This past week has been Fashion Week in New York. It is the week that all the expensive designers put on shows for their upcoming lines of clothing. I have to admit a facination with clothing fashions. I enjoy putting together a “look” and wearing it well. I pay attention to other people’s clothes and make private judgements about what I think looks good or how I think it would look better. Like the fashion designers I enjoy the interaction of color and line and texture that clothing can provide. However unlike fashion industry people I believe there are things far more important than clothing. People for instance. My private judgements remain private because I know that what is to my taste is not to everyone’s taste. Howard has a shirt which he loves and which makes me cringe. He loves it because it makes people cringe. When he wears it, he is dressing for effect and doing it very well. I will not criticize what other people choose to wear because I don’t know why they are wearing it. Why they choose the things they wear is far more important than what they choose to wear.
I watched some video of a few fashion shows. I found the models uniformly repellent and I liked almost none of the clothing. Then I realized why I was reacting this way. In a fashion show everything is about the clothes. The models are trained to be as nonexistent as possible. The only reason the model is there is because the clothes can’t walk by themselves. The clothes themselves did some fascinating things with color, line, and texture but none of it was aimed at making an actual person look good. These designer clothes are to be viewed aesthetically by themselves. To me the point of clothing (beyond the practical “keep me warm”) is to make a person look good. Clothing is not a point unto itself. Clothing should fit the person who is wearing it. Clothing should fit what the person is trying to do. Clothing should make the person feel happy and confident and attractive. (Or daring and rebellious, or nonconformist, or whatever the person is trying to express.) None of the clothes I saw in the fashion week videos did that.
Clothing should also not break the bank. One of the fashion week videos I saw was about Tory Burch who opened her own line of clothing. She said she was tired of designer prices and wanted to provide attractive, afforable clothing. Apparently to Tory Burch $150 for a T shirt qualifies as “affordable.” In the past two years I have not spent more than $7 for any one item of clothing in my closet. Most of my clothing acquisitions have been free hand-me downs from friends. This means that I have a fairly eclectic wardrobe full of things that I would probably not have paid money for. Anything I really don’t like, I get rid of, but other than that I keep it and as a result I have a wardrobe that meets my needs, clothes I can live in. I also have some clothes I can dress up in when I want to dress for effect rather than for practicallity.
Years ago I bought a book on sewing couture style clothing. It was a fascinating read for me. Someday I plan to use the information in that book to sew myself some really amazing and wonderful clothes. Those imagined clothes will be more wonderful and fit my personality better than any designer clothing because they will be mine from start to finish. Unfortunately this couture sewing is way down on my “to do” list because no matter how much I enjoy beautiful clothing, other things are far more important for me to spend time and money on.
There’s a show on Bravo (extended basic cable in my area) about people trying to be fashion designers in NYC, taking place at an art school there. It’s kinda’ interesting watching the critiques by models and designers. There’s a few students who seem to be concerned with wearable art while others are re-creating styles that have been around for years. It’s nice to see that the judges are pushing for ‘real’ clothes that people would want to wear, be comfortable in, and not fall apart. Each weekly project only gives the students $100 per outfit. Sounds kinda’ expensive (am K-mart shopper for new stuff) but for constructing a proto type, really not too bad. An interesting viewing, if you get the chance. My wife has got both myself and our 5 year old interested in it. This past weekend, daughter started designing doll clothes. This weekend, she learns the sewing machine (gringe!).
my small rant about fashion
I admit I love watching those fashion shows. I realize that these fashions affect what will be available for us regular people in the next year or two.
Because I only buy clothes when I need something and only if they are on sale, I have always wanted to grill other women who are “fashionistas” and ask them how much they spend on clothes every month/year and how much time does it take to figure out what to wear each new season, how many clothes/shoes do they have and do they actually wear them all?, and do they realize that those low rise jeans show off your underwear when you bend over?, etc.
If I were someone who bought all the latest fashions and wore makeup ALL the time and needed all the products for hair,etc. Well, Ross probably wouldn’t have married me… but, more than that we wouldn’t have been able to financially survive the early poor years of marriage, and for what? Clothes? Makeup? Special facial creams and shampoos?
Walking around the Gateway (where rich people gather to shop), Ross and I laugh at all the people who are “in fashion” because they look just like everyone else and the latest fashions look funny! Why did you pay $100.+ for already ripped jeans?!? The fashion world told you that you HAVE to wear super pointy high heels with jeans? How uncomfortable! We like our look… comfortable.
Funny how that designer thought that $150. was affordable for a t-shirt!
Oprah does that on her make over shows too. “Oh, the perfect jeans and they are ONLY $50.! I can’t believe it!” I just bought my first pair of jeans for over $20. ($24. on sale, used to be $50-60. and they are my NICE jeans and I don’t want my kids near them!:) and before that only bought jeans on sale for $15 and only if my last pair got holes in the knees or got too big.
I’ve always wanted to own a store for plus size clothes. I hate picking through what others think that I (as a plus size woman) SHOULD look like.
Most of the clothes look like my mom or grandma would wear it, and the rest seem to be telling me that my chest is my ONLY asset and I should show it off. I walk around the “regular size” sections and see lots of nice clothes I would like, if only they were in my size! Why the big difference? and How frustrating! Lane Bryant is ridiculous. Everything is $40.+ and the last time I went there it looked like frilly dressed up goth or ripped jeans were “in”. Oh yeah, don’t forget the 60’s paisley blouses that show off your “assets”. I hate shopping for clothes.
I’m taking up sewing so that I can help my daughter fight against the immodest fashionistas of the world and the stores that will tell her that she needs to look like a grown up and if she’s got it she should flaunt it… who cares if she’s four?
Re: my small rant about fashion
I have the same troubles shopping for plus size clothing. I went to the mall recently with a budget of $200 to buy clothes for work, and came away having spent $15.00 on a couple of Thomas the Tank Engine shirts for my 3-year-old, and $15.00 on a pair of shoes for myself.
I gave up on Lane Bryant long ago, but as it was the only thing in the mall that appeared to have clothing in my size, I went in. You’re right, it was all either frilly or gothic; what was appropriate for my work didn’t bloody fit. Why, oh why, do they think that if you’re a size 26 you must be 7 feet tall and have no boobs?
If I must buy clothing from a retail chain, Dress Barn has some nice things which actually fit my curvy 5’2″ frame, and The Avenue is my place of choice for slacks. They’re not cheap, but I’ll gladly pay $40.00 for a pair of slacks that will last me for years, are classic lines so they won’t become dated, and actually (gasp!) fit!
Still, it’s a challenge finding things that fit my plus size body well without making me look like my grandmother (a 4-foot tall one to boot!). It’s no wonder (to me at least) why I end up buying inexpensive clothes from Wal-Mart and just calling it d-o-n-e whenever possible.
clothing as a tool
For better or for worse, clothing is also a tool to manipulate people’s impressions of the wearer. Used car salesmen, for example, or scantily-clad models in ads for soda. I personally use it to try and create an impression of authority. I am a professor, and I look significantly younger than I really am, so that on the first day of class many of the students think I’m just another classmate! I dress up at the beginning of the semester to try and establish a respectful environment, which is more needed in the Gen Ed classes. As the semester goes on I get closer to what I call my “street clothes” to help the students feel more comfortable with me.
Clothes that are right for you
If you put on an outfit and everyone compliments you and says, “You look great!” then you know you have chosen well. If you wear a new outfit and everyone says, “What a great outfit!” then perhaps you are only being a “hanger” to display the outfit. When I was trying to decide between two gorgeous outfits, the red one was flashy and caught my eye. The blue one was not quite so flashy. I applied the above philosophy and decided that the red outfit looked great but that I looked terrific in the blue one. It worked for me!
Clothes ought to compliment you, make you look better.
Re: my small rant about fashion
I don’t understand. Women have been around for how long? Why doesn’t the fashion industry realize that women (still) have curves?
And what about the Petite thing? At 5’6″ for some reason I USED to be a regular and a year or two ago on a lark tried a Petite jean and they fit and weren’t too long. What happened to clothes (or me?) to put me into the Petite category? I can’t even imagine trying to find clothes that are the right length for anyone shorter than me. My mom is shorter than me and she ALWAYS needs new pants hemmed up.
Crazy.
Lane Bryant did have a pretty good clearance rack for jeans. At least they did in January, but, I often end up at WalMart myself.
Have you ever noticed how Plus Size areas in stores are in the back or upstairs or in the middle surrounded by high dividers?
Re: my small rant about fashion
I say this with a bit of sheepishness.
I really envy people who can shop at lane bryant at times. I usually eye their window with a great deal of temptation, wondering if it would be worth the effort to modify it down a size. Probably wouldn’t want to shop there for work clothes though.
I go for comfort
I go for comfort first in clothing. I’m naturally cold all the time so I’m always wearing layers. I know I usually look frumpy but I hate freezing all the time. I never understood the fad in the late ’80s at my high school of wearing sweatshirts (sometimes with a turtle neck under) and shorts.
Now that I work in the HR office of an international corporation I notice my frumpiness more. I’ve never had much fashion sense so I’ll probably stay a frump. I’ll take comfort over looks anytime.
Re: I go for comfort
Contrary to what fashionistas would have us believe, comfort first is a valid fashion choice.
Re: my small rant about fashion
They put the “fat chick” stuff in the back or hidden off so that the stigma is obvious. Or maybe just so that the people in the plus size won’t realize how uuuuuuugly their stuff is in comparison to the really CUTE stuff across the divider. grr.
Re: I go for comfort
Really, really good clothes should look good and feel good. Seems to be something that gets lost in translation along the way though…
Somehow, I’m thinking the similar thread between this entry and the current storyline in Schlock is not entirely coincidental. >:)
Actually it was this entry (http://sandratayler.livejournal.com/2006/01/21/) which inspired the current storyline. But yes I proudly claim responsibility for this particular storyline.
Heehee! I admit that Elf has a quite a … forceful way of expressing the same sentiment. 🙂