Thrift store clothing shopping

Dear Diary,

Adam:  For the past 2 1/2 years, Jesse has been a volunteer at the local Red Cross thrift shop.  Once each fortnight he pulls a shift, working in the store.  He loves doing this because he feels he is giving back to the community where we live.  In addition, he has met many people and become well-known.  The other day he went to pick up something he purchased on-line and when he arrived the woman said to him "I know you from the Red Cross shop!"

A few weeks ago when he went for his shift, there was an 18" boy doll for sale.  I use the word "doll" loosely because it isn't really a doll because it could never be played with.  It's more a manikin; you know the type: ceramic head, hands and feet, cloth body and wired into a pose to represent something (like a dancer, little child, etc).  Think Franklin Mint.  Anyway, this boy doll had on an old fashioned newspaper boy outfit and Jesse thought it would probably fit me.  So, he bought the doll, stripped it down and donated it back to the charity shop much to the chagrin of the other volunteers!

As a rule, the clothes on these dolls can be  pretty nice and in this case, they weren't too bad.  The shirt was too large but the leather shoes fit.  The tweed woolen trousers were fine in the waist but too long so Jesse shortened them and added cuffs.  The braces (suspenders) were also too long but they were successfully shortened.  The cap is hopeless.  It was made so poorly that nothing can make it look good.
It has a bit of an Edwardian look.

This cap is absolutely dreadful!

As soon as we're done, I'm going to find a shovel, dig a hole and bury this awful cap!
Anyway, since I'm really short of clothes, this gave me some more options (minus that cap!).  Jesse  says I shouldn't be fussy about where we buy our clothes; after all, he buys lots of his clothing there.  He says you never know what treasure you'll find in a thrift shop.  Perhaps that's why in New Zealand we call them "opportunity shops"!

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