who wore it first?

if you know me at all, you know that i love me some vintage clothing. not only do i love the whole process of finding gems among racks of riff-raff and the concept of clothing as a travel souvenir, but the fact that every piece had a life (or two or three lives) before i found it is endlessly fascinating to me. i love speculating about the previous owner(s) of each piece , though i've never documented these speculations. until now, that is!

1. this ridiculous "don't worry, be happy" tee

where i got it: the fremont sunday market in seattle--a huge, weekly bazaar of all sorts of secondhand treasures

who wore it first: a cheerful nine year-old tomboy named scout. she begged her mom for it on a 1992 family vacation to key west.


2. this crazy, colorful 1960s coat

where i got it: the SoWa vintage market in boston's south end

who wore it first: a sassy, streetwise twenty-something boston department store employee named pamela.


3. this badass harley davidson vest

where i got it: to be honest, i've had this one for 10 years so i'm not completely certain. but definitely either the salvation army in nashua, nh or the goodwill in poughkeepsie, ny.

who wore it first: a san mateo biker babe named joan who wore it on her solo, post-divorce, soul-searching ride across the country. obviously.


4. this retro dress 

where i got it: 40 south vintage in my 'hood, jamaica plain

who wore it first: a vapid, adulterous secretary named vicki, who leaves a trail of broken boss' hearts wherever she goes.



5. this sunny sweater

where i got it: raspberry beret in porter square, cambridge

who wore it first: an manic pixie dream girl/art school freshman that paired it with flowing skirts and wore it to sketch in the park.

6. this dope day dress

where i got it: the now-shuttered odd showroom in portsmouth, nh, an awesome boutique owned by one of elliott smith's ex-girlfriends (who's basically the coolest person ever).

who wore it first: a demure elementary school teacher named susan--she wore it with a white cardigan and pantyhose, of course!


7. this rock 'n roll vest

where i got it: raspberry beret in porter square, cambridge (again)

who wore it first: a scrappy '90s music PR assistant in manhattan named nicole. as a bonus, she could also wear it after work to schmooze with A&R reps at shows.


8. this PNW-obsessed top

where i got it: animal traffic in portland, oregon

who wore it first: a sorta-crunchy portland native named zoe. her boyfriend oliver bought it for her earnestly as a 17th birthday gift.


9. this euro blouse

where i got it: a really cool shop in amsterdam that i'll never be able to remember the name of because it's probably dutch

who wore it first: an ambitious real estate agent named mila who has a side hustle selling handmade scarves and mittens on etsy.