Associative clothing 3: my 80s (90s?) dress

  I'm back in New York City for the usual reasons: check in on the family, go to a museum or two, go to a movie or two, see friends, and, oh yes, attend a baby shower, and of course go ... shopping.  Yesterday, at Beacon's closet on 13th Street,  near the Quad Cinema, in the chaos and pile up of way too many dresses, I found this piece. I had to either leave or buy it, because the line for the changing room was slow, and I had a movie to catch. At $21, it was a take it situation. I did a quick check for stains and rips, it looked good, and so I took it home.

It seems like it might be from the 80s or 90s because it has shoulder pads and a weird dropped waist. I will have to take it in. But otherwise, the pockets are a blessing (all clothes should have pockets, really), and I love the pattern and the fabric (cotton, yeah, all clothes should be machine washable and made of comfortable fabric).  

As I was playing with the poses (what am I doing? who do I think I am? I do have a copy of "The Gentlewoman" magazine in the apartment and I did just see a documentary about the photographer Jay Maisel, but I am getting ahead of myself), I thought about Marlene Dietrich and her upturned head.

 I thought about Joan Crawford in a 1950s midcalf dress.

I have been thinking about way too much lately. Maybe that's normal, given what's going on in the world. New York is not a pleasant place for overthinkers. The amount of noise, smell, and visual stimulation is overwhelming. I can't help but think about the amount of waste as well, as I see so many people walking around with drinks in plastic containers and food in take-out containers. I see trash left on the sidewalk, and way too many stores selling way too many clothes. 

***

I thought I was going to do my mother a favor by helping her get rid of books, but that didn't quite work out as planned. She was disappointed that books were not exchanged for cash, and that you had to give them away. I talked to my friend Kate about this. She just moved and had to get rid of a ton of stuff, and she pointed out that in New York, it's hard to find a bookstore that will actually even take your books. 

So I point this out to my mother: how many new bookstores have popped up in Soho? (ZERO). Meanwhile, Soho is filled with clothing stores, cafes, bars, restaurants, fragrance (?) shops and other kinds of nonsense. 

I am sounding very negative, I know. It might be because there is a lot to be negative about. Thinking about clothes, trying them on and playing with poses are mainly therapy for me. I do other things too, like exercise and work in my garden. I write articles, and do research, so I read a lot. I teach and make students laugh. I watch movies and tv shows. I look at art and sometimes I very amateurishly make art. 

Clothes are both a curse and a blessing. They are part of that overconsumption compulsion of humanity. They also provide comfort in obvious but also less obvious ways. Clothes are where my mother and I meet halfway, because it's difficult to meet halfway in other places. She bought me an overpriced hat at agnes.b after disapproving of the one I was wearing. We will go there together to return it. I could say, "no way am I going there," but, on the other hand, the walk might be pleasant. And I will give her the gaze she needs to perhaps pick something out for herself.