Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Pillaged From The Village



      This pair of old, seemingly unworn Bass Weejun penny loafers were the only item I returned home with after a day in New York City with my lady friend that included a long afternoon of checking out as many thrift and vintage stores as possible, mostly around the East Village.

      I saw a lot of things that I almost bought, but wound up leaving behind for one reason or another, (didn't fit just right, too expensive, girlfriend threatened to refuse to be seen with me in it, etc).  It was fun, but it seems that in NYC even the Goodwill and Salvation Army operate like fancy boutiques.  The ones we went into seemed insanely sanitized and sparse.  One even had obnoxious electronic dance music pumping at top volume through the place; it felt more like a Hollister or something than a thrift shop, and so did the prices.  It seemed to me that better value was to be found in some of the vintage resale stores we went to, where the prices seemed fairly reasonable for what they had to offer for the most part.

      The Weejuns ran me about $25, cheaper than a new pair from the Bass outlet on the Cape and made in the U.S.A.  I'm not sure exactly when they were made, but I would guess probably late 70s or early 80s maybe.  They aren't so old or rare that I feel bad actually wearing them, but they are old enough to be nicer than the current Weejuns in my opinion.  I wore them out today for a little while to start breaking them in.

     I'm glad I didn't splurge and spend a ton of money on anything in New York.  It's time consuming and dangerously addictive, but I really enjoy finding my vintage clothes for really cheap by digging through real thrift stores.  As for New York itself, I have the same mixed feelings about it I've always had.  There is an awful lot going on there, and visiting can be fun, but I can't imagine I would enjoy living there.  It's just too hectic and expensive.  With so many people crammed into one place I'm sure it's easy to feel lost, and also the place just feels dirty to me, I couldn't wait to take a long shower when I got home.  On the upside though, whatever you are into, no matter how obscure, it can be found in New York; along with a bunch of other people who are into it as well.  The food is amazing if you go to the right places, and there's a lot of history there, sartorial and otherwise.  I definitely plan on going back some time in the near future to see the Ivy Style Exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

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