Jungle in My Closet
I spent my Friday night going through my closet to sort out the "keep for the summer" and "bring to the once loved clothing store". I discovered I had far too many shirts that I no longer wear; though there's nothing wrong with them, I wanted to free up some closet space. As it is temperate year-round in California, there's no need to rotate wardrobe for the changing seasons.In general, I'm not fussy about fashion -- but obviously, neither flashy disco outfit nor latex overall are fitting office attire or beachwear. I am sentimental about some of my shirts, but that's another post. This post focuses on shirts that are soon-to-be orphaned.
I sorted the shirts to go to the pre-loved store a couple of times, just to be sure I won't have regrets. I didn't. To my surprise, most of the shirts were animal-logoed polo shirts. Apparently, I had a jungle in my closet. Breaks between trips loading up the car this morning were wisely spent online, of course, for trivia regarding the closet menagerie:
- Lacoste: Crocodile, been around since 1933. Named after tennis star Rene Lacoste. "I was nicknamed 'the Alligator' by the American press, after I made a bet with the Captain of the French Davis Cup Team concerning a suit made from alligator skin." Most offbeat color: "undergrowth green".
Let Tigre: Tiger, 1977-92; relaunched in spring 2004. Most offbeat color: "kiwi".
Brooks Brothers: Sheep, 1900. The company's "golden fleece" reference the myth of Jason and the Argonauts; the mythic sheep was also the emblem of British wool merchants. Most offbeat color: "light orangina".
Original Penguin: Penguin, 1955-1992; relaunched in spring 2003. Perhaps this is the inspiration for the Linux penguin ... geekdom goes from fashion to technology. Most offbeat color: "amberglow orange".
Polo by Ralph Lauren: Polo rider, 1972. I'm through with my Polo by RL phase, they all must go. Most offbeat color: "geo purple".
Abercrombie & Fitch: Moose, 1893. The outfitter recently replaced its "A+F" logo with the moose, which connotes East Coast, Adirondack aspiration. Most offbeat color: "light pink".
another point of view ...
Good news! Your post inspired me to go through and sort out my wardrobe, and I went to put some of the winter stuff in my suitcase behind my bed, and I discovered some new shirts that I hadn't taken out since I'd arrived in Japan... so it looks like I won't have to go with that toilet-paper ensemble after all...
kallun: oh, yes .. the infamous toilet-paper outfit .. if i remember correctly, it was a wear-once, flush-after ensamble. i do have to say that you were very resourcesful and clever in your choice of material. i don't think i was that mindful of my budget when i was a student.
and, do save a koala-logoed shirt for me -- the collection just wouldn't be complete without one!
I always got confused that LACOSTE = IZOD. I remember my mom always bringing home a bunch of those, and everyone knew Mom shopped for me. I didn't like them, but I wore them because she bought them.
Izod= Horror (Flashbacks of 1970's clone youth.) I could never take seriously anyone with a alligator on their shirt.
Izod= Laugh out Loud in the face of whoever is wearing them.
I may seem harsh but dammit everyone had stacks of them when I was young.
anonymous: like you, i never went shopping with my mom for school clothing - she gets what she things i like anyway (budget and all into consideration). i didn't mind whatever she brought home, it was that or the alternative would have been hand-me-down and they could be questionable sometimes. like the shirt i once got that had this printed across it: "jesus loves me, how about you?"
howbizarre: oh yes, i had these shirts because 70's retro & 80's revival was very in a couple of years back .. might still be, but i'm not sure. i get mine cheap at the flea market ($5 each) - they were knock-offs, but, then, it wasn't like i was gonna pay $35 for each!
dim sum will be fun when you get here! yesterday, i went to the more 'authentic' dim sum places -- where you can get really full on just a few bucks - and the meats are questionable. but when you're out here, we'll go to the proper places with carts and pushy waitpeople.
mquest: if you still have you izod shirts, keep them -- little ulysses will be loving them and he'll be so cool being 'retro boy' .. yeah, i think in there were 'izod support group' in highschool! but, i do remember borrowing/trading izod shirts with my friends .. i guess the kids now trade pokemon cards instead.
btw: your site was down for a bit, but glad it's fixed now .. that was strange. i thought it was my eyes deceiving me at 4am!
My younger brother and his generation had clothing with different animals as the logo. All one had to do was match the pants logo with the shirt logo and one was guaranteed to match.
mquest: ah, i wasn't part of the garanimal generation, but i did help my baby sister pick out her clothing! and, i do like the concept of mix and match, but my sister was a bit too smart for her own right, she told me couldn't mix the lions and zebras together!
our family was a big fan of national geographics.
I was so excited when they brought back the Polo one piece dresses and bought them in a few colors for my daughter.
Wow you have quite a herd of crocodiles there. What is the correct collective noun for crocodiles? Troup? Flock?
mquest: i thought it was a brilliant marketing idea. the adult version is beneton :-)
jadedmaniac: i didn't know there were polo dresses - i'll have to be more attentive the next time i'm at the dress shop!
i'm sure jade jr looks fantastic in them. my nephew, he's 7 yrs old, is a GAP boy and he's so adorable decked out.
louise nilon: hrmmm, collective crocodiles .. that would be death, i think.
the collective noun for a group of crocodiles: bask or float. :-)
yes, they're just like the regular collared polo shirts, but it extends all the way down to the knees. Did you watch "The Royal Tennenbaums"? Gwenyth Paltrow's character wore it a lot in the movie. But its not as cute on full grown women as it is on little girls.
jadedmaniac: i guess that's sorta like putting a barbie doll outfit on a stawberry shortcake doll .. it just wouldn't look the same, or as cute :-)
speak up!
KJ
Good news! Your post inspired me to go through and sort out my wardrobe, and I went to put some of the winter stuff in my suitcase behind my bed, and I discovered some new shirts that I hadn't taken out since I'd arrived in Japan... so it looks like I won't have to go with that toilet-paper ensemble after all...
Nam LaMore
kallun: oh, yes .. the infamous toilet-paper outfit .. if i remember correctly, it was a wear-once, flush-after ensamble. i do have to say that you were very resourcesful and clever in your choice of material. i don't think i was that mindful of my budget when i was a student.
and, do save a koala-logoed shirt for me -- the collection just wouldn't be complete without one!
I always got confused that LACOSTE = IZOD. I remember my mom always bringing home a bunch of those, and everyone knew Mom shopped for me. I didn't like them, but I wore them because she bought them.
Unknown
Izod= Horror (Flashbacks of 1970's clone youth.) I could never take seriously anyone with a alligator on their shirt.
Izod= Laugh out Loud in the face of whoever is wearing them.
I may seem harsh but dammit everyone had stacks of them when I was young.
Nam LaMore
anonymous: like you, i never went shopping with my mom for school clothing - she gets what she things i like anyway (budget and all into consideration). i didn't mind whatever she brought home, it was that or the alternative would have been hand-me-down and they could be questionable sometimes. like the shirt i once got that had this printed across it: "jesus loves me, how about you?"
Nam LaMore
howbizarre: oh yes, i had these shirts because 70's retro & 80's revival was very in a couple of years back .. might still be, but i'm not sure. i get mine cheap at the flea market ($5 each) - they were knock-offs, but, then, it wasn't like i was gonna pay $35 for each!
dim sum will be fun when you get here! yesterday, i went to the more 'authentic' dim sum places -- where you can get really full on just a few bucks - and the meats are questionable. but when you're out here, we'll go to the proper places with carts and pushy waitpeople.
Nam LaMore
mquest: if you still have you izod shirts, keep them -- little ulysses will be loving them and he'll be so cool being 'retro boy' .. yeah, i think in there were 'izod support group' in highschool! but, i do remember borrowing/trading izod shirts with my friends .. i guess the kids now trade pokemon cards instead.
btw: your site was down for a bit, but glad it's fixed now .. that was strange. i thought it was my eyes deceiving me at 4am!
Unknown
My younger brother and his generation had clothing with different animals as the logo. All one had to do was match the pants logo with the shirt logo and one was guaranteed to match.
Nam LaMore
mquest: ah, i wasn't part of the garanimal generation, but i did help my baby sister pick out her clothing! and, i do like the concept of mix and match, but my sister was a bit too smart for her own right, she told me couldn't mix the lions and zebras together!
our family was a big fan of national geographics.
Julie
I was so excited when they brought back the Polo one piece dresses and bought them in a few colors for my daughter.
Louise
Wow you have quite a herd of crocodiles there. What is the correct collective noun for crocodiles? Troup? Flock?
Nam LaMore
mquest: i thought it was a brilliant marketing idea. the adult version is beneton :-)
jadedmaniac: i didn't know there were polo dresses - i'll have to be more attentive the next time i'm at the dress shop!
i'm sure jade jr looks fantastic in them. my nephew, he's 7 yrs old, is a GAP boy and he's so adorable decked out.
louise nilon: hrmmm, collective crocodiles .. that would be death, i think.
the collective noun for a group of crocodiles: bask or float. :-)
Julie
yes, they're just like the regular collared polo shirts, but it extends all the way down to the knees. Did you watch "The Royal Tennenbaums"? Gwenyth Paltrow's character wore it a lot in the movie. But its not as cute on full grown women as it is on little girls.
Nam LaMore
jadedmaniac: i guess that's sorta like putting a barbie doll outfit on a stawberry shortcake doll .. it just wouldn't look the same, or as cute :-)
speak up!
previous 10 posts:
- Tagged for Migratory Purposes
- It's Hard But I Must Confess ...
- Partying with Rosie Palm and Her Sisters
- Read the Fine Print of Footnotes
- Earth Shifter
- Please Pour Me a Cup
- The Decoder Ring: The Truth Is Within
- The Flying IUD and The Standing Diaphragm
- I Am a Vampire Slayer, Part II
- I Am a Vampire Slayer
