Fashion (continued)

It's funny how people make assumptions about what they see. I have a towel that I bought in South India when the one I brought got left in the hotel. It is not terry cloth, but works great as a travel towel to pull out of your bag at opportune moments. It's checked cotton with tassels. People who see me carrying it think I'm going to pray, another of my basic needs.
When I check out at Kohls twice or three times a year, I can't figure out how people spend enough money to make a frequent shopper card worthwhile. What's the story with the lady dressed up in a suit who comes to collect food at the free pantry? Aren't people who come for free food supposed to wear dirty sweats?
It just goes to show, you can't tell a person's story unless you ask.

Style

The goth girl at the supermarket check-out complemented my skirt and my bag. Last time I wore that skirt, a white-haired lady in a quilted vest came up to me on the street and asked about it. Said she loved it. One time last year a jeans-and-sweatshirt mom at the gas station noticed it and asked how it was made. I bought it at "Handy Ups and Downs" about ten years ago.
I like to shop at Goodwill and consignment shops. A lot of my clothes also come from street markets in Pattaya and Bangkok, Delhi and Anjuna, Tibetan markets in the Himalayas and the US, Otavalo and Amazonas, Schwartzwald, the New Castle weekend market.When I was growing up, like many other overseas workers we got the Sears catalog by boat, and my grandparents would order something vaguely fashionable. I still remember the purple jeans I wore in sixth grade. Or we got the tailor to copy the picture in my size.
Basically, I dress hippie. As my sense of self has developed over the years, so has my sense of style, and my confidence to wear something that doesn't necessarily fit current "fashion trends" or acceptable "professional attire" but makes me feel good. So I end up with an outfit that pleases both a goth teenager and a crafty grandmother. I have developed many significant conversations in the check out line at Joann Fabrics.
I don't enjoy shopping at Kohl's, with racks and racks of the same fashion statement in different sizes. How are you supposed to develop your self ?