Devil Wears Prada
on fashion, part II
V. fashion as a form of communication
I think the core reason I started paying attention to what I wore in my early teens was a subconscious need to connect to others. I'm very shy and I can never talk to all the people I want to talk to, so I started putting together more unusual and thought-out outfits in hopes that someone will find them interesting and approach me. Even though this "method" often works well, people's interpretations of myself and what I wore sometimes differ from what I intended, but that's normal and inspires me to reconsider other aspects of successful communication (the ones you'd normally think of before clothes).
VI. garment as a piece of art
Buying a piece and letting it rest in your closet for a while in order to "warm up" to it versus buying a piece without the actual intention of ever wearing it (thus treating it like a sculpture or a painting).
When I bought my first piece (a black silk blouse) by my favorite Japanese designer a few years ago, I didn't wear it for 8 months out of some crazy respect towards (everything behind) it and because I thought my then-character wasn't yet able to support such a piece; at the same time, however, I knew that one day it definitely would be. Although this was the closest I ever got to purchasing something just to have it near me, I understand the principles behind sticking to everlasting admiration without one's further involvement and somehow I'm almost sure that at some point such a story is bound to happen to me too.
To be continued.
→ On Fashion, part I
27 comments:
oh devil wears prada is a good movie! you look so young on the "in my early teens " link. cuuute.
I have many clothes that I buy and don't wear them for months or even years. I don't feel comfortable so I leave them to warm up as you said. The problem is that some pieces I never wear them at all!
the devil wears prada is definitely my favourite fashion movie. that is of course, because i haven't watched the september issue yet, which i've GOT to watch :P
zelo zanimivo razmišljaš. vedno s hecnim hrepenenjem/guštom berem tvoje zapise. tudi oblačiš se zelo premišljeno, vsaj tako se zdi, iz tebe pa kar vejeta sofisticiranost in eleganca. na drugi strani pa sem jaz, ki imam do oblačil zelo "sproščen" odnos. moja omara je polna večinoma nepremišljenih in nepredragih nakupov, predvsem zato, ker se hitro naveličam stvari. morda me prav zato tako pritegne, kar napišeš, kako to napišeš, kaj oblečeš in kako to nosiš.
in tudi jaz sem zelo plaha. ne ravno sramežljiva (saj tudi dvomim, da si to mislila s shy), ampak plaha. pravzaprav mnogokrat niti nimam želje/potrebe po (oh, kako priljubljena fraza je to dandanes) spoznavanju novih ljudi. pa vendar, z veseljem in odkritim pristopom spoznavam ljudi, ki se mi zdijo zanimivi. in ti to si.
in upam, da ti bo prijetno v petek. :)
This is really interesting and I love how you think so much about fashion - dispelling the image of a frivolous industry!
http://dreamingspiresandoldcartyres.blogspot.com
i have a lot of stuff in my closet that is new and unworn. i will get to it eventually!!! i will!!!! sometimes i revere it too much to wear it; sometimes i agonize over how i want to make it look; sometimes it just isn't the right season yet. and my closet is so stuffed that sometimes i forget about things that are in there. ugh!
Great writing! once I again I am in complete agreement! I think you definately have a deep (and might I add, rare) understanding of fashion. I mean I don't think a lot of fashion bloggers actually undertsand it. It seems you have thought very much about it which I really admire!
I haven't had that moment yet, and I may never. I am way too impatient of a person to hold off on wearing something I love.
lululetty.blogspot.com
OMG, I love those shoes!! You are getting more and more sophisticated, lady! I'm loving your writing... ;)
I love that there are others who see fashion as an art form and means of communication. Most people just look at me funny when I try to explain it. So, it was nice to read it coming from someone else and so well put!
Oh, I sometimes buy an item just because it's too beautiful not to:) I'll really like to incorporate fashion as art pieces when I have my own home in the future!
Luv the first pic!
XoXo
Happy tuesday to you, Eva!
I love to collect pieces from older collections and it doesn´t matter when maybe I do not wear them very often. I love to see them simply in my closet and everytime I have the chance to wear them...I´m a happy girl ;)
Hugs to you!
Your fashion (or style as I prefer to call it) as an art form is a very interesting one... I know few people who do it out of shyness, but I do know a lot who do it because they are otherwise insecure and lack the confidence to be open and bold in a different way. Re: the second point, I have left clothes in the wardrobe unworn to 'warm up' as you said and some remained unworn because I never got the chance to wear them. When it comes to an item I adore and consider a piece of art, I will actually let it hang like a rare piece on my wall, but strangely I will actually wear it. I guess in my mind, I want to show the world my 'art' and my way of showing respect is to actually wear and use it. Fascinating post.
one of my favorite movies!
I love this series :D
That's such a great thing!! That your great, great grandfather had business here! Expats dominated such sectors in Egypt way back in the day, you can see it in the very old buildings!
This is such lovely writing and I can understand where you are coming from. You have an amazing style, never loose it to conform.. Im sure you wont
xxx
Lovely photos <3
greatttttt posting :)
xx
i've done the same thing you describe- buying a really special piece and then not being able to wear it due to being too in awe of it. it is nice to hear i'm not the only one! this was a really nice post- got me thinking. ~joelle
Thanks for this series! I agree with all that you've written. Especially with the fashion as communication. What we wear and how we present ourselves speak volumes about our personality and it's sometimes tricky to dress in a certain way without being judged. Usually when I see a piece of clothing that I classify as art I feel a mixture of fear and intimidation that I don't act on my admiration and just pass it by. But I'm working on that!
Very interesting post, I guess that's why I don't buy majorly expensive clothes as I'd always be waiting for an occasion to wear them. I guess my rebellious stage meant that I wanted to stand out and now I just do it in a slightly different way.
I definitely agree that a garment is a piece of art. I really enjoyed reading this post. Can't wait to read your next post on fashion.
I agree! Buy buying something simply because you admire it in all its character and what's behind it is often the smartest move you'll make. Because if you don't buy it at the time, you'll regret it then on after, whereas when you buy something that you love so dearly, you can then admire it because it's yours and you can take how ever long you want to wear it!
In my case it's usually the opposite. I wear a piece as much as I can because I enjoy owning it so much :)
just read this and part i -- you are a great writer. i am shy too, and was even more so when i was younger. clothing was the one way i could express myself without having to say anything. adding you to my blogroll :)
so totally true. I myself bought a vintage Emanuel Ungaro bright gold blazer several months ago, but couldn't bring myself to wear it until a few days ago for the same reason. And I totally understand where you're coming from on the shyness versus "loud" clothes concept. I too am sort of shy in certain situations and like to let my clothes speak for me.
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