Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wardrobe for a different self

I have a pair of Chie Mihara high heels that I bought from Anthropologie that I can't bear to return, even though I haven't worn them yet and don't actually see myself wearing them.  It's like I'm saving them for a future self, or an alternate self that hasn't come into existence yet.  And maybe never will.

I like keeping some things for that reason.  I know, too much of this would result in an impractical wardrobe with little use in my real life.  So I know to avoid most of the accoutrements of the A. Wang, goth-y, downtown girl look that has pervaded fashion and blogs for some time.  While I think the attitude and the clothes are infinitely cool, I know that that girl is something I will never be, so I know not to try to approximate (in fashion lingo, I can't "pull it off").

But I think a little bit, just a dose, of that imaginative possibility taps into the self-inventing part of fashion that appeals to me so much.  Like maybe, this silvery-pink pair of strappy high heels will call into existence the girl I'd like to be.  Or a signature lipstick would help snap me into focus.  Or something like that.*


* (Though again, I have to qualify that and wonder how much of it is the Machine at work.  How much of this difference between real self and idealized self is the production of magazines, and models, and editors, and the whole industry saying that this is what you should be and look like, and here, let me sell you something that would help get you there.)

7 comments:

  1. Ha, i just learned a new word... approximate. Thanks!

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  2. I love words that can be verbs and adjectives at the same time!

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  3. Hello to you inspirational human-being! I've copy+paste some well-written words from your blog.. hope it's okay, I've credited you!! Only because I couldn't say it better myself..

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  4. No problem! It's neat to have ideas circulate.

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  5. I've heard that American fashion magazines differ from French ones as the American ones tend to have the "what's in, what's out" articles that are generated by the "machine," whereas French magazines give readers options of what's available and let them decide how to put it all together.

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  6. Cherie, I haven't had the chance to compare. I think the American economy is based on consumerism, and that seems to drive the engine of fashion too.

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