As a teen buyer of modern baggy pants, high wedged heeled shoes, and The Bay City Rollers American style baseball shirt selected by Mark in the mid-70s, he felt that he could be a fashion designer. Don’t laugh at him, but understand he was a growing lad spellbound by the maturing process.
Clearly, that had been a premature dream that teenagers often have of grandeur. Looking back his fashion sense was main stream growing up and in his mind, he had a knack for selecting fashionable wear. Truthfully, that probably wasn’t the case even though his overcoat boasted a thick furry collar.
One winter’s night he rode his Portuguese Casal 50cc moped around town for a joy ride, and his Petty Coat Lane overcoat hanged over the rear end of the motorcycle, almost touching the ground. As he continued, it got caught in between the chain and he almost fell off. Luckily, he was alright, but the incident was a close accident and the coat got ruined. Mark wasn’t hindered. He went about shortening the long coat into a bomber size jacket like the one used by fighter pilots in the second world war.
He wore the jacket to school everyday during the rest of the winter. His boy mates were all envious of him. Girls at the school thought he looked rather dashing in his attire. So much so, that he thought about it as a part-time business venture he could do in his spare time. These bomber jackets weren’t currently being sold in clothes shops, so Mark visited swap shops to exchange old items he had laying around at home for overcoats with fur collars.
This idea made sense, as no sooner had he made an exchange he would go home, cut the coats down to the right size, and then use his mum’s knitting machine to tidy up the trimmings.
In the end, Mark made a lot of spare cash to open his own tailors when he left school.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Spellbound (adj) = mesmerized, fascinated, captivated, (ant) distracted
Boasted (v) = regular verb (syn) bragged, showed off, blew his own trumpet or horn
Collar (n) lapel, neckline, neck, band, ribbon, choker
Incident (n) = event, occurrence, occasion, happening, episode, instance
Accident (n) = chance, coincidence, fortune, fate, (ant) design
Hindered (v) = delayed, deterred, hampered, obstructed, impeded
Shortening (v) = cutting, decreasing, reducing, contracting, compressing
Envious (adj) = jealous, resentful, spiteful, grudging, begrudging
Dashing (adj) = spirited, confident, flamboyant, bold, dynamic, adventurous
Attire (n) = clothing, dress, outfit, apparel, wear, costume, garments
Swap shops (n) = a simple exchange item business idea. An individual, is looking for something to exchange. In return they source a swap offering of services or goods. The key is finding the right match.
Tidy up (phrasal verb i.e., verb + preposition) = to arrange something in a neat and orderly way. "I'll just go and tidy up"
Trimmings (n) = can be accessories, embellishments, fixings, bits and pieces, side dishes (food), clippings, bits, pieces, nail clippings, accompaniments, add-ons, additions
Knitting machine (n) = a machine with a bank of needles on which garments can be knitted. A needle is a very fine slender piece of metal with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread at the other, used in sewing. "a darning needle"
Tailors (n) =modifies garments, adapts, fits, alters, cuts, mold, styles, shapes, customizes, converts fashion garments, designs, make to measure
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