to all the sweatshirts i've loved before

Aw yes, Mr. Rags. Even better, Mr. Rags sweatshirts. Anyone remember these?? Everyone who was anyone had to have one when I was jr high. Not only that, just to give you a sense of how fashion forward I was . . . I even paired my purple sweatshirt with the pink, graffiti splashed label, with a matching pink turtleneck. Go on, you can be envious. I was young and kooky like that. Design just spilled out of me. I had no control over it.

Mr. Rags was a store at the Capital Mall in Olympia Washington when I was growing up. They sold mass amounts of teen sized clothes all with this annoying logo. The boxy sweatshirts were the most popular, I think, as I remember that's what I had to have. It wasn't until a few months ago when I mentioned to my friend, Julie, "oh like Mr. Rags sweatshirts" that she stared at me blankly and I realized not everyone knew what Mr. Rags was. It was that "thing" everyone had to have to make you cool. It was the Louis Vuitton, the Jimmy Choo, if you will, of the day. They were right up there with Espirit book bags and feathered (Aqua Net sprayed) bangs.

Speaking of hair . . . . . .what the hell?? Ouch! That's painful to look at. I have a hair appointment tomorrow and I'm now rethinking my whole "I think I'll get bangs" idea. Why didn't my mother stop me from walking out of the house?

Besides all that crazy fashion and hair of the 80s, this picture was taken on my grandmother's front porch of her tiny trailer out at Scott Lake. She had a green thumb like no other and her porch was usually covered with greenery and flowers. Not to mention the extra refrigerator and ugly upholstered lounge chair because my roots are a little "white trash" y'all!!