My Sea of Treasures:The Salvation Army

Speaking of the sea & treasures, 

before I start my speech about the greatness of the Salvation Army

I must say that I am just so done 

with the continuous return of the 

nautical trend for every single spring season 

I can remember

stripes are fine

but I could really do without the racks and racks of kitschy, tacky

clothes and accessories adorned with rhinestoned anchors and such,

it all really just grinds my gears

                                                    anyway, on the same day I went to Strand I got a bit distracted from my venture to buy cheap books for Spring Semester when the Salvation Army caught my eye

with only 20 extra dollars to spend and a dream I ambled in to the store

and was immediately welcomed by the musty smell of old, unwanted clothes that hold decades of history

and shelves of dusty romance novels and pregnancy books hiding the occasional classic or

contemporary treasure

I've scored numerous amazingly lucky deals at the Salvation Army

vintage YSL belts, lacy lingerie tops to pair with some great boots

cute vintage lunchbox style purses, waist belts with classically vintage gold belt buckles

among other treasures hidden on racks beneath the clouds 

of stained, slightly smelly mystery clothes

anyway, on this particular occasion I was on a mission for...blazers

I'm just obsessed studs, mismatched buttons, ruffles, velvet, cropped, any type: I love em all

preferably with shoulder pads, the define shoulders in a blazer are a classic

and cannot be found in new clothes, Forever 21 & Urban just don't get it

the shoulder pads are essential

go big or go home and wear a cardigan instead

so after scoring a cropped bolero style Ann Taylor, complete with killer shoulders,

a gorgeous gray number with vintage gold buttons and crop sleeves,

and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri [who I just adore] I was set

thank you Salvation Army for bringing us treasures hidden under piles of junk

I'm always tempted to rummage through the lingerie bins for lacy finds...

but upon touching someone else's old white lace bra 

(there are more white lace bras than anything) and full coverage lacy panties I can't really go on

I mean, I don't know if it is ok to have my hands relive dozens of womens' dirty memories and 

sex extravaganzas to find a good deal

anyhoo, my love for blazers, shoulder pads, and vintage wonder

is what connects to the Cosby Show

on top of the fact that Bill Cosby is just a comedic genius 

and the show is just so laugh out loud funny and genuine and just great

I must say, I love the way the girls dress

maybe all those costumes ended up in a Salvation Army

but Claire's (the mom's) gold brooches, Technicolor jumpsuits & grandma earrings just 

tickle my fancy & send me into fits of admiration, inspiration & envy

and let me tell you, that woman knows how to rock shoulder pads,

red lipstick & sass better than anyone else I've seen

I'm forever going to be stuck in the past, the days of cooler boots, gold-er accessories, 

awesome sitcoms, and even more awesome books

TV Land, here I come.