MoHos and Their Clothes, Part 2

Thrift Stores

To some, fashion is an elusive, mystical skill akin to divining water with copper rods.   Sitting down in the mall recently, I observed three groups of shoppers: 

The Nomads meander from store to store browsing indecisively at what they think looks would look nice, though lacking that natural evolutionary skill of planning.  They stumble into good finds, but generally nothing that sticks out to the rest of the population or each other for that matter.

The Cultivators make their way around a store looking at every piece seeing what they like and what they don’t like.  These consumers only make their way to the mall every few months and tend to have a few select stores they visit.  They tend to trust and depend upon these select stores to guide their fashion for them.  You might hear a member of this group say something along the lines of “Everything but the shoes I found at JCrew” or “I only trust H&M.”

The Hunter/Gatherers get a rush out of the chase.  Often lurking in thrift shops, their trips to the mall and other stores are often limited to window shopping as they have a select set of items they are looking for.  They cast their net wide and often, going without new purchases often for months at a time, but rejoicing when they do find that one savory article—a pair of suspenders with an eye-catching pattern, a tie that brings an entire outfit together, the last pair of pointy Steve Madden shoes at 75% off.

My bias here is apparent.  In terms of shopping, I stand in the extreme of hunter/gatherers.  The individual pieces of my wardrobe—everything from the socks to the scarves—comes from a niche I’ve discovered in some way or another, and together they make something distinctly GMB. 

I suppose it’s a habit I picked up in college.  After a bad day at the office or a round of exams, window shopping became a way to cool off.  A form of retail therapy minus the consequences.

For that reason, you’ll find me in a thrift shop after a long day looking at the various sections of the store for accents (yes, I really dropped the gay bomb with a word like that) to the wardrobe I already have.

What comes to mind in this moment is a subtle parallel to A Beautiful Mind in which the brilliant economist, John Forbes Nash, Jr. (played by Russell Crowe) slips into states of reverie as he contemplates the mathematical and economic concepts that later earn him the Nobel Prize.  In my own state of awe over clothing, I contemplate the combinations and resulting significations of these expressions as I work through the potential of each article in my head.  Following a moment in still time and a James Horner soundtrack pulsing in the background of my mind, everything makes sense and has purpose.. 

That is the moment in which ideas and reality converge—perhaps the crux of any given science or art.

My Thrift Store Pick:  Suits both retro and timeless, the three-piece variety highly encouraged for versatility.  Pull the vest away from the full ensemble for more combinations.

 

End, Part 2