Gabi and the Quest for the Polka Dot Skirt

So, I haven’t bought anything full price in years, I’d say. That’s how frugal I am. Still, I love to shop. Now, everyone has their preference for where they like to shop, and every city/town has its own watering hole of good fashion finds; so, I can’t tell you where to go. However, I can tell you, if you have a local Buffalo Exchange, you should start there. Sure, Goodwill’s and Salvation Army’s are good sometimes, but you have to do a lot of digging through the same perpetual racks of Fruit of the Loom XXXL shirts before finding your diamond. So, at stores like Buffalo Exchange, or any other second-hand fashion store, because they are selective with their clothing to begin with, it lightens your load. Of course, each second-hand store tends to cater to a certain clientele. So, you’ll eventually find a place that fits you and your style just right, perhaps through trial and error. The best Buffalo Exchanges I’ve been to were in Austin and New Orleans. Also, just scanning through your city’s alternative newspapers/magazines will usually give you the low down on obscure fashion thrift stores. It’s like bird-watching, except you’re buying the birds and then wearing them. Don’t worry, animals look better off of me anyway.

This pink, black polka dot skirt is one of the few clothing pieces I own that is authentically vintage, meaning it is 50+ years old. Yeah, the word “vintage” is thrown around pretty loosely nowadays. It’s interesting, because according to the guy that was helping me out at the store, you know, the one owning me in heels, a lot of girls tried it on but I was the only one that walked out with it. You see, today, we expect our skirts to come with a basic kind of structure in the waist that we’re already familiar with. However, in the 50’s and 60’s, and even before that, the skirts fit differently, sometimes annoyingly. In this case, the skirt has a tiny waist that doesn’t really hold itself up, and is continually sagging, but it was so adorable that I took it anyway. My guess is that, because it was the norm for women to wear brassieres or… I don’t know how to say it in English, but I’m talking about fajas, you know, the really tight undergarments women wear to tighten themselves up, like spandex corsets, and that was what provided the structure of a “womanly” figure. Today, we are more natural with our figures, and basically either work hard to achieve that air-brushed Barbie look, or we just shake what we got. In this case, I don’t have a Barbie doll figure or a faja, so I’m just gonna use belts to keep the skirt up around my waist.

People mix and match for various reasons. If you can justify it, you can wear it. Some people get away with bolder patterns than others. Me personally, I’m 5’4”, not nearly tall enough to carry heavy, messy prints. So, this works for me because the prints are different, yes, but they have a common ground, in that the top has a picture, but it’s neat and simple, not busy and crowded. Also, the top has a base color that identifies with the skirt. Plus, the basic black belt brings it all down a few notches.

Now, remember that you’re never too old for any look, just probably too boring, but unlike age, that can be reversed! Above all else, though, never forget that the outfit doesn’t make the person, the outfit Adds to the person, so make it a good commentary not narrative.