Jailbird

I don't know if you remember my first black-and-white striped top, but I do. I loooooved it when I first got it, and I loooooved it right up until it bit the dust. It was a sad day when I finally decided the collar had lost all hope of its original shape, and the holes had gotten too big too ignore any more.

Since this beloved shirt and I parted ways, I've been waiting patiently for something similar to replace it, but consistently I've just come up empty. Nothing compared to its perfect fit and its perfectly sized array of stripes. That is, until Monday.

On Monday, I went to the thrift store for the 50% off Martin Luther King Day sale. I was just about to head to the checkout when my eyes fell on this sweater. The black and white stripes were about one inch wide, just like the old one! The shape looked tailored and the size looked fairly form-fitting, just like the old one! In short, it was a very acceptable substitute for my long-lost shirt!

I had already been to the fitting room once and had no desire to go again, so I threw this top into my bag untested, and crossed my fingers. I am pleased to say it was a great fit! It's not quite as cool as the old sweater (the white is not as white, and I'm not crazy about the henley collar, or the fact that the stripes on the bottom hem are askew), but after years of waiting, I'll take what I can get.

To commemorate my old sweater and celebrate the new, I decided to take a trip down memory lane, and do a modern take on the original's last hurrah.

Then

Now

I no longer have the teal skirt I wore in that look (I decided it was too short for work, and it, too, was showing the signs of age), but I recently acquired a new one! I put the same boots on my feet, but wore them pulled up instead of folded over. I still have the jewelry I wore in the original look, but I also have some cool new jewelry, so I chose to wear that. I figured a bird in a cage would be a great companion to the prison stripes on my shirt.