A Love Letter to Lucy & Yak

*Photo via Pinterest*

*I purchased my first pair of black corduroy ‘gateway dungs’.*

I must admit, I have an aversion to shopping online for clothes. I like to feel the material; see the colours without a camera lens and even, heaven forbid, try it on there and then. I also don’t have the time-management skills to make an order in time for arrival, create an inevitable return and then style a backup outfit. But who does, right? Another problem these days is the absolute horrors of… Say it with me now… Deep breath…

Retail! Fucking! Sizing!

Sitting outside of the parameters of an ’average weight and/or body shape’, I take a 34-inch trouser waist in some shops. I take a 38-inch in others and a 40/42-inch here and there. Can we not just please agree on the universal understanding of the size of an inch!?

I find now that overlooking the label and using my eyes to shop one size above (as a general rule of thumb) works a bit better for me. Or rather, I avoid shopping for clothes altogether until my current collection turns to dust.

However, and this is important, there comes a time in every Queer life when a boy like me craves her first pair of Dungarees, and I am going to tell you about when that time came for me.

Having not worn a pair of dungarees since 1994 and now inhabiting an apparent un-dressable body, I decided that I simply had to give online shopping a go. Just this once. The results were of course disappointing.

I ordered two pairs of dungarees, theorising that the ideal situation would be 1 pair for me (2XL) and 1 pair for my boyfriend Anton (3XL). The second most ideal situation would be that at least the 3XL would fit me and a refund would be in order for the other. The reality was that both pairs had equal waist sizes (roughly equal to that of a turtle-neck collar) and the leg-width/length dimensions of a circus tent. These were supposed to be straight-legged!

I sent them back and tried to forget that my dungaree dream ever even occurred, that was until I took a trip to Brighton in May 2023 and visited a little shop called Lucy & Yak!

I took a look at Lucy & Yak's clothing on Instagram before visiting them. It looked like all items were made on-site with love and were modelled by, sold by and loved by their very own gorgeous staff. The prices were also very attractive.

Oh, baby, I have arrived.

The shop unit is as charming as anything. The sizes are clearly displayed, consistent and understandable. Lucy & Yak's staff seemed like approachable celebrities (I recognised them from Instagram) and I left shortly after as a proud owner of a pair of chic dungarees. Black corduroy (what I call my gateway dungs) and Anton decided on a humble pair of leopard print.

So if you are ever in the market for true-to-size dungarees, a stunning shopping experience or just want to feel fabulous - Lucy and Yak are at the top of my recommendation list!