Shopping

It is official shopping is frustrating here. I'm fine with shirts and even shirts, knowing that they are just more expensive but pants are the real problem. Okay so I may have only tried on 3 or 4 pairs from 2 different stores but I have been unable to determine my size here. First of all, there is an EU size scale and then there is the Itl. scale (runs 2 sizes smaller), the Spanish scale (1 size below) which are the most popular. Then there are stores like H&M who only do UK, US and EU. This seemed easy as I know my US size but somehow, my US size dosen't work in German H&M's pants. I decided the best way to circumvent the problem was to ask my mom to go shopping for me in the US. The problem is, we don't have the same tate in pants and aparently me specification of professional pants, w/o a high waist or wide leggs, that will not need to be hemmed (I know this is the tricky part but can assume her legs are the same size as mine) was not clear enough. I suggested grey or navy, spring colors and not black. The result, one pair of brown, long pants with a low waist but a wide leg, one pair of casual looking kacki pants and 2 suits. One of the suits seemed nice but, hard to determine w/o trying on. I wish Banana republic would just deliver from the US site to Germany. Anyway, in the end she's going to go to Banana and get the pants I saw online to ship to me and I'm going to hope they fit. I feel so unprepared. At least I can buy my own shirts at Zara and H&M (the Madonna line comes out on the 22) and by the begining of April we will have a new "mall" where I'm hoping for a Mango. Anyway, I'm so glad my parents are sending me my clothes and buying me new pants so I can get out of my winter blacks and celebrate spring!