Britney Spears blared on the sound system as I walked in. Scanning the packed store, I was easily 10 years older than all the other customers. Every third female sported a trucker hat and an oh-so-not-from-the-sun tan. Ah, the youth of America. Plato's Closet in Olympia is a buy-sell secondhand clothing store geared to teenagers and young women and men in their early 20s. This location's been open for just over a year and has obviously earned their approval.
I easily located clothes that didn’t scream “My 16-year-old dressed me today,” but that were still current and fun. Frenchi drop-waist, trouser-style, tab-front pants ($10) fitted closely through hip and thigh area flaring nicely down to a 3-inch pant leg cuff. Toffee fabric was minimally shot through with silver thread. Next, I scored a pair of sleek black slacks from Express ($15) so nondescript that they barely exist making a good work wardrobe staple. Michael Stars dirt brown long-sleeve tee ($10) with ultra wide shoulder-bone grazing neckline will go nicely under a magenta Maurices gathered mock turtleneck ($8). Pile on necklaces, scarf and hat and go.
With warmer weather in mind, I bought a Ralph Lauren hot pink polo, light pink Old Navy cargo pants ($6) with drawstring ankles, drawstring waist and about 40 thousand pockets I will never use because doing so ruins the slim line pants are meant to give your form. I also picked up a Blu Heaven cap-sleeve blush-colored semi wrap top ($4) made of the softest fabric imaginable, and a canary yellow puff-sleeve Forever 21 peasant girl blouse ($6) with lace detail. What’s truly lovely about these items is I can actually wear them now by layering with things I already own.
A rack of crazy patterned silky tank tops reminded me of Miu Miu designs, but without the stupidly expensive price tag (Is anyone else sick of the prices of some clothes? They are just shirts and pants, right?) The top of every clothing rack had angled shoe displays, which meant tons and tons of shoes arranged by color. One rack had more than 20 pairs of silver ones, and then there’s the red section. Be still my loudly thudding heart. I had to wipe drool away from my mouth when I beheld a pair of Charlotte Russe shoes: red vinyl and 4-inch cork wedges for $8. Oh my. The nearly perfect condition of the shoes is a prime example of the store’s commitment not to put thrashed items on the sales floor.
As a buy-sell establishment, they only accept and re-sell gently used name brand items. I got 10 items for right at $100. And that makes for some good wardrobe and pocketbook mutual stimulus.
[Plato’s Closet, 1540 S.W. Cooper Point Road, Olympia, 360.705.3373]
