Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Junior High School Reunion

Photos via Google Images.

I recently ran into two old friends at thrift stores. They both evoked memories of junior high school. One’s name is Gloria Vanderbilt and the other is simply known as Gitano (now that's a name you don't hear everyday).
Over the years I’ve wondered what became of them. Gitano practically disappeared and GV was rarely seen in public. I think she was cast to the back the stores where she would hang out with lesser names.
I liked GV and Gitano because the others, Sergio Valente, Calvin Klein, Vidal Sasson and Jordache (*side note* It's pretty special to be known by one name, kind of like Rihanna or Cher) were mostly beyond my socioeconomic reach. I only got to mingle with them a few times, but boy, did I feel special when I did. You couldn’t touch me with a ten foot pole!
There was one other friend too, Chic. Yes, another one namer, but not quite up there with Jordache, more on the level of Gitano. Chic was on the fringes of the acceptable; just enough not to get laughed off the bus. Sadly, I thought Chic had been killed when a bunch of corporate stuffed shirts voted unanimously that Chic was no longer useful. Although, there’ve been rumored sightings in developing countries, K-mart and rural thrift stores.
I must say GV looked fabulous when I bumped into her, all tall, dark washed and skinny. I think she got a facelift and somewhat reinvented herself. Personally, I always thought she made my butt look good. We'll definitely be getting reacquainted. Gitano, on the other hand, lives quietly, but looked as good as ever. I took both GV and Gitano home when I saw them. They’re thriving happily in my closet.
Levi's is the only one I've really kept in touch with over the years. Levi's was always true to self, well liked by everyone and could move easily in and out of all groups.
Calvin Klein is still going strong; still a little on the snooty side, but more friendly than before. I can afford to hobnob with Calvin these days if I really wanted to.  Jordache, got knocked down a peg or two and can even be spotted at Walmart. Imagine that! Sergio Valente was an impostor all along. I though Sergio was special. I thought Sergio was an Italian playboy of sorts. My 13 year old self was under the impression that if I had Sergio clinging to the bottom half of my body, it meant he loved me. Come to find out, there was never a person by that name it was all a façade! Sergio hangs out at Macy’s on occasion tryin’ to be all that, but he’s a fake; Wikipedia said so. Vidal Sasson can only be found on ebay and sticks to doing hair and Levi's is still as popular as ever. The older Levi's gets, the better Levi's looks.

Who (of the denim persuasion) did you hang out with in school? Are they still popular? Would you be seen with them today?

Update: I'm probably really showing my age in this post. If you haven't already guessed, I've been talking about brand names of jeans and not real people...hehe. Hope your week is going well.

27 comments:

  1. That Gitano brand reference cracked me up. We were such dorks back then. ;) Well, I was anyway.
    I have a couple of ladies I have known since 2nd grade. I was in contact with both now and then through life but lately not so much. Our busy lives I suppose. That, and one of them is a call girl. ;) I heard she just got busted in a sting and all she was worried about was which Calvin Klein suit to wear to court. Some things never change! ;)

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  2. I think if a woman is going to be a call girl she should at least get caught with a politician, that way she can have her 15 minutes of fame and if she's really lucky...her own reality show!

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  3. Damn, y'all are hard on a girl just trying to get by, her and her Calvin's! I'm slightly pre-Alzheimers, but I can't remember being caught up in the jeans frenzy. Maybe I'm just too old or maybe I was clueless (you decide). I'm sure that you however, Agent 909, are looking good in your jeans. It's an art and you are an artist!

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    1. Well, you saved yourself a lot of $$$. A pair of Jordache were at least $50, big money back then.

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  4. I've been loyal to Levis over the years, but I like the fit of GV jeans for women of a certain age.

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  5. I really wanted to hang out with Marithe Francois Girbaud but it wasn't until college that I had the opportunity. Wouldn't be caught dead with her today!

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    1. LOL! I don't think I'd be hanging out with Jordache, Sergio or Vidal these days.

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  6. Wow did you bring back memories!! I hung out with Levi until the disco era when I hung out with Gitano and GV. I was a poor college kid and couldn't afford to hang with the rich crowd!!

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    1. GV always seemed a good by for the money. I seriously like these ones I found in the thrift store, practically new!

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  7. This post was too funny! Brought back so many memories...I remember getting my first pair of Calvin Klein's in the 6th grade. You couldn't tell me nuthin! My mom used to send them to the cleaners with hers. I would wear them every Friday with my red velvety shirt with the white embroidered flower on it. I didn't own any of the others though except Chic & Levi's. When I was in the 8th grade I got a pair of those with the split on the side. They were all the rave then, of course, along with wearing a scarf tied around your waist and draped off to one side. I got my first pair of Levi's in high school and literally wore them until the pockets started to come off.

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    1. I wore my Jordache on Fridays and every other day I thought I could. Too bad whiskered jeans weren't in then, cause I wore some right into mine.

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  8. I enjoyed your post and being reminded of those brands! Gitano...have not heard that in a long time, but wore them all the time!

    How about Jordache? Do you remember them?

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  9. I had one pair and thought I was hot stuff!

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  10. Why is it that it's was usually men that got this close to our bodies? Also, I have just nominated you for a Liebster Award.

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  11. I remember my first pair of GV's. I'd just had my first child and none of my Levi's "fit" right. The curves that come from babies! However; the first pair of GV's I tried on and bought! Just recently gave them to my 18 year old daughter. How's that for holding on to a good pair of jeans!!

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    1. Wow! I'd love to see a photo of that! I'm seriously missing you Liz!

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  12. I'm pretty sure I had GVs and Jordache! This brings me back. I remember the Guess ankle zip jeans that followed more precisely though.

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    1. Oh I remember those too. I blew a big chunk of my high school job paycheck on a pair of those. Worth every bit of pleasure they brought!

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  13. Very amusing. Thanks for the laugh. Nobody would recognize the names of my jeans; it was sooo long ago.

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  14. Great post! I didn't know GV was still around, but I have now thrifted about 5 pairs of her jeans and for some reason I really like their fit on me (and that's a rare experience). I want more.

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  15. They are...The ones I bought are the "Amanda" fit and I really like them.

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    1. Yes! The Amanda are the ones I have too! I love them. I found they have them at Kohl's, but I can't bring myself to pay regular retail price for them...yet. I'm going to make it my mission to scour our thrift stores in search of them...now that I know how well they work for me. That's where I've gotten all my other pairs so maybe I'll run across more of them.

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  16. Oh my goodness, lady, we must be the same age because I read Jordache, Sergio Valente, Calvin Klein, and Gloria Vanderbilt and it was high school all over again! How I loved my Vanderbilts! Some of my friends called me a snob for wearing these labels back in the day, but hey, daddy always said, "My baby gets what my baby wants" and who was I to say no to that? hee hee! My sister still swears that no other jeans have made her butt look better than Sergio Valente! ha! I wish I could still fit all this junk into one of those bad boys! Now that would be wonderful! :)

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  17. Bella, you're hilarious. I'd need two trunks for my junk.

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