The Festival of the Op Shop Outfit

Facts About Me That I've Never Before Revealed on the Blog:

1. I love love love routine.

2. I'm not v. organised.

3. I am not a leader.

4. I lack School Spirit.

5. I am not good at planning.

6. I am easily confused & rattled.

So it was with Some Surprise that I found myself Organising & Executing a Festival of Outfits which began yesterday & carries over into Monday. It would have been so much more comforting to have My Normal Friday: Bath, Dressing, Porridge, Latte, Lessons, Egg & Lettuce Sandwich, More Lessons, Second Latte, Perhaps Lunch, Staffroom Hi Jinks, Still More Lessons, Gym, Home.

Here's what happened instead:

1. Students were allowed to wear what we rather quaintly call Mufti. Except there was to be no Trakky Daks or Ugg Boots. They had to wear An Outfit. And they had to pay a Gold Coin for the privilege. You have no idea how excited they were about not wearing the school uniform & the possibility of make up, even though there was some tedious whining about modesty & having to wear shoes that were covered over for Health & Safety Reasons.

2. At recess, my Hand Picked Team of Fashion Police assembled a Large Gaggle of Outfits which they whittled down to a manageable group of Six Finalists. The Fashion Police are pictured above with me in the middle. I especially purchased shiny plastic caps for them to wear on the day. Sadly, only Evangelina wore hers. I was v. disappointed. I am wearing one because I didn't want them to go to waste.

And here's Obedient Evangelina wearing her cap & whipping up the crowd into a frenzy. The Prospective Finalists are standing excitedly in the background.

Cleo, the School Captain is wearing a donated jacket & scarf. She is also modelling one of the six One-of-a-Kind Medals made by me for the finalists. I went to the $2 Shop & bought badges that said things like 'World's Greatest Mum' & covered them with buttons & rhinestones & other stuff & then finished them off by sticking tiny coloured pegs around them.

3. The Op Shop Parade at Lunchtime. Here's a couple of models wearing donated clothes that will be sold on monday at the Op Shop Stall.

4. Here's models rehearsing five minutes before the show began. They are wearing coke cans in their hair which I believe is all the rage. Talk about a Generation Gap. I decreed that they would model or walk or whatever you call it to the tune of 'Gimme Shelter', my favourite Rolling Stones song. They all thought it was a yawn & wanted Rihanna singing something like 'Superstar' or Good Charlotte. I said Absolutely No, citing the unsuitable swearing lyrics as the reason. They all pouted but went along with me anyway.

5. After the parade, massive sorting of donated clothes took place. My Senior Class
took to the task with a zeal & a dedication that I'd never seen before in them. Usually they are exhausted after lunch.

They were Harsh Judges, quickly dispatching clothes into 'Bad' piles & 'Good' piles.

Cleo counted all the Gold Coins. Perhaps a thou. All for charity.

By 3.20 most of the sorting was done. The money was dispatched to the Office. I trudged home & got into bed.