leave the kitsch alone

Next summer, PBS will air a new series called 'Thrift America" that follows host Alexa Chung around the country delving into secondhand and vintage stores, ostensibly to find the same kind of off-beat chic that the host herself embodies. Theoretically, this is a cool idea. It's different from the high-priced materialism that Bravo has shoved down middle-American tv-obsessed throats. And Chung is as close to a 'genuine' It girl as you could hope to find, given that she doesn't employ a stylist and has seriously impeccable (and mostly infallible) taste. Plus, filming in rotating locations rather than a big city home base like New York or L.A. will strengthen the appeal nationwide. Yes, in theory, this is a great show.
I, however, am not excited. In fact it is the inverse. I am sad.
Thrifted clothes make up about 50% of my wardrobe and I nearly refuse to buy jewelry unless it has a slight tarnish (and no accessory of mine will ever come from a fast-fashion retailer, childplease). Over the years I've spent quite a bit of time driving around backroads Maryland and Delaware amassing grandpa sweaters and gold pendants from my favorite vintage bazaar and a few hospital-run secondhand places. The thrill of find a serious gem among a pile of plastic costume jewelry is unmatched. Diving into these places takes serious time commitments but in the end is way more fun than walking into say Forever21 and buying a pre-layered chain of necklaces. I developed a lot of my style in these places. And I don't think it's something that can be encompassed in a TV show. Big city Salvation Armys and the like are already overpriced... this will just give excuse to jack them up a bit more. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely a nice break from monotonous style-TV and I applaud PBS for not launching a housewive/Jersey/Kardashian - themed series. I'm accepting it... but I'm not happy about it.