Wednesday, August 13, 2008

clothes ghosts?

i've always said that i don't believe in ghosts like you might hear in a scary story or like they are portrayed in movies and tv shows, but i DO admittedly believe in the energy of a person, place, thing or event and the ability of that energy to impact other people, places, things and events. 
i guess to some people it sounds hokey but i think it's pretty realistic considering energy is transferable and forceful and for all intents and purposes "real". 
so, i guess what i'm getting around to is wondering what affect wearing someone else's clothes (thrifted) has on us, if any. what memory or power can those clothes hold, if any?
i mean, we all have an article of clothing, or maybe even a whole outfit, that despite how it looks just makes us feel good.... some people even have lucky articles. but what about the negative or sad emotions tied to clothes? i can't even tell you how terrible i feel thinking about the navy blue sailor dress we bought for me to wear to my dad's funeral all those years ago. the clothing itself holds that emotion - that sadness. 
while thrifting yesterday, i was struck by an old party dress that immediately made me feel sad. i saw it and just wanted to cry. something about knowing someone wore it a long time ago and probably loved it and felt so pretty in it and now it's stained and torn and just been tossed aside... i dunno - it just got to me. especially the little bunny pin tied to it....





so tell me: do you get "vibes" off thrift store clothes? do imagine their lives before you bought them? do you have a really happy memory of a particular item of clothing? 
or am i just being sentimental and weird? (it's totally possible.)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope that she felt beautiful wearing it - I hope she had a memorable evening, maybe dancing with someone who appreciated her. And the bunny pin . . . leaves me imagining even more. Did you buy the dress, or leave it for someone else to discover? And, no, you're not weird to feel the energy of old clothes - but maybe a bit sentimental, which is okay, right?!

Cammila said...

I collect antiques as well as vintage clothes, and I think about an item's history all the time. But this is what I love about collecting these things -- hopefully the original owner of a cookie jar or a dress got lots of love and joy out of it, and I get to share in that. But even if there was some sadness or pain, I like that at least I can honor something that's lived for a long time with a new life and my own love.

..... said...

i love everythings vintage even if i dont always find truly amazin stuffs

S (formerly of Modern-Guilt) said...

I don't this is at all sentimental or weird, I think that this is a meaningful idea and fantastic post! I think of those kinds of things all the time, and definitely feel like some of the vintage I've picked up has an energy to it. It's perfectly reasonable to believe in the energy of the universe and, hence, humanity - in my opinion anyways :)

Rebecca, A Clothes Horse said...

That dress is so pretty, despite the sadness associated I hope you got it. I think there's a lot of to be said the spiritual realm and so many other cultures acknowledge in a more serious and realistic fashion. I'm always struck too by how limited we are to our 5 senses, when really so much could be going on beyond those... Love your thoughts in this post.
P.S. I took your tip last night and it felt really good, I might have to start doing it daily! So thanks. ^_^

Anonymous said...

wow. i never thought of it that way, which is funny, because i DO get very strong feelings off of buildings/houses quite frequently.

i'm going to have to start paying attention to that.