A Kmart King Dethroned By Perry Caswell

A Kmart King Dethroned

Perry Caswell actually hates artificial grass so much, but now he has to go water the turf A journey of self-expression and fashion development throughout my teenage years.

This article will be a slightly long winded anecdote about my personal journey and understanding of fashion, from my teenage years through to retirement (at 20 years old). I’ve come quite a long way, chopping and changing styles, trying out new trends and finding out what I enjoy and like to wear. Fashion is quite a visible form of expression, and through this, I’ve started to find myself.

You’ve got to give it to Kmart, their clothes are pretty cheap with an acceptable quality. It was an Applecross SHS tradition to go to Kmart after school, mess around in the shop, and avoid being kicked out. I spy with my little eye? That’s right, it was the five dollars or less plain crew cut T-Shirts in the men’s section. Inspired by the fashionistas of the era with their timeless looks, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. So, a young teenage boy - with a small amount of disposable income - decided to start buying his own goddamn clothes. I adored those shirts and wore them exclusively for three years of my life. In high school, there was a running joke about how creative my fashion choices were. In that time I collected all the colours of the rainbow in T-shirts, providing that those colours were white, black, blue, green and grey. These were always paired with exquisite and delicate generic denim jeans. I was the talk of the town. around me, at the end of year ten. I started dabbling in other clothes that were not from Kmart. Using a Myer’s gift card I got for my birthday, I decided to invest in a lovely Hawaiian shirt that I still wear today. The same could not be said about the other garish and quite frankly ugly patterned shirts. Neon stripes, saturated flowers on a canvas drenched in even bolder colours. At least, it wasn’t a plain blue T-shirt with some plain blue denim jeans.

From there I began experimenting more. Various patterns and colours, albeit a bit more toned down. I found that 70s or 80s inspired clothes looked really good on me. I adopted my first corduroy pants last year, and took some lovely statement pieces into my home. I decided that I needed to try items on in person, and thus an eclectic and impulsive style grew. Does this vintage jumper look like Grandma’s carpet? Damn right it did, but I looked hot in it. I started to appreciate the different qualities of the fabric, how silky it felt, or how tight it fit around my body.

The day before Rotto 2020, I woke up and thought, “Fuck it I’m getting my ears pierced”. So, I went straight to Lovisa and did so. It was an interesting experience doing it abruptly, as the staff at Lovisa were hyper fixated upon my earlobes. The person who sanitised my earlobes started squeezing them for about ten seconds,

kind of like a stress ball. She then pondered out loud, “Huh, your earlobes are so thick and squishy”. I reacted with an “um ya I’m aware”. I was just surprised at her genuinely innocent and curious expression. I was even more surprised when she called over another staff member to play with my bloody earlobes. Now, I have jewellery under my belt. You can often see me walking around with a necklace, wrist chain and some fruity earrings about.

I guess what I’m trying to say through these anecdotes is that you shouldn’t be afraid to try out new fashion trends, or get into old ones. You’re not limited to what people believe your personal brand is, or what is currently popular. Fashion is an expression of the self, so what have you got to lose? You will always look back and think about why you wore those clothes. But hey, in the moment you thought you looked good and that’s all that matters.

Collage by Udhaya SK