That’s where I’m at this summer.
Let me first express how I loathe shopping of any kind provided it requires me to go outside my home. I enjoy shopping online and have no problem waiting for my goods to arrive, but I refuse to go out and visit store after store looking for something specific. I don’t care a lot about clothes. Don’t get me wrong, I like really nice dresses and other pretty pieces, but clothes are mostly utilitarian for me – they serve a purpose.
Kevin and I are total opposites on this front. He could browse through store after store for hours, even stores where he wouldn’t buy anything for himself. Most of my best clothes, the items I get the most compliments on, are items that he bought for me, often in my absence. When I do go shopping for clothing, he usually says, “why don’t you put this skirt with that shirt and those boots?” and I shrug while the salegirls coo saying how great an idea his was and how they’d never thought of putting it all together. I just walk away while rolling my eyes at all of them.
A few months back, we headed up to Whistler for a weekend away with my brother and his girlfriend. The main focus of the trip was an excursion to Scandinave Spa just north of the village. Hours immersed in cold and hot baths and waterfalls required only a couple of things: silence and a swimsuit. A few days before we left, I realized that I’d left my two-piece in Arizona on our last trip. Without any time to wait for a delivery, the writing was on the wall: I’d need to go shopping.
This is a short story since, after explaining my woes Royal City Physio boss lady and my friend Karen, I was referred directly to Target where she promised me a wonderland of $20 separates that were all really cute. No word of a lie, I was in and out in fifteen minutes, including trying several pieces on. In my hand, a polka-dotty, ruffly number that I was super excited to wear. That, friends, is how shopping is done!
Before Karen saved the day and while I was still looking for ideas, I came across Nettle’s Tale Swimwear, a local company selling swimsuits designed and produced in Vancouver.
From their website:
Nettle’s Tale is all about empowering women to not just accept themselves, but sincerely love themselves. Swimsuits are intimate, and so is a woman’s relationship with her body. We value that relationship, and we want to share the love.
If you aren’t head over heels for them after reading that, this video will make you love them! (And if you are head over heels, watching it will just make you love them more!)
Even better was that I caught the tail end of their Indiegogo campaign so not only did I get to contribute funds to help launch the business further, I also got my very own awesome swimsuit. I chose The Britney.
If you’re the type who loves a story about the good guys or galls winning, here it is and clearly, I’m not the only one who loves Nettle’s Tale. Their crowdfunding campaign netted 699 funders and they shattered their $10000 goal, raising a total of $70300! Even better, my Nettle’s Tale swimsuit just arrived in the mail and I LOVE it! It’s versatile and can be worn in many different style, the top is reversible and primarily grey or rust and the fabric is super soft.
Though I’ve meant to, I haven’t had a chance to take any pics of my first Nettle’s Tale piece yet. Soon, I promise!
Imagine, effortlessly coming across two fantastic swimsuits! As a girl who is four days away from summer vacation, I feel pretty darn lucky!
