Dollar a Pound

When my oldest was 14, she hassled me continually about my nice cheesy clothes with the wonderful shoulder pads so flattering to the hips.  “Get RID of the shoulder pads!" she would cry, and also “Why do you want to wear new stuff when you can just as easily wear used?” This from deep in the flannel and denim rags she had scored from Dollar a Pound, a clothes emporium with a huge scales in the middle that shares space with The Garment District with stuff was a tad pricier, meaning jeans and men’s suit coats might set you back 4 or 5 bucks.I hadn’t been to these two stores since the early 90s but I was there this week with three 16-year-olds, and how they exclaimed over the costume section with its American Flag platform boots! How I exclaimed over the gorgeous wear-‘em-with-nothing-over-'em dress bras with their spangly mesh trailing down over a bare tummy! And then - and THEN - I came upon rack after rack labeled “80s Clothes” and almost lost consciousness. Here were the tops I‘d been so unsuccessfully scouring the department stores for! The filmy long-sleeved blouse done in flowing polyester! The smart short–sleeved one done in faux-linen! The high-necked cinch-waisted black velvet top that flared up and outward like a flower vase! I felt like Daisy Buchanan sobbing into the creamy silk and linen togs of the soldier she wouldn’t wait for and so lost forever. “I’m … I’m crying because they’re such beautiful shirts,” Daisy said, near to hiccups with emotion and, well, now I was crying too. I was crying because they were such beautiful shoulder pads. I bought all three of those tops, PLUS a wonderfully flaring skirt, PLUS two long trailing scarves that smelled only a little like an attic - all for just $45.The kids paid about a third of that on their own whimsical togs.Then we snapped each other’s pictures, took in some learnin' at the Museum of Science and caught “Away We Go,” starring adorable John Krasinski of The Office, that master-of-the-deadpan-look, and all I can say is Talk about your rainy day fun!