1985- The old Ragstock years- me in downtown Minneapolis- vintage coat, hairscarf, belt.
I wish I had my vintage wardrobe of 1985. I was a Minneapolis street rat that used to scavenge in the barrels at the old Ragstock warehouse in downtown Minneapolis, where you could get orgasmically cool 60s scooter dresses and 50s organza party dresses for $5 a pop. Pair them with a pair of tights, your combat boots and a wig and you were set to go out into the world- too cool for school!
Sometimes I cringe when I think of what I did to some of my vintage wear. I remember buying to pairs of vintage pants- one a satin black damask paisley and the other a 60s aqua blue and lime green horoscope pattern. I cut them both up the inseam and outseam, took a side of each and sewed together two new pairs of the two-sided pant. I’d wear these with a tan fringe 60s jacket (a la Roger Daltrey) and a Mary Tyler Moore style wig. Weird- I know, but something must have inspired me- I think it was all the psychedelic images in the Beatles “Blue Jay Way” video. Speaking of which, I recently got “A Hard Day’s Write” – a book of the meanings behind all the Beatles songs- lots of “ooooh-aha” moments there that you wouldn’t expect. I digress. I had racks and racks of the coolest clothes all painstakingly collected. Where they all are now, who knows? My mother probably threw them away with the old Barbies and other things she got tired of hanging onto as I moved around in life, always promising to return and collect the last of the items in storage. Fantastic old furs, leathers, mini-skirts, velvet jackets, big collared shirts- the more outlandish the better- gone, all gone.
Anyway, I must say that for a vintage seller my wardrobe is in a sad state these days. It’s not for lack of loving the vintage. I’ve been stuck in mom mode for awhile now and am battling my curves a bit. I constantly remind myself that the reason women looked so gosh darn fab in days of old was because they wore the proper foundation garments! I am no longer the 95 pound waif I was at 15, so the pickings that are flattering for my size are slim. My personal goal is to be able to wear a fantastic wiggle dress by the end of 2011, my saddlebags having been conquered and retired to the tannery. Also, I am in the land of baby food and spit-up that I do not wish to subject my nice clothing to, so I tend to do the day to day in yoga pants and cotton shirts. I don my cat eye glasses when working on my etsy shop so I can a) see the dagnabbit keyboard and b) have a shred of dignity in my personal style.
I am slowly getting my groove back and rebuilding my once fabulous personal collection. Still looking for the fun and funky pieces that exude the “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think” style. For every 20 items I sell, I add one little beauty back into my own rack. Now THAT’S self-control!
See you at the shop!
I have pictures of you in that suede, fringe jacket.
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ReplyDeleteHow cool! I finished high school in the mid-1960s, and I love to see younger women still enjoying the styles that were popular when I was growing up.
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