What makes a particular shirt special? True, a shirt’s design usually is a determining factor, but as time passes by, a sense of attachment is formed from the journeys one has shared with it.  Clothes are not mere reflections of our tastes and ideas. Sometimes, they are also a reflection of stories in our lives.


In  my case, there are two that hold their own special journeys.


The first of these two is a silky bright yellow baby tee – which I’d like to call the “Mr. Robot shirt” – I bought from an ukay-ukay in 2003. Just like all my ukay finds, buying it was sort of love at first sight: for only P20, it was a sleek piece that spoke my personality, and I knew right away, I wasn’t going out of that ukay-ukay without that shirt in hand.




Its importance grew over time, as I transitioned from an age of youthful discovery to early adulthood. It became a usual sight in the laundry basket. I wore it during Saturday wash day classes in school and during unforgettable vacations, like my first trip to Boracay in 2004 – memorable dinners on powdery white sand with the family, explorations on and away beach pockets with Jigs (who is now my husband) – and a much awaited, tranquil return to my grandparents’ ancestral house in Bicol in 2005.



It reminds me of youth, of a time when I didn’t have to worry much about being a grown up, of a time spent  mostly on discovering  the thrilling, though sometimes turbulent, experience of growing up.


The second of these clothes is a more sentimental piece: a brown coat that has been with me, tucked under an old pile of letters in a box beneath my bed for about 15 years now. And the truth is, I never, not even once, used it. It’s been in that box, covered in a cake of dust, bearing an old carton smell for 15 years.


The reason though, why I find it indispensable is that this coat was given to me by my dad – a guy whom I met for the first time 15 years ago, whom I exchanged a few letters with during sixth grade and whom I haven’t heard of from or seen again since. Aside from those letters and a distinct memory of being stuffed to fullness with Carl’s Jr. fries, that coat is the only living remnant I have of him. I don’t even have a picture of him.



So I keep it, safely tucked in that box for fifteen years. Not that I haven’t moved on. I guess it’s always just comforting to know that you always have a reminder of that one act of rare kindness of someone who already left and who may possibly never come back. “For you to wear on rainy days,” he said.


When a fellow blogger told me about the Electrolux My Shirt Story Contest, it felt like the go signal to let go of sentiments that had been stuck in the cabinet and in an old box for decades. Maybe it’s time to share Mr. Robot with someone who needs it more than I do. Maybe I should let that coat breathe for the first time too, in so many years and be content with handwritten letters and memories. Maybe it’s time to share these clothes with people who have bigger things to deal with than sentimentality, like perhaps, warmth during cold nights in the streets.

So, Mr.Robot, I’m bidding you goodbye for now. And, Papa, wherever you are now, I hope you don’t mind me giving away  this memento.  “I love this shirt! Now I want someone else to love it, too! I support the Electrolux Wash-athon Clothes Donation Advocacy!”
In Uncategorized

20 Comments

  1. I love your Mr. Robot shirt! Parang design siya ng Gingersnap shirt that I bought for my toddler during their warehouse sale.

    Speaking of warehouse sale ng Ginersnap, meron sila uli until Sept. 25. FB mo ko if you like the details. Pasig area sila. Cool shirts, preggy dress and etc. for as low as Php 150… di ako connected sa kanila pero happy ako sa mga items that i get from them… will blog also later. see you sa event 🙂

  2. @Anonymous – I love Coron, too! it's an incredible place. Thanks for sharing!
    @ Richard- I love that Mr. Robot shirt din, so cute kung may mini me version, hehe. Wow preggy dresses! Sige Sir, will see if I can make it. Thanks sa heads up!

  3. my fave shirt is my flock of seagulls shirt! reminds me of the time when music was pure and absolutely better than what is forcibly injected in our auditory system now!

  4. kinakapatid!!,Let me share my shirt too..I got a Jamaican t-shirt it's cool if only I could show It right now.So I'll describe it to you instead. It's white with a large Jamaican flag on the front. The flag is in the shape of a rectangle it has 3 colours, a yellow diagonal cross, green triangles top and bottom and black triangles on the left and right. It has the name Jamaica In black capital letters above the flag.I love the Jamaican flag It's reminds me of Usain Bolt also I love the colours.

  5. I like the coat that was given to you by ur dad. I think its so hard to give away something that important.
    My favorite shirt is my white vespa shirt. Its black and white with a vespa print i bought it in thailand. I like it because i can wear it with anything.

  6. very touching story of yours about your jacket. 🙂 maybe not shirt, but my huge fave is a denim pants all faded and worn out. classic and comfy. good luck love! 🙂

  7. @Anonymous 1 – Indeed. Coron is one of those places you'll never get tired of coming back to.
    @Anonymous 2 -Thanks. What's your favorite shirt?
    @Anonymous 3 – Flock of seagulls-classic. I agree, music nowadays tend to be repetitive and banal. I love 90s music, though. Radiohead, Lemonheads…aah, those were the days.
    @Irvine – Kinakapatid! Salamat sa pagbisita. I love stuff and trinkets that reflect the Jamaican flag colors, too. When I think of Jamaica, it brings an air of love, peace, and good 'ol Bob Marley.
    @Apple – It is hard. But have to give it away for a greater purpose. Haven't seen that Thailand shirt you're talking about. Pag nagkita tayo sa Manila, patingin 🙂
    @Koni – Thanks, thanks, dear. We all love a good pair of jeans, don't we?

  8. The story behind that coat was so touching, i almost cry after i read it. I hope someday you get to see him. God Bless

  9. @Anonymous – aaaww…I'm glad that my story touches lives. I do think that, too, at times, but if it doesn't happen, I'm still blessed to have met him at least once. God bless you, too, and your kind soul 🙂

  10. my favorite shirt is my plain black shirt bec it not just make me look thinner but also it makes me feel lighter from within. it seems it has a psychological effect in me!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *