It has been over ten years since I have gone ‘thrifting.’ When I was in high school I wanted to stretch my clothing allowance to its maximum so I hit up Goodwill, Salvation Army and other Dallas-area resale shops. I mostly shopped for vintage tees; by the time I moved out of my parents’ house my collection of preowned tee shirts was overwhelming. Sadly, I am 99% certain that I no longer have any of the tees that I procured over the years and when I think about this it depresses me. Some of them were really cool and one-of-a-kind; my favorite was my 1990 Miss Cleveland contestant tee shirt. It was baby pink with a raised cobalt blue velvet screenprint of a rose. I wore the hell out of that tee. Now? It’s in oblivion.
So what am I looking for after all these years? I have no idea. I am inspired by granny dresses made modern with a belt at the narrowest part of the waist. How a seemingly matronly pair of shoes can be brought back to life when paired with electric-hued tights and costume jewelry by the handfuls (and worn a dozen strands at once).
So what am I looking for after all these years? I have no idea. I am inspired by granny dresses made modern with a belt at the narrowest part of the waist. How a seemingly matronly pair of shoes can be brought back to life when paired with electric-hued tights and costume jewelry by the handfuls (and worn a dozen strands at once).
Can you create your own personal style by shopping at the mall? Well, of course you can. That’s what I’ve been doing. My mom uniform (and now my work uniform) consists of off-the-rack ‘finds’ that anyone can duplicate. I guess what I’m saying is that I want to branch out – I am tired of putting myself into this little box where my ‘look’ is defined by the mannequins at J. Crew. That person? That woman who relies on the man to tell her what to wear? That person is gone. She (me) is reborn!
That is, naturally, if I can find some gems among the shit at Goodwill. Wish me luck.