The One Dollar Coat

I had a fabulous day yesterday. My best friend, Anje, and I went to an art museum to see an exhibit called The Essence of Line: French Drawings from Ingres to Degas. I (as you know) love all things French, and I love Impressionism, so it was especially lovely to see Degas's dancers up close.

After the museum, Anje and I went to a tiny Louisiana BBQ restaurant that is dirt cheap and has the best comfort food around. After we filled ourselves with ribs and sweet potato pie, we strolled into a hovel of a thrift store next door to the restaurant.

I started pawing through the racks of polyester, sweat-stained items. Suddenly I saw this beautiful, caramelly-shiny leather jacket peaking out at me. I asked the clerk how much it was. She looked it over and said, "Well, it's in pretty good condition..." (which I took took as her excuse to charge me an arm and a leg). "Would it bother you to pay a whole dollar?" she asked. "One dollar??" I blurted. "No, it wouldn't bother me to pay a dollar." As I handed her ten dimes for the gorgeous jacket she said, "I can tell by the way you dress that you know how to shop." (I was wearing my dad's grey shetland wool cardigan, my mom's aqua-colored beret, and a pair of Marc Jacobs jeans I found for $20 at a consignment store.) I think I've found my new favorite hole-in-the-wall: flattery and fashion, all for one dollar.

I debuted the jacket at a show last night. Check out the gold decal and pseudo-epaulet admiral chains on the shoulders. The man with the lovely dreadlocks is my friend Scott, who is consistently the best dressed person everywhere he goes (and makes me feel like a fashion novice).