Day 30: The Buck-a-Pound Challenge

I'm Adam Sell and I have two months left before I leave Boston. My challenge? Do something in the city every day. Have ideas for my adventure? Send me an email.

Would you be willing to pick up clothing you've never seen, off a floor that's never clean, and put it on your body? That's the question of the Buck-a-Pound Challenge, invented by yours truly on the way to today's stop: the Garment District in Cambridge.

The rules are as follows: one person turns their back on the Buck-a-Pound pile on the first floor, while everybody else in the group decides on three pieces of clothing that individual must wear. When three items are agreed upon, the victim, er, model, dons the three articles and struts his or her stuff on the catwalk. If the impromptu fashion show is not done to the group's satisfaction, a second round may be demanded. The display continues until everyone in the group has walked.

This is what my sister and I chose to do upon arriving at the Garment District this morning. I picked out what I thought were a couple of chuckle-worthy, but not guffaw-worthy, ensembles for her, one of which featured a leopard-print vest. She, however, went after me with gusto, putting me in a ladies' sweatshirt that read "SASSY" across the front. And she topped off my outfit with a fuschia wool poncho.

After we shook off the layers of strange attire, we tromped upstairs where the clothes are a bit classier (and not in a giant pile). There, we exchanged strange hats for a while, trying to determine which would look the wildest on our dear brother, who didn't have the guts to join us. I think we settled on the purple felt fedora.

I left with only a single shirt, and my sister says she found nothing interesting. I almost insisted she choose an item, but I didn't want to tempt her to find another bizarre sweatshirt.