Found Fashion

Alas, while the title for this entry is much better than my last few lame titles have been, I can't take full credit. You see, my major advisor at school describes the style of a friend of mine as "found fashion." Now, this is because S takes a two-dollar bag from a Salvation Army and makes it look like a Fendi, but I think that this term is applicable in other ways, too. While S is choosy about her clothes (she wears stretchy pants with like, everything, and she seriously always looks amazing), a lot of her clothes are things like rayon half-slips from the 80's or oversized track jackets that no one else would consider even taking into a dressing room, and since she seems to find fashion in weird places, her style is, hence, found fashion.

In a way, though, I think everything is found fashion. I mean, I don't always have the patience to go to thrift stores and sift through piles and piles of pleated pants and grubby sweatshirts to find the perfect, say, plaid leather purse (because I did find one once, and regret not buying it), but there are times when I enjoy it a lot more than sifting through piles and piles of generic sweaters in bright, obnoxious colors and polyester pants in whatever length of crop is being most advocated this season at a department store. Part of the reason that I'm such a big fan of eBay shopping is that you can type in exactly what you want it to spit back out at you. And, since you see thumbnail images of the clothes by the listing, you don't even have to look (closely) at things that won't interest you. But still. Internet shopping lacks the social aspect, the store environment, and the tactile experience of shopping.

Plus, the disadvantage of only looking at exactly what you want is that you lose the opportunity to find something that you didn't know you wanted. Today, at one of my FAVORITE shops (midtown's the greatest, soho is lovely, but I tell ya, for shopping, east village is where it's at), I found a Marc Jacobs tank top, one that was a limited edition, one that I LOST off eBay a couple of months ago, for about half the price of what it eventually went for on eBay. Incredible. I'm probably going to be talking about it nonstop for the next three months of my life (to those of you who read this who know me personally, sorry). But the absolute best thing was that, lately, I've been trolling eBay for vintage Sonia Rykiel, and while I always get a few results, it all goes for more money than I have. It's sad. So imagine my shock when I was intrigued by the color of a stripy top that was buried between some Lily McNeal sweaters, and pulled it out, only to see the very coveted SONIA RYKIEL label itself! It's a little bit big on me, but it's gorgeous and fun and sweet and amazing, and hey, I can rock the slouchy look. I wasn't even really looking for anything I found today. I was actually mostly helping my brother shop (we got him some amazing Ralph Lauren pants with a fold-down waistband that, hopefully, he'll have the style nerve to wear).

I also found a gorgeous pair of earrings and a shrunken, little kid's track jacket that somehow really works on me (I'm like the inverse of S, which is really funny, if you know us. . . nevermind). The last two items, I think, we purchased in an "Ohmigod, this is suchagood shopping day!!!" rush, but I can already see how they'll fit into my wardrobe. So, the moral of this (long) story, is always be looking to find fashion. You never know where it will turn up.