Stitches in time (My hometown, pt.2)
When I was a young, I was not the fashion plate that I am now (ha, ha). I remember my mom taking me to Holiday Mart to buy school clothes. They had the most horrid clothing you could imaging, but there were not very many places to get clothes here (there was also Liberty House, HIC, and Cornet) and we rarely ventured outside our little town for anything except to go holoholo out on the north shore. Most of the clothes were forgettable, but I do remember a pair of jeans that I got there. They had these two purple and gold butterflies on the back pockets. I thought they were the coolest pants ever.
We did occasionally go over the mountain for other clothing necessities. I took the bus to Ala Moana with my mom and sister (pre-brother) a few times a year. It was fun (the mall was huge) and I have fond memories. My Grandma also used to sew for us (she used to work in McInerney’s when it was a huge department store in the center of the mall). My sister and I had usually got matching sets of clothes. Petal pushers were the “in” thing back then. The piece I like the most was a pair of lavender pants with a matching pale floral top. (Did I have a thing for purple?)
Later, when I was buying my own clothes, I frequented the Salvation Army because I wanted clothes that were not like everyone else's. I was into army fatigues, oversized men’s shirts, scarves, ties, trench coats and the colors black, white and olive. I was a non-conformist. (A boy once said I was beatnik, which I think was supposed to be insulting, but I was secretly pleased that he noticed and after high school, I dated him briefly. Anyway, back to my story…) One day, I was cruising through the SA when I saw a yellow purse with a Dutch boy and girl print, which I found so familiar. I realized that it was my purse that I hadn’t seen it around for a while. But there it was, just sitting there discarded and dejected. I then saw a vest, which my Grandma made for me hanging on the rack. I wanted to buy them and take them back home. Instead I walked home and cried.
Nowadays clothing stores are plentiful and we are littered with dozens of expensive boutiques (although I love Manuheali‘i), most of which I have never set foot in. Liberty House is now Macy’s. Holiday Mart became Daiei and is now Don Quijote. The Salvation Army has moved into the old Cornet location. Cornet is now history. Only HIC remains the same as I remember (I don't know what the inside looks like now, I haven't been in that store since intermediate school). I keep telling myself that one day I'll wander around town and check out the new stores...
My mood: tired