It was Saturday morning, and I was trying to make a game plan for the day so I would actually be productive instead of lounging around watching CMT's top 20 music video countdown and complaining with my roommates, yet again, about how they should have hired a cuter guy as Taylor Swift's love interest. So naturally, instead of looking at syllabi to plan what reading I needed to do, I checked my e-mail praying for a distraction. And there it was: a reminder about my sorority's 1990s-themed date function. Saved by the listserv!
Even though I had known about the theme for more than a month, in typical procrastinator fashion I figured I could throw together a costume the afternoon before. After all, I did live through the 1990s and witness first-hand the stirrup pants, butterfly clips and plethora of light denim overalls. But after a cursory glance at my wardrobe, I realized none of my clothes would really work for the occasion. Most days that would be a good thing, but it still left me with nothing to wear. So I texted my good friend and asked her if she wanted to make a quick trip to Goodwill on Route 29 and find ensembles that would put Kelly Kapowski and Jessie Spano from "Saved By the Bell" to shame.
Neither one of us really knew what to expect when we pulled up to the large gray building. As we walked into the store, which is one large room divided into accessories, shoes, men's clothing, women's clothing and houseware goods, we were overwhelmed at both the amount of stuff for sale and the atrociousness of the remnants of the past few decades hanging on the racks. Of course, for our mission, the 1990s leftovers were exactly what we were after.
Before we even had time to begin digging through the racks, one of our friends came lunging toward us, waving a black fanny pack in her hand.
"Look at what I just found! A Royal Caribbean Cruise Line fanny pack! And it's only $3!"
I thought to myself, 'You're actually going to pay for that thing?'
But her next statement made me begin the search for my own fanny pack. "And I am going to use it tonight instead of a clutch! It's the perfect size for my phone, keys, money and extra toilet paper!"
And just like that, I lost all my modern-day fashion sensibilities, and my friend and I began hunting up and down the aisles for a fanny pack. Our search for fanny packs at Goodwill was to no avail, but we did end up finding one at Walmart for $5. Yes, Walmart really does still sell fanny packs. And yes, I really did spend my hard-earned money on a fanny pack.
After we realized our sorority sisters had cleaned out the fanny packs from Goodwill, we turned our attention back to the racks and began pulling out pieces we thought might work.
A shoulder padded dress suit? Too formal.
A teal colored windbreaker? Too hot for the dance floor.
A denim vest with multicolored bows all over it and a fuchsia crop top? Perfection.
Of course we needed more than just tops, so we continued browsing the aisles. We determined no 1990s experience would be complete without denim overalls, which would complete the fuchsia crop top look. Although stirrup pants could not be found, we located a pair of overly floral, gaudy leggings to pair with the denim vests. With our treasures in hand, we headed for the checkout.
While standing in line, we realized most other people in the store were University students looking for the perfect costume for various themed parties and date functions. As I paid the $4.27 for my two items, I understood Goodwill's appeal even more. Not only do they have so many things to choose from, everything is dirt-cheap, so you do not even have to feel guilty if you are only going to wear something once. In the past, I had found my costumes for theme parties at Walmart or Forever21 back at home if I was planning ahead. But now that I have found the land of cheap costumes, there is no going back.
As we arrived to the date function and saw a multitude of Converse, butterfly clips neon colors, and even more overalls, we began comparing where we purchased our ensembles. Goodwill was definitely the preferred outfitter of choice.
And because it is Halloween weekend and I still don't have a costume, I would not be surprised if a trip to Goodwill is in my immediate future.
Katie's column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at k.urban@cavalierdaily.com.
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