Why do I now own two jackets that are very similar? Both are
brown leather, although I have some doubts about their epidermal authenticity.
I bought the one with the perforations at a flea market in
Rome, Italy, back in 2016. The one without the lace perforations is a more
recent purchase from a Buffalo Exchange in Somerville, MA.
I had been wearing the Roman one frequently this fall,
because the October weather has been unusually warm, and, in order not to over wear
it, I thought that I might back it up with a similar one that seemed a little
less fragile, a little more rugged. Besides my day trip to Somerville was going
to end up empty handed, and, with just a few minutes to spare before heading
home on the bus, I popped into the Buffalo Exchange on Elm Street, looked
around, and found the “back up.”
We back up our computers, our baby sitting plans, we back up
a lot of things, why not a fall “leather” jacket, especially one that comes
with precious memories. That trip to Rome will have been a once in a lifetime
experience, first the flea market, then the posh brunch in the garden of the hotel
de Russie, me and my thrifted jacket, along with my good friend Jonathan.
----
On one of those warm October days, I spotted a friend whom I
had not spoken with in a while, and sat down to chat. She was looking forward
to finishing her MFA in poetry and hoping to teach a college class soon. She
asked me to help her dress for the professional occasion. I took that as a huge
compliment. And I began contemplating the idea of doing that professionally but
only with a select number of people.
I can’t imagine working in a clothing store and nurturing
the egos – perhaps sometimes the narcissism – of clients.
Meanwhile, I thought about my friend’s request. I would say
to people wanting advice about how to dress, what part of yourself do you want
to show today? How do you feel? What clothes make you feel secure and which
ones make you feel insecure? My friend and I agreed, for instance, that button
down shirts are terrifying. What if a button pops precisely where you don’t
want it to? So don’t ever wear a button down shirt unless you have a sweater
over it. Unless of course, you don’t care if a button popped off.
On my day trip to Somerville, I was feeling a migraine
kicking in, and I ended up dressing very strangely. My outer self was very much
reflecting the messiness and chaos of my inner self.
At least there was a little bit of energy and time left in
the day to acquire that backup jacket.
Because, as I wrote before, you never know when you’re going
to need it.
