Still, I love browsing through Vogue, Vanity Fair, and In Style, especially during the mind-numbing wait at the pediatrician's office. At some point during those foggy-brained, chaotic years of early motherhood, the names of designers and their take on trends started to stick. As a grad student and teacher, I could quote Sedgewick, Foucault, and Benjamin. As a newish mommy, I suddenly found myself able to recognize the difference between a McQueen, a Rodarte, and a Marchesa. There has to be a positive application for these skills, right?
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| McQueen, Marchesa (Jeez, lady, why so serious?), Rodarte. Have I ever found one of these? NO! Would I tell you if I did? Heck yeah! |
Of course, the only fashion stores I go to these days are Goodwill and other non-profit thrift stores like Alpha in Goleta, California. In a thrift store, I pride myself on two things:
1. My ability to flip back collars and read brand name tags faster than the average human
2. My eye for what looks good on the women I know
Yeah, I unnerved a few friends at the preschool when I sidled up to them and muttered, "You know, I found a dress that would look great on you." But then they tried them on, and they were astonished that I got it right.
I was as amazed by these gifts as anyone, especially my mother, who has impeccable taste and tailoring and who has long despaired that I lacked the fashion gene.
When I go into a store like Goodwill, I have at most an hour to spend and literally hundreds of items to puruse. I like that kind of challenge.
First up, I look for a sign indicating which category of items might have a further price reduction. Secondly, I take to the racks, sometimes with hands extended a la Tony Shalhoub's famous obsessive-compulsive detective, Monk, seeking out a print or fabric that says, "Quality."
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| Ah, "Mr. Monk and the Actor," classic. |
It's not that easy to find the vintage Valentino, the BCBG, the Von Furstenburg squished between the Moschino for Target, the Old Navy, the Faded Glory. Every time I'm lured by a pretty print, only to discover a Dressbarn tag, I choke back a sob of despair that I will never get the hang of this game.
All in all, though, it's ridiculously fun to dress my friends in something fabulous on the seriously cheap. I was mighty pleased to see that Gina, a good mama friend and "In the Mouse House" blogger, wrote me up in a post.
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| Ah, another satisfied customer! |
As I always say, Don't judge me by how I dress; judge me by how I dress you.
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| Vintage! Available to a good home! |
Copyright 2013, Tanya Monier
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