Clothes as Narrative

[lunabee34]

So as you all know, I'm about seven months into Project New Wardrobe. The lovely executrix sent me a box full of books about fashion and wardrobe construction early into the project, and I've just gotten around to reading one of them--Linda Grant's The Thoughtful Dresser, which is a collection of essays rather than a how-to book.

I just read this passage today: Clothes as text, clothes as narration, clothes as a story. Clothes as the story of our lives. And if you were to gather together all the clothes you have ever owned in all your life, each baby shoe and winter coat and wedding dress, you would have your autobiography. You could wear, once more, your own life in all its stages, from whatever they wrapped you in when you emerged from the dark red naked warmth of the womb, to your deathbed.

This got me to thinking about the personal narrative of my lifetime's wardrobe and from there to the idea of a personal aesthetic, mostly how I seem to lack a realized personal aesthetic.

I look at Emma, and already at 13, she has a highly developed personal aesthetic. She's very picky about her glasses. She wears her hair a certain way. She wears dark wash skinny jeans with striped long sleeve shirts or sometimes sweaters layered over tanks in the winter--a long, lean, athletic look. In the summer, she wears Bermuda shorts with fitted t-shirts. She mixes in some nerd wear--a tree of Gondor shirt, a Lego Star Wars shirt, a Cowboy Bebop shirt. Her wardrobe is cohesive in a way that mine isn't even now.

When I was her age, I wore things because my parents bought them for me. The only thing about the way I dressed that approached a personal aesthetic for me as a teen was that in tenth grade, I was told my shorts were too short to wear to school. I hated Bermuda shorts, so I wore jeans to school every day after that no matter the weather, and I don't think I've worn shorts period since my senior year of high school. I've generally kept my hair short over the years more often than not. I tend to favor lip gloss over lipstick. These items do not a personal aesthetic make. LOL

Project New Wardrobe is giving me a pretty cohesive color palette--black, grey, purple, a little red, a little blue. It's also giving me the chance to think about how I want to build a distinctive style, and I do so want to have a distinctive style. I've had several friends over the years with distinctive personal styles, and I've always envied that way of dressing.

What about y'all? Do you have a personal aesthetic or a cohesive wardrobe? If so, how did you develop it? If not, how would you describe the way you dress?

I'm also really taken with the idea of clothes as narrative, so is there a particular item of clothing that tells a story about you that you want to share? Or a brooch or a ring? Or a reason you favor red lipstick?

Tell me something about clothes and accessories.

Comments

[likeadeuce]

Gah, I wish I could understand how to do this but I usually just sob in relief when I find something that fits/ put on something that is clean. I've always been like this :/

[umadoshi]

Same here. -_-

[lunabee34]

This is how I've spent most of the past decade, and I just don't want to anymore. :( I want my closet to fill me with joy! (spoiler alert: it does not yet fill me with joy LOL)

One thing I did was completely clear out my closet so that all the clothes I own fit me (with the exception of one or two items of sentimental value like a dress that was my mom's or the dress I wore to our rehearsal dinner, and these are in the back section of the closet); no digging through stuff that doesn't fit to find something that does.

[tamoline]

I really used to not have any sense of fashion. Basically jeans and dark t-shirts were as far as it went, something I could ignore as I tried to ignore my body. Of course, when I started to transition, I suddenly started to have to think about all this, especially if I wanted to pass as female, and started experimenting wildly and wasted a certain amount of money. I have since settled down with a style that I kind of like - generally fairly quiet blouse-like tops and patchwork style skirts - and it's distinct enough that Louisa never has a problem shopping for presents for me, which is kind of cool.

[lunabee34]

See, that's why I want to develop a distinctive aesthetic. I want my mom to be able to go to the store and by me something without needing to check with me.

I think the whole experimenting wildly and wasting money stage is necessary, though; you have to take some risks and fail some before you can really identify what you like and what looks good on you.

[archersangel]

....how would you describe the way you dress?

very casual & rumpled. like if lt. columbo was as slightly over-weight woman.

[lunabee34]

Your icon!

*dies*

I love it.

[archersangel]

:D thank you.

[sallymn]

I love that description, 'tis me as well....

I have only one real rule, I hardly ever wear black (it tends to make me look like a baby barrage balloon in mourning) I like bright colours and prints, but comfort is more important...

I work with academics, so whatever my workwear is, it looks more professional than theirs does :)

[lunabee34]

Hey, I'm trying not to resemble that remark. LOL

I know what you mean though. My colleagues run the gamut from suits to T-shirts and jeans. We've had a push since we had a level change to be more professional, and I haven't seen a prof wearing anything appalling unprofessional in a while.

[sallymn]

To be fair, the academics at the School of Policing tend to dress more soberly... but humanities, psychology and the like?

:)

But they're lovely people, and probably blend in better than us administration staff do...

[lunabee34]

Ha! We used to have a history professor who would wear shorts spattered with paint and flip flops. It was embarrassing.

[sallymn]

i think the strangest was the one who basically dressed as a Goth fairy.

A plump, sweet-faced, platinum-blonde-but-at-least-fifty Goth Fairy. In black tutu-ish skirts and striped tights.