Newburyport MA

(Hannah Anderson blouse for Clara)

        
(three skirts from Pandora's Box)

Just got back from a weekend of cycling, sun, surf and... thrifting. Newburyport has at least three consignment shops. A young guy in a gift shop said that you can only buy used clothing in this town. He was exaggerating of course, but you do have a feeling that, if a summer destination town like Newburyport suddenly has more second hand shops than first hand shops, society has finally figured out that we need to start getting rid of all our excess stuff.
Which reminds me of a movie I just saw that includes second hand clothing in its plot line. In "Larry Crowne" the main character played by Tom Hanks befriends a twenty something who drops out of college to follow her fashion passion. She opens a consignment shop. Hollywood's attempt at making second hand cool, not chic or trendy, just mildly cool. Tom Hanks undergoes a transformation as he drops his Kmartish middle of the road "normy" clothing for a wardrobe more befitting of a young dude who rides around on a scooter and supposedly can only afford second hand clothing. A closer look at the ending credits might reveal otherwise (wardrobe by ...Armani etc?). But the idea that secondhand has made it into mainstream Hollywood cinema is an indicator that we are either going through a serious recession or, à la Newburyport, it's time to sell off the excess stuff. A sort of post-modern touch in a silly comedy about unemployed white middle aged males. We are going through a serious recession in an era unsurpassed in its frenetic consumption of stuff.
        I had time to go to two consignment shops.  The first one, "Modern Millie," had more of a trendy, nostalgic feel that made it more of a "vintage" shop, heavy on the pastel palette bordering on preppy. Muffy needs an outfit to party on Scott's yacht, and she wants to be chic yet ironic. How about a pink dress with little green whales that her mother might have worn back in her Wellesley days? Somewhat unique was its small selection of old 1940s and 50s fashion magazines. The handbag selection wasn't bad either and prices were very reasonable.
Across the street was the equivalent of Beacon's Closet but on a smaller scale. Inside "Pandora's Box," clothes were arranged by type and color. And everything was priced in the twelve dollar range. As I concentrated on the skirt selection, the country music station ("The North Shore's best country...") played annoyingly in the background. I guess country music in thrift stores go together, to evoke a sort of working class, life is hard atmosphere.
          Needless to say, it was extremely satisfying to try on five skirts, all of which fit and looked perfectly fine, without wondering whether I was being reasonable. At twelve dollars a pop, simply trying on clothes should be a guilt free experience. Actually buying three out of five (and a sleeveless blouse for Clara) knowing that I would walk out of there with four items of clothing for less than fifty dollars is thrilling. I get high on that simple, unreckless pleasure.
        Pandoras's Box: interesting name considering that when you open it, it's not exactly trouble that you find. It's very reasonably priced clothing.