage and an ample sized table, I took inventory of what I’d purchased, and made a list of what other matching items and accessories I would need. This helped me to feel more confident about further purchases, and gave me more of a sense that I wasn’t just making random purchases that wouldn’t make sense when I got back to my hotel. Upon taking my inventory, I realized I needed to get a white lingerie top (either a camisole, or bra – but decided on camisole since size would be less critical), some white socks, and black necklace of some sort. I had other ideas, too, but I decided to pull the reins in a bit and call it a day once I had secured these items.
I had made rapid progress up to that point, but now that I had very specific items in mind I found that my progress was much slower. I had a heck of a time finding a shop that sold socks, for instance, and the accessory necklaces were much more expensive than I'd figured on. Also, by this time it was nearly 11:00 AM, and the aisles were filling up with shoppers. Finally, and a bit weary by this time, I completed my shopping and made my way back to Platinum Pier, making my way back to the hotel.
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