Homage

I'd like to pay homage to the original Resurrection. No, not that original resurrection--I mean Resurrection Vintage on Mott Street. This is where I learned how to pronounce Azzedine Alaia and the value of a YSL dress in mint condition from the 70s. I worked there for a brief stint post college, and it was simultaneously wonderful and painful. Imagine working at a chocolate shop, salivating all day, and not getting a bite of the sweets. But despite the fact that even with my employee discount I couldn't afford one of their vintage belts (let alone a gown), it was a thrilling experience. My coworkers were somehow both severely cool and surprisingly kind and patient with me. (I was still naive enough to be brushing away visions of a tiny pink dog any time someone mentioned "Pucci.") Mostly my supervisor allowed me to perfect my vacuum-cleaning and garment-steaming skills while she gathered clothes for film shoots, but at the time it felt like a little slice of heaven to be surrounded by such stunning clothes.




On the one hand, the cost of vintage designer clothes can be so intimidating for someone like me, whose experience shopping vintage/thrift prior to Resurrection was at Salvation Army and Shark's, Wasteland and Goodwill. But on the other hand, there is no mistaking the craftsmanship and artistry in the pieces. I don't think it's too much of an overstatement to say that some of the garments are truly life-affirming objets d'art.




Though I couldn't imagine myself wearing an Alaia dress then--they really demand an hourglass figure and mine is more akin to an ironing board--the older I get (surprisingly) the more I appreciate the bold celebration of the body. That is exactly what these clothes do. They flatter and accentuate the body, and they boldly assert one's presence. Some of us may never have an hourglass figure (*sigh) but life is fleeting, our bodies temporal...why not fully accept, embrace, and celebrate what we have at the moment? From the girl just out of college that I was to the mother of two that I am today, there have been so many changes in my world and to my body. Every bit of those changes make me who I am today, and I am coming to understand that clothes are not to hide behind or make a statement with, but can be an unabashed celebration of who we are.