Last night at the theater a friend asked, "What are you wearing?" I replied, "a dress". He then asked: "Is it from Goodwill, or Forever 21?" Ouch! Very snarky! After I got over being offended, I thought about it and I realized that he had a point. In the past few years I have bought more things at Goodwill than any other place. Forever 21 is probably second. In addition to those, I've shopped at Gap, Old Navy, and Anthropologie. Very sparingly, of course!This weekend, a friend I went to high school with, and I were talking about our glory days. He commented that when we were in high school, a private school, it was much hipper to wear clothes from thrift stores, than to wear labels and expensive things. Of course, there were some kids who were into that stuff, and I did go through an ESPRIT phase in 7th grade, but for the most part, labels were out. We were artists. We were anti-establishment (at least we thought we were). We were individuals. Why would we go to a retail store and buy something everybody else had? Much cooler to crawl the aisles of some second hand store and find a vintage polyester jump suit, bell bottoms, or an old T-shirt.
As I got older, the habit stuck. Scouring the aisles was akin to a treasure hunt. It was meditative, and it was satisfying. Much more so for me than retail therapy. It also quelled the guilt I felt about consumption. Thrift store items had already been bought and purchased. They were recycled. They were not adding dyes and bleach into the ecosystem. They were not using new resources. Little children were not being forced to make them in factories. This gave me comfort.
Now, in direct contrast, is Forever 21. I'm sure this seems like a contradiction. You have to wonder how they make the stuff so cheaply? I met someone who said they had "sweat shops" in L.A., that her mom worked there, and that it was awful. I have since avoided the store, even though it is a delightful cornucopia of trendy fashion!
Outfit:
One of the "trends" for spring is tribal prints and accessories. I thought that I ought to challenge myself and my closet by keeping up with the fashion Joneses. I actually think this shirt is pretty ugly, and I think I bought it because of the detail on the back (and it was 4 bucks!) I was shopping with a group of gals for a birthday celebration last November. After my year is up, I can see this in the give away pile!
Shirt: Forever 21. In honor of my friend!
Jeans: Cousin. Gap.Shoes: Miz Mooz by Gazith.
Jacket: Old Navy Maternity. I still wear it, when I get the urge.
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