I loved the music, my blue Schwinn, watching “The Gong Show” with host Chuck Barris (who also had a loose, curly Afro like I had in the late ’70s), and perhaps the most famous contestant to come from that show, one Lynda Cheryl Smith, also known as the one and only Cheryl Lynn. The second thought I had, and it may have been what had been playing on my earbuds at some point during that morning, was that the late 1970s seemed like a glorious time to be alive when I was a young kid. Sometimes, I’d like to have something genuinely classic and pre-owned instead of the clothing equivalent of fast food that will last for maybe a few years before it’s faded, worn, or no longer presentable. I have spent comparatively more on cool, retro pieces that once carried a fair amount of cachet, because as a matter of my personal preference and when within my means, it’s got to be real. I buy these garments for at least as much (sometimes much more) than a new, okay-looking golf or polo shirt or yet another pair of Dockers would cost.

However, when it comes to clothing to wear on my own time, I often gravitate to stores like Green Element, pictured above (or others in the area) to find that one, really nice, lightly worn shirt or pair of slacks from decades ago that might originally have cost a bit more money, to mix in with other items in my wardrobe. This ’78 Ford Thunderbird was parked in front of one of the more reasonably priced vintage / thrift stores in my neighborhood on one of those two days, and I had several immediate thoughts as I took in this scene.įirst, I’m an insurance professional, and when it comes to my work attire, I stick almost exclusively to nice, business-casual clothing bought from first- or second-tier department stores.

Only about a month ago, it was warm enough in Chicago to take a walking tour of historic buildings and neighborhoods sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Center (which featured locales all over the city) and do some window shopping.

1978 thunderbird