I’ve always loved vintage clothes, and for years have scoured the racks of Goodwill for designer goodies. A few cash fat acquaintances used to sneer at me for this. One kindly informed me she would never wear something someone else had worn before, because that was just nasty. Her super power was Teh Privilege. And bad manners.
In this economy, former millionaires, including Teh Privilege, are now shopping at Teh Goodwill.
I scoff right back, because I’ve found some real bargains in the used clothing department, including a genuine Chanel suit and handbag, two Escada suits, a Dior jacket, and this nifty item which delighted me as the sort of thing to take to the studio and mess around a bit.
I spend most of my life in oversized men’s shirts and grubby jeans since there is no reason to mess up nice clothes with inks and paints. And when I found this comfy denim shirt with an embroidered bottle of white out on it, I thought “Oh, how cute! I’ve never heard of this brand of white out! I shall take this shirt home and wear it while I draw! Adorable!”
After a quick web search, I learned this charming mascot was not a bottle of white-out…but an enema.
Fleet Enema needed a superhero, and some ad agency got paid to come up with this thing. And now I wear it, because what was cute as a bottle of white out is hilarious as an heroic irrigation tool.
Now that Fleet Enema has put a cheery face on the need to flush, several blogs and websites, have spent an inordinate amount of time devoting LUL effort to promoting Eneman – which is exactly what I am doing here, for even while on deadline, I can’t resist the juvenalia. Eneman even has his own FB page.
So, perhaps Fleet’s advertising budget was well spent after all.
You can see Eneman going around the world, and at the official Fleet website, you can even send loved ones Eneman cards.
One assumes that Eneman is © and ® Fleet
LOL
I haven’t bought new clothes in years. There’s a store called Savers in the west out here (aka Value Village in other parts of the US) that’s like Goodwill, but their donations go to several different charities… I shop there almost exclusively when I need clothes, and I have gotten awesome stuff that isn’t clothes also (furniture, toys, books). I just don’t get people who are too good to shop discount or used. If you’d buy a used car or get jewelry from a pawn shop, what’s the big deal about clothes? Anyway…
Good thing you told me that was an enema bottle, though; first impression was “looks like Elmer’s Glue”. Do NOT confuse the two. That would be worse than white out XD
Seriously, it looks exactly like the old white out bottles with the push tip.
I do not get the snobbery about used clothes. if I buy a 100 year old table, it’s an antique. A 20 year old blouse is trash.
I’d rather have interesting, well-made clothes that someone else has worn than the off the rack crap I can afford new.
I’ve found some beautiful, very old treasures. Some of them ended up in a museum, including a 100 year old military school jacket, and a Victorian-era coat.
I am thrilled to be able to buy beautiful things in great condition without spending a load of cash. Cash is for books!
There used to be a couple of second-hand stores over in the Westwood/West Side areas (very up-scale neighborhoods for those not familiar with LA arrangements) that specialized in the remnants from the rich and famous. I never found anything quite for me, but there were a number of things (if I were shorter and smaller) that I’d have been happy to have — one was a suede dress with beading – gorgeous work, but the beading did give it some weight. And the prices were pretty good. I think one of the stores took consignments from the studios, the replaced items from TV series and such.
What I wouldn’t give for a pocket full of cash, and a week in LA! The consignment shopping out there is awesome!
I have a suit Leslie Anne Warren wore in a play. It’s just gorgeous. You can sometimes find these things on ebay. Law and Order sells off a lot of their clothes.
When we were kids, we shopped at “Tar-zhay”.
New York is a bit picked over and over-priced for what the locals call “vintage clothing”, although the selection can be quite eclectic. (Need a marching band jacket? Japanese lounge wear?) But back home in Nebraska, the Goodwill is quite good. I once purchased a nice navy blue overcoat, and found the employee identification of the former owner in the liner. (He had long ago retired,)
A bit more complicated and requiring more planning is the weekend garage sale marathon. As a child, I would accompany my mother and her friend as they drove across the suburbs of Omaha. I picked up some great stuff for nickels and quarters. My greatest find? A box of about 50 old MAD Magazines from the 1970s! Now we have this: http://www.rerunsrfun.net/ (My sister-in-law volunteers, so I give her $100 and have her buy up all the Legos.)
In the UK we call them Charity Shops and we have masses of them. Even in my tiny town we have 7 and you can find treasure in them. Very good source for books and I never, ever pay £50 for a pair of Levis when I can get nearly new ones for £6.
I have friends who would never buy clothes from a charity shop but I reckon that the money I save by wearing second hand well be enough to pay for my next laptop, though please God let that not be too soon.
I got all my copies of Sin City in Oxfam.
If people didn’t shop in charity shops, charity shops wouldn’t have any income.
I found a 1915 copy of Beasts of Tarzan in one.
There are a lot of wealthy estates out here, but most of the population is rural poor. So, the charity shops have some outstanding finds. I got my winter coat in one for $15. New condition, Woolrich, real fur collar, worth hundreds.
I haven’t bought new clothes in years. I went to a convention a few year’s back with bags of finds I could not wear myself, but which were outstanding designer pieces. I gave them away to anyone who wanted them.
What a grand idea!
With the extra charges on luggage these days, I won’t be dong that anymore. But if someone came up to the booth and looked likely, I’d just say, “Hey, I think I have something that would fit you!” and hand it out. One was a gorgeous Laundrey cocktail dress. Really nice, tags still on.