Four Jackets and a Chanel Bag
Buying the first present for your newish girlfriend is a little bit tricky. One doesn’t want to go too big. The purchase of a lavish, extravagant item, such as jewelry or a summer home, might suggest a level of seriousness that shouldn’t be present in a relationship that’s only slightly older than The Waiting’s adorable baby (yay, Waiting!). It could also suggest that one is trying to buy affection, which I hear is a more effective strategy when one actually has money. Conversely, a cheap, chincy pair of earrings from Claire’s Boutique or a box of pepero from the GS 25 will likely result in a return to the singles pool. The first gift carries a bit more weight than later presents do, and should thus be treated with a level of care that is atypical for a guy such as myself.
The speed with which I had to get my gf her first present was increased significantly when she sort of went bananas with jackets. One night she came over to my apartment, carrying a coat that she’d bought for me. “It was on sale,” she said, “and I thought it would look good on you. I couldn’t help myself.” There was no doubt that it was a nice garment, sort of like a longish pea coat. The pea trench coat, if you will. A week or two later, I was wearing my gift on a nice, sunny day. “It’s too warm for that,” she said, and shortly after she arrived one night with a nice spring jacket for me. The smorgasbord of outerwear wasn’t over. See, the summer is approaching, so I also got a summer jacket a day or two after the spring one. At this point, I would like to point out that my new girlfriend is pretty awesome.
One of the many appealing things about having a Korean girlfriend is knowing that it vastly lowers the chances of me having to watch this movie.
In total, the lady got me three jackets. You may be saying to yourself, “That’s odd…I could swear the title of this is Four Jackets and a Channel Bag.” Rest assured, there is no fourth jacket. I felt the title was catchier, despite the fact that it’s completely inaccurate. ‘Four’ sounds better than ‘three,’ and it also makes it sound like a play on Four Weddings and a Funeral, which I hear is a lovely movie British people enjoy.
Anyways, I’m not the kind of person who can take a gift and be happy. Whenever I get a present from someone, I immediately feel bad about it, like I’m taking advantage of that person and have to do something special in return. I felt guilty after the first jacket; by the time I’d gotten the third one, I felt like Phil Spector. The problem was that I had no idea what the gf would want.
“It would make me happy to get you something,” I told her. “Please. Do you want a dress? I don’t know. A coat? Do you want a coat?”
After insisting that it wasn’t necessary, finally she relented. “I want a Channel bag.”
“Oh,” I said, the terror of a man who has seen his own tragic end making my voice fluctuate. “A Channel bag?”
She started laughing. “It was a joke! A Channel bag is very expensive! It is $5,000!”
“Ha,” I said, wiping sweat off my brow. “Funny.”
“I do want a bag,” she said. “Not Channel.”
“Great! We can go to the mall this weekend and get you a bag.”
“The mall? The bags are overpriced there.”
“Listen, don’t worry about the price. I want to get you a bag you’ll really like.”
The truth was, though, that the price was a little worrying. What would be the appropriate amount of money to spend? We’ve been together for a month and a half. What does that compute to in dollars? If she wanted a bag that was $600, I figured I’d have to explain things to her.
“Okay, sweetheart, the thing is, we have to date another six months or so before I can buy you that particular bag. See the other one over there, the one for $350? That will only take you another two-three months. Now, the tiny little bags for $10…you can get one of those and dump me next week and that would be fine.”
As it turned out, she decided the bags at the mall were a rip off and led me down to Myeongdong (the craziest, most famous shopping area in Seoul), where she found a pink bag she really liked for a modest forty bucks. For the record, I would’ve gone higher. Like, forty five.
Seriously, I would’ve spent a lot more. I just would’ve had to pawn off one of my 9,000 jackets.
*
you got a considerate girl friend.
I will only take the advantage of labelling Asians as open hearted.
Haha – We here at Topiclessbar do not hesitate to refer to the racial stereotypes. Let’s look at the Scoreboard, kids! Jackets Purchased for me by Asian Girlfriend = 3. Jackets Purchased for me by White Girlfriends of Past = 0. Obviously, if you want a jacket, the wise move is to date an Asian.
Hahaha!! Yes, that is the advantage of having an Asian girlfriend (Isuppose).
So many positives. Another example: I now have Angry Birds downloaded on my laptop.
Really? You don’t want to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral? Though honestly, I can’t remember if I liked it either. I did however, really like Love, Actually. Maybe you and your new girlfriend could relate to the Colin Firth storyline?
You liked Love, Actually? Are you sure you aren’t confusing it with something else? In truth, though, I do like some Rom Coms. We went to some movie called “This Means War” a few weeks ago…I thought it was pretty funny, although I’m embarrassed to admit that. I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes afterwards, and it has like a 2%. I think that means it’s a cult item.
I like a lot of rom-coms. I think Notting Hill would be among my favorites, actually. Notting Hill, Actually.
You are too kind.
I had to be my mother’s daughter for 28 years before I got an expensive purse (at Shinsegae, a Korean mall, no less) out of her, so I’m glad your GF didn’t guilt you into buying her a Chanel bag this early in your relationship. That wouldn’t have been fair.
Hi Waiting! Don’t know if you noticed, but I mentioned you in this post.
Yeah, a Chanel bag would take years and years and a lottery victory. By the way, I’m currently eating a Paris Baguette hot dog, and it has peas on it. What’s up with that? Just thought I’d share.
I did notice! Thanks
Ths lucky kid is getting all kinds of love all over the planet.
Ah, Paris Baguette. How I miss you and your bizarre confections (although their cranberry chicken salad sandwiches were to die for).
Love the cranberry chicken salad salad – lots of calories.
your girl is awesome, so happy for you
So far so good, Isabella!
hmm what happened to calling me by my name?!? juz kidding all smiles for you bill
I hope with all those jackets it’s not her passive-aggressive way of telling you to cover up your body.
Hmm, she also vomits when I take the jackets off. Is that a bad sign?
as I first read the first paragraph I was convinced that this story will end later in you buying her something of great value…. but she was just happy with a regular purse. You have a great gf! Wish you the best!
My next point: so guys measure the amount of time and the love they have for you by how expensive their gifts get? My bf used to buy me prersents almost all the time. Thank God he has good taste! The first time he told me he bought me a gift … I was trembling on the inside. For no reason I found out later on. So should I be worried about the lack of surprise gifts? I need to mention the fact that he is apparently saving up for a ring, thanks to my gentle suggestions… but still, I am missing that period
Hola Judith! I wouldn’t say the amount of time and love can be measured in the price of the gifts. I think it’s more a beginning-of-the-relationship type thing. Just like dates. I wouldn’t take a gal to a fancy restaurant on the first date, and similarly, I wouldn’t buy a girl a nice necklace right away either – although I really can’t wait to have the fancy dinner and get the necklace. I would feel like a schmuck if I bought a girl something really expensive and then two weeks later things fell apart.
Anyways, I wouldn’t be worried about the lack of presents lately. Especially if he’s saving for a ring. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but those are expensive.
Thank you for the reply. I am pretty sure your right. I just wanted to know… I just got worried all of the sudden for no reason.
The only thing worse than dropping 600 bucks on a Chanel bag is dealing with the shock and dismay when 3 months later, she starts carrying a different bag around which cost her 40 bucks because fashion dictated that even if she had a “timeless” Chanel bag, it would still somehow fade from style eventually. On the bright side, you’ve got a few coats out of it. Nice piece of writing!
Very true. And we want a gal who values a nice modestly priced pink bag over the Chanel bag anyways. Let’s not forget Chanel’s first name was “Coco.” What a ridiculous name. Coco. I wouldn’t want a name like that on my bag. Nor would I want a bag to begin with. I feel I’ve made an extremely solid point here.
There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate outerwear. (I forget where I heard that.)
The little stuff is the greatest. I’ve been in a relationship for over a year and he’s never gotten me anything extravagant (which I’m fine with–presents make me feel embarrassed as well!) but looking around my apartment at all my little houseplants, this ridiculous/awesome trashcan from Diaso shaped like a panda, and small souvenirs from our travels, I feel very happy. My total satisfaction with a wooden bead necklace from our trip Bali being the only jewelry I’ve received from David and the fact that we’re not in the midst of planning a wedding baffles several of my Korean co-workers though!