This morning I had coffee with Emily, my most stylish friend.

"Okay," she said, as I opened the door, "Kace, I brought some tops for you." She's obviously read my blog. "Try this on. I've told you about the Target Salvation Army, right?"

Apparently, in the basement of the Minneapolis Salvation Army, there's a whole section of new Target stuff - samples and irregulars and overstocks.

I put on a little green hoodie.

"That's too short," Emily said, looking me over. "Try this on over the t-shirt that you're wearing."

So, I pulled on the green v-neck sweater.

"That could work," she said, giving it a scan. "But, maybe the problem is you need new bras?"

That's completely obvious. Tim Gunn already told me that.

"Well, keep that one," she said, frowning. "And this pink one. That could work for spring."

"But look at my butt, Em," I said, gesturing toward the rear of my jeans. It's so flat and saggy."

"Well, you need tighter jeans," she said.

Oh.

But here's the good news: she'll shop with me. "I'd LOVE too," she shrieked. "We'll do the Mall of America. Nordstrom is great, but it depends on your budget. Banana and Gap are good options, too."

Later in the morning, she told me that she'd read that the average woman has to try on fifteen pairs of jeans before finding the right one.

"You mean I can't just go to Old Navy and grab the first one I find in my size?"

"No," she said definitively. "You need casual clothes, but you need cute casual."

Step One is admitting you have a problem. I'm so glad I did.