So my recent interest in fashion and body types has got me reassessing my wardrobe, in as much as I can afford to right now. I joined a friend at the mall the other day and was fairly disappointed by the insanely high prices, thanks be to inflation. Anyway, my friend recommended an online outlet for better prices, so when I got home, I checked that out, too. 
Now, my friend and I have quite different styles. She likes the whole wearing a brand thing, so more power to her, but I don’t. So after a seemingly endless browse through Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Hermes and all that jazz, I switched out of the outlet’s website, and started looking up local second-hand stores.
Now luckily, I was able to find a couple that had websites with (some) of the products they’re selling. And that’s where the true disappointment kicked in. For lo and behold, what should greet me in second-hand store windows but the same Tommy Hilfiger, Hermes and Gucci junk, only slightly more grizzled, and slightly more worn.

Which was totally beside the point, for me. My aim in hitting up second-hand stores is finding more unique pieces. See, I don’t want to look like everyone else. I don’t see the appeal in looking like can easily fall in line with the army of brainless zombies out there.
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*I want something that goes with the big goofy grin, you see.*</center>

By which logic, I don’t want the Hugo Boss or the Gucci or the Versace or the whatever. I’ve never seen the point in Calvin Klein. Though I’m sure these are all good brands and whatnot, their items are (in my opinion) exceedingly basic and *dull*. A simple white shirt isn’t made any fancier by having “HUGO” sprawled in huge letters across the chest. And while a simple white shirt can work wonders in the right outfit, the name (and the unmerited price tag) ruins it for me.

There is a part of this second hand culture (what some call thrifting, though to me, that’s just making up a name so you can feel smug about not shopping at the mall) that emphasizes this idea of owning something unique. Something you’re not bound to run into while going out grocery shopping. Yet, more and more of these pre-owned shops (at least the ones around here) are just becoming sad outlets for cheap, probably in some way damaged “fancy” clothes.

Really, is there no higher aim than sporting someone’s name across your chest or ass? What happened to honing your fashion sense? To crafting a look and a style that’s uniquely, recognizably you?

I’ve always been more drawn to people who dress like no one else. I like that. I was very flattered when a fellow dancer told me recently *I saw your bag in the changing room and was like yay, she’s here*. That’s a nice thing. It’s nice seeing something in a store or on TV or whatever and thinking “Oh that reminds me of X, it’s so their style”.

Except you can’t say that if X’s wardrobe is 100% H&M or Gucci or whatever. Next time I see a shirt with a Tommy Hilfiger logo, I’m not gonna think of anyone in particular. That could be half the bus’s style.

Oh well, rant mostly over, I do plan on hitting up some “vintage” shops in person and having a good  rummage. You can still find wonderful things being resold, but you’ve gotta dig deep among the xerox mall-bought junk.


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