The Ballad of the Plaid Mini

voltee ♦ September 8, 2010 ♦ 2 Comments

Item:  Skirt     Color:  Plaid    Where Purchased:  American Eagle Outfitters      Years Owned:  ???

This is my very first skirt!  Ok, well not the very first skirt I’ve owned in my life (but it may actually be close), it’s my first skirt to face scrutiny.  I am now trying to pick items randomly, so I drew “Skirt” out of a pretty bejeweled box, and I felt sad. Because I know that I have a very unhealthy accumulation of black skirts that drastically needs to be downsized.  But since it is the first day back from a long weekend, I just did not have the energy to begin the Great Black Skirt project.  Maybe next week.

And before I get too in depth with this piece, I’ve had a few people ask me what I plan to do with the items that don’t make the cut.  I’ve decided I’m going to put them on Ebay, since I’ve had lots of fun with that in the past.  Any proceeds that come my way, and I don’t expect much from used and damaged clothing, I will apply to my trip to Europe in October.  I’d like to say I would donate to a charity, but I’m simply too selfish at the moment, faced with large travel bills.  Perhaps around Christmas I’ll feel generous again.

Ok.  I have absolutely no recollection of when I bought this skirt.  I’m pretty sure I was still living in Michigan.  So it’s been at least 6 years.  I’d say it might even be close to 8.  It had a partner, a yellow number that I bought at the same time.  The yellow one was much shorter, and I think I only wore it once.  That was a wonderful day-  it was my first lunch date with my beloved friend Kevin.  We ate Mexican food, and cried.  Still things we do together quite often!

The yellow skirt has sadly succumbed to a a previous closet clean-out, probably years ago.  I’m not sure how it’s plaid counterpart has survived for so long.  I think it’s because it’s not quite as short.  And it has this part punk, part preppy confusion going on that endears it to me.  Plus it’s very soft.

I’ve broken this skirt out on a few occasions.  The one I really remember was to a karaoke night after a performance of Chicago.  That was just over four years ago?  I’m not sure why I remember that I wore this skirt, all those years ago.  Sometimes outfits just stay in my head.  We went to the Firebird in Rhinebeck, which is now extinct.  It was such an exciting time for me.  I finally was making friends and doing fun things, and starting to make New York my home.  I do remember  Nate singing “Kiss” while I was his back-up dancer.  If I had chosen to wear the yellow skirt, it would have been scandalous!  And I agreed to sing a Pat Benetar song with Blonde Stephanie- I can’t remember which song. Maybe “Heartbreaker”?  So I assumed that since Stephanie picked the song she knew how it went.  Because I only knew the chorus.  But she didn’t know the verses either, and wow, it was bad.  At least I was wearing a cute skirt.

So can one get away with wearing a ruffled plaid skirt when she is well into her thirties?  I can’t decide.  I know there is a reason this skirt has dodged so many Goodwill bullets, but I’m not sure it’s still valid.  Perhaps it has reached the end of the road.  And that makes me think of Boyz II Men, and now I can hear the skirt pleading with me in a nice rich bass; “Girl, you know we belong together…”  Sigh.

**This one is going.  But you could still claim her!!