I was riffling through Clipper Magazine, the publication of local coupons and advertising that mysteriously arrives unsolicited every week in our letter box. Yes, I’m a bit abashed to admit that I have not only taken note of Clipper Magazine’s existence, but I spend about two minutes per week looking at it. I know, I’m totally ruining your perception of me as some superswank hipster who is so preoccupied with reading Rilke sonnets, listening to Passion Pit, and shopping for Diesel jeans that it would never occur to me to clip coupons. Well, in my defense, I’ve never actually used a coupon from Clipper Magazine — the bulk are useless if you don’t own a house, and the remaining are just crap. I don’t know why I look every week, but I’m beginning to suspect that my interest is almost morbid gawking at the lower-rung of consumer aspiration. Witness this ad for Fashion Bug — which, you wouldn’t guess from the svelte model but maybe by the copy, is now exclusively a plus-size store. I’m unpracticed in catty fashion critiques, but if I wanted to make a blunt pronouncement of my distaste, I suppose I’d say something about Peggy Bundy calling and wanting her tunic/capri leggings/big belt back. Despite what Fashion Bug will have you believe, you actually need a pretty good figure to carry off this look without looking like a cinched, well… fat person.
