"I get all my clothes at Goodwill." This popular idiom is so irritating because it most frequently graces the lips of those pretentious east village hipsters I bump elbows with at the second avenue train stop. "Well," methinks, "I trust that you're a zealous bargain hunter, but those Capri pants with fashionable slits sho' don't look like anything my mother donated in the past two decades." Goodwill fashion has become increasingly popular in the past few years - like gas station attendant's shirts and t-shirts advertising some company in Idaho. Blade loves those shirts. (Please understand that I am not referring to the state in a derogatory manner. I know and love Idaho and even vacationed in Sun Valley one summer with my grandparents. Its just a far way away from where I am here. Whew - what a disclaimer.)
I love the Goodwill, too. For me it is an untapped goldmine of all the early eighties refuse I adore. It's all you can get, anyway. First to go are the conservative, classic duds whose simplicity transcends decade, so after all the community soccer shirts, old corduroys, men's dress pants and other hot items are stolen away, all you are left with is splashy, floral, and Linda Rondstadt. (Sometimes all three!!) I personally love Linda Rondstadt's steez. A friend of mine explained my partiality to ruffled blouses and shoulder pads as a primal expression of what I first learned and believed to be fashionable, when I was a wee lass in the early eighties, studying the style of Lady Diana Spencer in my mother's photo book about the royal wedding.
So the obvious star of this month's Goodwill Hunting is that dashing suit I'm sporting in this photograph. Where have you ever seen such bold use of line, shape, and color contrast? Think zebra - crazy, like Cyndi Lauper! (She's so unusual...) Quick-dry nylon too, I might add. Undoubtedly eighties. But the tie around the neck and the little pockets of material for your tits add a touch of fifties pin-up girl.
Sophisticated!! Perfect for lounging around the pool with a broken arm and a bad attitude. Only $3.50.
