Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Patience is a Virtue

... and probably the virtue in which I am most deficient. (though I suppose that comment implies my modesty isn't excessive either).. but anyway..


Fashion-wise, I'm counter-seasonal to bears. Weird statement, but be patient with my metaphor please: Summer is a hibernation period, in terms of my interest and concern with what I wear. Of course, I do care how I look, but with temperatures holding above 90, I want only the lightest, loosest, coolest clothes and don't give a thought to layering, textures, structure, etc. when I am getting dressed. Sure, I read fashion magazines in the summer, but they don't resonate. Fall just feels too far away for me to think about it.


But then in August, when the sun starts to rise after I do, something starts to change.. just a little bit... I don't yet feel sick of my summer clothes or look forward to cooler days, but there's the initial stirring of a little feeling inside that maybe it will be ok that summer is going to end sometime in the still somewhat hazy future and that there may be a redeeming virtue to a bit of freshness in the air. If you were to ask me, I'd say it was incredibly sad that it's Labor Day already but that tiny little spark tells me it's going to be ok. And that tiny little feeling grows and grows and eventually triggers a deep and powerful memory that's been ingrained in me and others before and after me well before we could even remember, a powerful pull like the tide: time for back to school shopping.


And that's why I bring up patience. Because when I realize summer is actually going to end and it's not light outside at 9pm anymore (or 6am, for that matter), I look for that redeeming virtue to the upcoming chill. Awake from my peaceful, frugal fashion hibernation, I go out and look for nourishment. And the world is full of it: Fashion week! Bulging September issues! Store windows that actually seem relevant to my life! And I notice specific items start to exert a particularly strong pull (like the boots I wrote about a year ago in "Obsessed Until Possessed"). And I want them NOW! And I know they will change my LIFE!! (or at least my wardrobe!)


And darn it, they're never on sale...

Some fall inspirations (am trying something new, so this is via polyvore...)


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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Ephemeral, Dangerous, and Unfair

One of the things that I like best about writing this blog is that you all will often write back what you think. And often you'll write me first! Since this blog is sort of loosely structured around style, I'll throw some discussions into the mix of stories, photos, and designs that catch my eye. I really do love getting your comments - so let me know what you're thinking about!

My friend Doreen recently sent me a link to a website and short film, "the story of stuff" , which highlights the downside of a consumer-driven society. As you might guess, I'm conflicted on this one. I love fashion, and fashion is ephemeral, dangerous, and unfair (one of my favorite Karl Lagerfeld quotes) so to be fashionable would seem to require constant purchases to try to keep up with a fleeting moment. But that can put you on a crazy treadmill where you are constantly upgrading and updating and feel that you look shabby if you don't have the most recent designer everything. That's a way to empty your wallet very quickly! At the same time, I personally think buying cheap is an even worse thing to do as you're adding even more "stuff" - and (I know I'm generalizing, but...) typically, it's badly made of shoddy materials, based on a knocked off design and probably made in a sweat shop somewhere. For me, right now, I'm trying not to buy anything at all rather than to buy crap. My closets are so full, there's no reason for me to buy crap - or good stuff, for that matter. Then again, what role does reason have in aesthetics? I think it might be a cameo role; I'm pretty sure it's not the lead.

I did have one little victory in my effort not to buy stuff. I had seen a pair of Christian Louboutin nude heels in Vogue and immediately decided I wanted them and would head off to the Meatpacking store and buy them. They looked great and would go really well with so many things I have. But then I thought for a minute and realized: spending $900 on a pair of shoes I'd wear to work (to work!!!) was not going to get me to my goal of building up cash and keeping down credit card debt. I took a look in my own closet and found a pair of shoes (Manolo's, so really not too shabby) that are somewhat similar in style and color and that I'd worn a couple of times and (embarrassingly) forgotten I had. They're not exactly the same as what I was excited about buying, but hey - that's $900 in my bank and a box-shaped amount of space not taken up in my closet! And they're great shoes!

I think the desire to acquire stuff is largely psychological. As another friend pointed out to me (quite correctly), I buy a lot of the stuff I do partly because of my job. I'm not talking about investing in professional-looking clothes, I'm covered on that front. I'm talking about shopping to make myself feel better. It's not that I feel unhappy, but if I'm spending most of my waking hours at a job, no matter how pleasant and engaging it may be, shopping becomes appealing as a creative outlet, a stress valve, and a distraction. And I think it does make a difference in my mood and general happiness up to a point, but after that, it's just surplus.

I'm not advocating not buying anything and I'm definitely not "anti stuff" (you all would justifiably laugh in my face if I tried to claim that!). Industries and jobs and a rising standard of living depend on consumption and I also happen to think that aesthetics are very important. I want to look good - and I want other people to look good too, as there are zillions of people in New York and it's much more pleasant when the crowds are good looking.. The goal for me is trying to avoid that "surplus" buying, beyond what I'm excited about. I'm also trying to shop strategically, using my purchases to support designers and stores I like. I hope this doesn't come across as preachy - it's a subject that I'm really trying to think through for myself and thought I'd share it here, in case any of you were also interested.

On a different topic, I'm trying to use my own photos more, but seem to have maxed out the photo editing capabilities of Picasa. I guess it takes a lot to make my amateur photos look good! I've got a couple more clothing themed blogs written and waiting for me to get the pictures right. So please bear with me as I try to figure that all out!
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

The return of the '90s, part II

As I mentioned in my last blog, I've been in a pretty strict budget mindset. Even though I still enjoy reading Vogue, I have been feeling quite disconnected from fashion and often wonder what it feels like to work there, how the writers and editors can make themselves feel relevant when stores on Madison Ave and West Broadway are shutting after 4-month long sale seasons, when ads are down and much of their readership has seen a drop in salary - or (for the trophy wife readership) of spending money. It does seem as though every article talks about "budgeting" and "high/low mix", though these articles precede photos of $6000 suits with jaunty belle epoque hats. Adorable, but I mean, really... And anyhow, my latest trip was skiing, so what I really wanted for my head was a helmet.

So coming back to Manhattan during fashion week and going to a show right after getting back from a ski trip was a bit of a drastic jump, since I wore pretty much the same thing everyday and hadn't been in a clothing store in months. But interestingly, far from feeling disconnected, I felt like I was starting to get feeling back in some part of my body that had fallen asleep. I've never worked in the fashion industry, so it wasn't any nostalgia for that (though it is always fun to see my friends who work at Fashionhaus). It was more that I've been so focused on work, on saving money and preparing myself for bad times, that I hadn't really done enough enjoying the fun things in life - like beauty and design - just for the love of it. I think that's how the people at Vogue get through times like now. At least, that's what I hope. It's not just about shopping (though of course, is partly about that since it is a business after all) but is also about just loving style, design, expression, beauty, etc.

I was also interested in the kind of fashion at the show. The designer, Matthew Ames, is a young American whose clothes reminded me (not being a fashion writer) of Georges de la Tour, monks cloaks, and Obi Wan Kenobi; sculptural, almost monastic designs in rich fabrics. That expensive minimalism also reminded me of Zoran, who had been around since the '70s but who I only heard of in the '90s, when his clothes were always in Elle. I mention all that because thinking back to the '90s reminded me that the economic slowdown then led to a preference for understated fashion and less of the '80s trash/flash. Ironically, I think the clothes were actually more expensive - but the emphasis was on craftsmanship rather than broadcasting labels. Prada and Marc Jacobs emerged from that environment and I think that we may see a similar shakeout of trash (do we really need celebrity designers, for example?) and the rise of some real new talents.

I hope so, anyhow.




















Tough look for tough times...?
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