I’m With The Sk8er Boi.

voltee ♦ February 21, 2011 ♦ 5 Comments

Item: Sweater-Type-Thing Color/Fabric: Rainbow, cotton/polyester Where Purchased: J Crew Years Owned: Numerous (Definitely 10+)

Today I offer to you a garment that I have clung to for years and years. It has survived too many closet purges to count. And I’m not exactly sure why.
It’s made out of what seems to be terry cloth. It’s like a very soft towel, made into a sweater. And the stripes definitely remind me of Bert. Or Ernie. Or a combination of both.
But it’s just such an optimistic little thing. I have a hard time looking at these sun-shiny stripes and not smiling.
However, I can’t remember the last time this has actually made it onto my person.
I’m not sure exactly when this one came into my life. I have a feeling that it was in my early days of college.
I had very different style back in those days. Nate was what was called a “skater.” That meant that he wore gigantic pants, ringer tees, baggy sweatshirts, and stripes. What was less important was the skating part. Legend has it that growing up he did spend much time on a skateboard, but by the time I met him, it had kind of tapered off. The clothes remained, however.
And I sort of emulated this style. But mixed with it things I found in the thrift and antique stores in Bowling Green. I was attempting a unique retro-punk sort of look.
But I think it mostly just came off as sloppy.
Nate and I both have some clothing left over from those days. He has these pants that we could fit an entire family of four into quite comfortably, and he refuses to let me get rid of them. He likes to wear them to the movies.
For the most part, though, over the years both of us began slowly gravitating to clothes that actually fits us.
I am sure that I wore this sweater with baggy stove pipe jeans. Or maybe my Levi flares that I wore until they fell apart.
And it’s something that I turned to every spring, as soon as the weather turned and the air felt fresh. It seemed way too happy to wear in the winter, ever.
Though I can’t remember a specific event where I wore this. Most likely because I wore it so much.
So it’s not something that has a great deal of nostalgic sway over me. It just brings a little smile to my face, and opens a window to a glimpse of a different me. A much younger me.
Anyway, I do like it. It has a bit of a retro vibe, and I can imagine different ways to wear it instead of how I did in days of yore.
But perhaps it’s time for us to part ways.

**This is a tough one, but I decided to pass this along. It would be easier if I could fins her a nice home!