Erin The Great

As I was wandering aimlessly about town yesterday, I was trying to figure out where the best place to go and get supplies for a costume I’m currently putting together. After thinking of all the costume places I could go to, I realized that I could just go to my local thrift store, where I could carefully piece together what I had in mind. I walked into the DI knowing full well that I wasn’t going to leave disappointed (as thrift stores usually don’t). The usual stench of old clothes and Body Odor smacked me in the face as I B-lined for the jeans section, as I was looking for ANYTHING in an acid wash. I looked and looked and then I found them… pants that would only be in style in the great state of Oregon. They were perfect. With bells at the bottom and tether to lace up the front I knew these were pants that would match the other half of my semi-hippie influenced wardrobe.

It doesn’t matter what you go to a thrift store to find because you will always leave with about seven other things that catch your eye as you look through decade’s worth of discards. I seriously wonder about the sanity of the people who tend to get rid of such treasures like polyester leisure suits and golf pants. I know what you’re thinking, what the heck is this girl thinking? Well I’ll tell you. I’ve been an avid thrift store shopper since I was old enough to realize that my style and the current styles don’t usually co-inside. Luckily I’m from Oregon so you can pretty much get away with wearing what ever you want. I remember going to school in a shirt made out of towel material, a pair of floodwater golf pants and gray and maroon suspenders. I could see the look on my mother’s face as she tried to hide her laughter as I walked out the door. This wasn’t the first time she’d suppressed her laughter and it sure wasn’t going to be the last. I had a pair of very blue corduroy pants that I would wear with the ugliest maroon velour track jacket (which I still have) you’ve ever seen. The best thing about finding such gems at the local thrift stores is that you run absolutely no risk of anyone turning up in the same outfit. How great is that? You can express yourself and the only embarrassment you run is getting caught in such rags…. Did I say rags? I mean treasures beyond your wildest dreams… there that’s better.

Call me crazy but some of the best times I’ve had where being a teenager and wearing whatever I wanted (which usually involved polyester) without any real damage to my self-esteem. Those were the days!