Of Corn Fields and Polyester
Item: Blouse Color/Fabric: Grey print polyester Designer: Lux Where Purchased: Urban Outfitters Years Owned: 9?
This was a difficult choice, mostly because I was short on time to begin with and running late in addition, due to our trip to Ohio. Yes, I am in the heartland amongst the waving corn stalks once more. It’s nice to be home, even if it’s only a few days. I think that I’ve finally been away long enough to appreciate how much beauty there is in this perfectly flat corner of the world. And the sweet smell of autumn harvest is just starting to permeate the air here. It’s something I never realized how much I missed.
Anyway, I had to choose the third blouse of the triad on the chopping block, and I was rushed and grabbed this one, reasoning that its past was rich enough to inspire a tale of some sort. Which is true. What I’m disappointed in is the fact that yesterday’s blouse was also from the UO $1 rack, and I already told that story.
Upon contemplation, I realize that this piece’s story is quite different from its predecessor. It’s completely opposite, actually. This blouse has been worn many multiple times. I loved this from the first moment I saw it. Instantly I knew that there was no chance this blouse would go the way of the Ebay sale. I know that it’s no fine material; it’s just polyester, but it has a very light and feminine feel to it. It’s just the right amount of sheer. It reminds me of a vintage blouse one might unearth on the bottom of an old trunk.
For many years, this was one of my few “fancy” shirts. It was saved for special occasions. I once wore it to a party with a denim skirt that I’ve since worn to shreds, and I felt quite fabulous. It was a party with many of my fellow La Senorita employees. My manager Rob, who was a very close friend that I miss, had a saying that he was fond of and I should have listened to. It went something like “Managers should avoid fraternizing with their employees!” The night ended with tears, some vomit, and the realization that I was ready to move on from MSU’s party scene.
Today, at my parents’ house, I found a family photograph where I was wearing this blouse. I don’t remember what the occasion was, but it was my grandparents, my mom and dad, my sister and her husband, Nate and me. We were all in my grandparents back yard, which is one of the places in the world I am most fond of. It brings back endless memories of easter egg hunts, steak cookouts, hide and seek, and cherry picking. The house now has new owners, since my grandparents have both passed away. This was the last picture taken where we are all together.
I’m not sure how that makes me feel about this blouse. I think that picture was the last time I wore it, and I’ve certainly gotten my money’s worth out of it! Yet I may still love it. After all, polyester lasts forever, right?
**This one was hard, but it went to one of my friends.
The Baby-est Babydoll
Item: Blouse Color: Wine Designer: Calme Where Purchased: Urban Outfitters Years owned: 8
When I lived in Lansing, there was a ritual I performed about twice a year. I would go to Urban Outfitters, and if the stars were aligned just so, there would be a rack of clothing for $1. No, that’s not a typo. All the clothes would be a single dollar. I would by them all. Well, maybe not all, but nearly. I would leave with huge heaping garbage bags of clothing. The best things either became gifts, or found a home in my closet. The rest I would sell on Ebay. If I sold something for a mere $2, I had a 100% profit! And some things sold for much, much more.
It was such fun. I sent packages all over the country. I included hand written thank you cards, and pretty tissue paper. When I moved to New York, this was my only job for many months. Imagine my despair when I learned that there was nothing you could buy in New York for $1. And there went my lovely career.
Yes, this is one of my $1 items. I have always loved this top. I can’t say why. I have never worn it. I’ve attempted to wear it, multiple times, but alas. It is just too tiny. I’m not sure who this top is made for. Clearly someone under 4’5”, with extra long toothpick arms. It barely covers my belly button. I’m not sure why I’ve kept this for so long. I guess maybe just in case all the bones in my arms disappear over night, and Victorian crop tops unexpectedly become all the rage.
Maybe I could cut the sleeves off and make a little dress for my 1 and a half year old niece, Aida. I bet it’s the perfect length.
**This is in a pile that I will be getting rid of, but haven’t. Would any itty bitty reader like to have it?
Songs I Have Sung To My Clothing.
Today I bought a new blouse. As I was gleefully acquainting her with her new home in my closet, I realized that I was singing. I often sing to my clothes. The lyric of the day on this occasion was, ” Oh, you belong to me. You are mine and I love yoooouu. So much. So much.” The other songs I might sing are very similar. There is always an “I love you” in there, sometimes a “Oh, you are so very beautiful,” or maybe a “Welcome home, little one.” 
Anyway, now that I have a sweet new addition to the family, someone’s gotta go. For the next few days I’ll be posting blouses, and I’ll need help choosing one to eliminate. Maybe even all of them.
Item: Blouse Color: Olive Designer: Theory Where purchased: Marshall’s Years owned: 3
Theory makes wonderful teeshirts. They feel luxurious, and they drape in the most flattering way. I was with my sister when I bought this. She really liked it, but I couldn’t give it up.
I know I have worn this on more than one occasion. Here is a wonderful time I played Rock Band in it.
The time I remember best was last fall, probably September. We drove out to New Hampshire to see our friends the Perrys. It was one of those days that seem warm and lovely, but in fact Autumn had come early. I thought I was making a sensible fashion choice by wearing this top. Yes, the sleeves are completely open. It was bare-er than I remembered. The Perrys were having a football party, and I felt totally naked next to everyone in their boxy Spartan sweatshirts. Plus I was freezing. Definitely not a sensible decision.
I hate it when I end up embarrassing myself by making a nonfunctional fashion choice. Like wearing a white wide leg trouser when it’s raining outside. Or wearing something that I just assumed I could sit or dance in comfortably, and then discovering that’s not actually the case. But the real reason this blouse’s life is on the line is because my deodorant bleached it ever so slightly. I’m not even sure that someone would notice it from far away. Up close, yes. And I know it’ s there.
*This one is in a pile to go to Michigan- My sister claimed it!
One From The Vault!
Item: Dress Color: Black velvet with beaded flowers Designer: Rimini Where Purchased: Value City (Sadly, extinct.) Years owned: 10
Today for our viewing pleasure is a classic oldie. I remember buying this dress, although I can’t say exactly when it was, I know I was still living in Lansing, and I know I hadn’t been married for very long. So I think it’s around 10 years. I found it on the “Take an extra 75% Off!” rack, which is the best type of rack there is. I thought it was very sophisticated, and although I had never heard of the designer, I thought “Rimini” sounded very Italian. Practically Prada. An excellent find. 
Here is a closeup of what sealed the deal, the beadwork, which is lovely and sparkly, but in a sort of subtle way.
I know that I have only worn this dress a single time. For our very first Christmas as a married couple, Nate got us tickets to see the tour of “The Phantom Of The Opera” at the Wharton Center in East Lansing. This was a Very Big Deal. Besides “Annie” at a dinner theater in Toledo when I was 4, this was my very first theater experience that was not some type of school production. I was very excited. It was like prom. Nate wore a suit, and I wore this dress, and my friend Ashley spent a great deal of time trying to form my hair into a shiny cascading tumble of curls. One life lessen I have learned through my years is never, ever to curl my hair, and if I absolutely must, Pump-It-Up is essential. I ended up looking like I broke out the crimping iron in 1987. I wish I had a picture to share. I think I may have destroyed them in a fit of shame.
I even bought new shoes for the occasion. Thankfully, those are long gone. Truly horrific. Fake suede with a square toe and chunky, awkward heel. And they hurt like hell. But I was proud of them for that one night.
I wish I could remember where we went for special dinners in East Lansing. It was not exactly a hot bed of culinary delights. I don’t think we went to La Senorita, though. I’d like to think we ventured into uncharted waters.
I didn’t really know anything about the Phantom of the Opera, except that it made my mind wander to Broadway. We sat in the very first row, and everything thrilled me. I cried 109 times. I loved it. I’m pretty sure this moment is what opened Nate’s mind to the possibility of enjoying theater. He loved it. I don’t think, though, that either of us ever imagined theater would become such a huge part of our lives.
I do know, though, that when Nate got offered the job at IBM, and he told me that once a month he would take me to see a Broadway show, I thought about nights like this one and agreed to move here.
I have been hanging on to this dress for ages. It’s not dated, really. It’s sort of timeless. But will I ever wear it again? Do I need to be able to physically touch it to remember? I’m helpless on this one. Thoughts?
**This one is in a pile of other rejects. Would anyone like to claim her??
Melancholy and the Little Luxe Jacket
Item : Jacket Color: Leopard (Is that a color?) Designer: Rebecca Taylor Where Purchased: Neiman Marcus Years Owned: 3 Condition: Perfect
Tonight I am feeling a little melancholy. I entirely hoped that once I began this product, memories would just come pouring out of me, unhindered, tumultuous, and prolific. It hasn’t worked that way. I hold these objects that have such storied pasts, and carefully photograph and document them, but it is a slow torture to extract the memory. Perhaps my life has been more boring than I imagine it to be. Or perhaps I just haven’t gotten to the good stuff yet. Yes. Let’s go with that option!
So tonight I have chosen a garment with a slightly melancholy past.
The first time I planned to wear it was my joint 30th birthday extravaganza. We had a 30’s Hollywood theme, and I thought it would be perfect. I don’t know why. It was the middle of May. And an indoor party.
Anyway, I think the first time I actually wore it was my very first trip to Europe. I thought, Vienna. Does anything say Vienna like faux leopard? Yeah. I don’t think so either.
Sadly, I barely remember Vienna. One of the very first things I saw was a beautiful pink bakery, with little pink awnings and little pink chairs and little pink cupcakes. It was my heart’s delight! “We just got here,” Nate said. “We’re in Vienna. There is a bakery like this on every corner!”
That was a lie. There were no other pink bakeries. There weren’t even any beige bakeries. I think there is just one bakery in all of Vienna, and we passed it by.
Supposedly, also in Vienna there is a cemetery where multiple famous composers are buried. This I am fairly certain isn’t a lie. But for all I know it might be, because we never found it. We walked for blocks. And blocks. And then more blocks, until I looked like this:
I collapsed in the middle of the street, tired, hungry, and hallucinating pink cupcakes.
I hear many people find Vienna very lovely.
The last time I wore this jacket was at a disastrous audition. The kind that scar you for life. One that is so bad that you can’t make yourself stop crying, even though you are fully aware of how ridiculous it is, and you have to attempt to sing through the tears. And the only comfort you have is the fact that you chose to wear a lovely soft jacket that makes you feel pretty even when snot is bubbling out of your nose.
Verdict: I think I will keep this jacket forever. When I am 90 I will probably stuff moth balls into the pockets and break it out to show my grandchildren and tell them of all the delicious bakeries I ate at with Mozart.
A saga of sequins, a black Sharpie, champagne with strawberries, and Heath Leger.
Item: Tank Top Color: Black, with sequins Designer: Guess? Where Purchased: My gut is saying Marshall’s Years owned: Probably pushing 10 Condition: Not bad, considering its age, but missing a few sequins
Today was yet another day of extraordinary cleaning. I truly had every intention of going about this randomly, choosing an item type out of a hat, and then closing my eyes, spinning around like Julie Andrews, and selecting a garment totally by chance. Maybe in the posts to come it will get easier to do that. But how can I resist when such a great piece was discovered while cleaning under my bed?
I may have only worn this top once. I vaguely remember buying it, after reading somewhere that sequins were due to be “in” again. I thought there was just enough to add a bit of sparkle, yet not look like I belonged on Dynasty. Yet I remained unable to break it out in daily life. I think I had just moved to NY, and was still lacking in self-confidence.
But I did feel like it was an event piece. And what an event I chose! U2 at Madison Square Garden. October 7, 2005. Yes, this is the top I was wearing when I shook Bono’s hand for the first time and he gave me a black sharpie. That was just the start of a truly magical evening. In fact, it was a magical weekend. It was the first time we stayed overnight in the city. There was breakfast in Central Park. And making many friends, who I cannot remember, while waiting in line for the show. The concert itself was amazing. There was as much to watch in the seats as on the stage. We were on the floor, and the VIP section was just to to our right. My very first legit celebrity sightings. Fun times indeed! We saw Liam Neeson (very tall) and Natasha Richardson (very beautiful), and we got to watch girls hit on Heath Leger all night. I found him much more handsome in person. When the lights came back on before the encore, he was gone. As were the lovely ladies. Very peculiar… Other random note of interest; the bouncers wore tuxedos, and offered glasses of champagne with strawberries floating in it for a mere $7. And so I fell even more in love with the splendor and excess that is New York City.
The problem was that the shirt was not built for my patented brand of frenetic dancing. Combine that with the fact that I had decided not to wear a bra because I felt like I would be less fashionable if parts of it showed, and you get one giant wardrobe malfunction. I’m not quite sure how bad it actually was. I was smashed up against the rail for most of the concert. I have a feeling, though, that there might have been inappropriate ammounts of side-boob. Well, at least it seemed to work in my favor since one of the techies gave me a shiny guitar pick.
I don’t believe I have worn it since. I can’t say if I ever will again. But I am quite in love with the draping in the back. 
And can I bear to part with such a charmed article of clothing? That is the question.
**This one was sold on Ebay- I hope whoever bought it is loving it!!
The LBD
Item: Dress Color: Black Designer: Max Studio Where Purchased: ? Years Owned: 7
Well. I thought that for my very first post I would choose something classic and easy. Nothing says classic and easy like the LBD, right? The Little Black Dress. How many LBDs do I have? I’ll never tell, but this is without a doubt my favorite. I love the way that it drapes, and it feels very slinky. I can only remember one occasion where I wore it. It was my cousin’s wedding, and I truly can’t remember when it was. I think it was shortly after we moved to New York. It may have been one of my first trips back to Ohio. I wore the dress with these shoes.
And the only jewelry I wore was a dangling pair of silver filigree earrings with black beads. And I felt amazing. It was one of the first times I had seen many of my old high school classmates. I felt…separate. In a very good way. It was nice to know that I was one who had left, but I could come back whenever I wanted, and it still felt like home. It was one of the first times I can recall feeling old. I looked at my cousin and still saw an elfin, rosey cheeked toddler that I used to feed Poptarts to, and here she was, becoming someone’s wife. Yes, I shed a river of tears. I also remember dancing, for hours. And then more hours. I never took my shoes off. It is a point of dignity with me, to invest in shoes that are so comfortable that IEvita can boogy all night and not take them off. Yes, I am snobbish about it. If I have made a mistake, and the shoes I have chosen are hurting me, I will never, ever show it. It is a matter of pride.
This dress made its stage debut in 2008, in Evita. My friend Lindsay wore it, and even though it became a floor length gown on her, it still looked beautiful. A testament to the magical powers of this dress.
Anyway, I wish I could find a picture of a body wearing this dress, because it’s hard to see all it’s amazingness on the hanger. But I love it, and I will keep it. Does anyone beg to differ?
I Am What I Wore 