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| Early Sunday Morning by Edward Hopper |
"Fashion is more of an enemy," said Megan from Feathers & Freckles in an interview. This quote stuck in my head and banged around for a while. And while I'm not sure exactly what she meant, I'm going to go ahead and agree! Maybe fashion is the enemy of true style. Fashion is all about trends and consumption. While true personal style evolves, it is not a slave to trends. True personal style doesn't require hundreds of articles of clothing (said the girl with hundreds of articles of clothing (but she's working on it!))
I recently picked up Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline at Elliot Bay Bookstore. While I normally wait until I'm done reading a book to share it with you, I think I'm going to share passages that call to me as I go along this time. This one goes with the idea of fashion being the enemy:
"Many books about fashion begin with an argument for why we should take fashion seriously. I'm going to take a different approach and say that fashion largely deserves its bad reputation. It's a powerful, trillion dollar global industry that has too much influence over our pocketbooks, self-image, and storage spaces. It behaves with embarrassingly little regard for the environment or human rights. It changes the rules of what we're supposed to wear constantly, and we seem to have lost our sense of self along with changing trends...
... Clothes could have more meaning and longevity if we think less about owning the latest or cheapest thing and develop more of a relationship with the things we wear. Building a wardrobe over time, saving up and investing in well-made pieces, obsessing over the perfect hem, luxuriating in fabrics, and patching up and altering our clothes are old fashioned habits. But they're also deeply satisfying antidotes to the empty uniformity of cheapness. If most of us picked up the lost art of sewing or reconnected with the seamstresses and tailors in our communities, we could all be our own fashion designers and constantly reinvent, personalize, and perfect the things we own."
I just love what she said about saving up for great pieces and luxuriating in fabrics. This paragraph also makes me feel really good about the few items I've had altered! Maybe I'll even pick up my tiny sewing kit and get to replacing a few broken buttons...
Daily Details:
- weather: sunny and warm
- location: suburb pond park
- top, old, approximate current cost per wear (accpw) $10
- shorts, old, accpw $3
- sandals, old, accpw $0.50
- yellow bag, ebay nwt, accpw $27
- Ethical Ensemble Evaluation: B (the bag brought down the average)
Thank you Hannah, Lisa, Kim, Mary, Mik, Sharon, Robin, Beth, Maiken, Teddi, Jacqueline, Triston, Nancy, Two Birds, Jessica, Renae, Thrifted or Scripted, Shea, and Maria for being thoughtful in addition to being so supportive and sweet about my last post. I'm going to bear hug you if we ever meet in person!
Also, head on over to Animated Cardigan for more interpretations of this great painting!
I love Edward Hopper. I follow your Blog now.
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A.
I love the pop of color with your yellow bag!
ReplyDeleteThat quote from Elizabeth Cline makes me want to run out and buy that book!
ReplyDeleteYou totally hit the nail on the head with what I meant by my quote in the interview. I think that people often get so wrapped up in this notion of 'fashion' and trends that they lose their personal and unique style.
Love how you picked up the colors in that painting with your outfit - that yellow bag is so cute ;)
I like the painting and I like your look. it's great that you've added those bright sunny shades. I think colours can add so much to a regular look.
ReplyDeleteand yeah, who cares about what's IN?! at least I don't :)
Maiken,
Maikeni blogi - part of me
Your top is really cute!
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I think I get it, especially when you think about being a slave to fashion - keeping up with trends and that kind of thing. So I prefer thinking of it as style, something that can evolve over time!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting book! I'll have to check it out.
The colors in your outfit match the painting really well! And I know the bag brings the grade down, but I still love that yellow bag!
And you're welcome re: your last post. :)
i've always had a problem distinguishing between style and fashion. being fashionable meant looking nice and put together to me for a long time, but then i realized that was stylish. english is a weird language that will forever confuse me, even though i'm a native speaker. i feel bad for people who have to learn it as a second language.
ReplyDeleteanyhow, your take on this image is AMAZING. i love how you took the colors into your outfit - and that pop of yellow with the purse is just perfect.
Loved your phrase: "stuck in my head and banged around for a while." hahahaha, that is what happens isn't it? That happens to me often, but putting it into words like that is exactly what happens. thank you!!!! Loved the comparison between your ensemble and Hopper's painting; cleaver! You fill me with inspiration daily (hug)!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. Sometimes it's hard not to get caught up in the latest trends. It's important to be true to your personal style. You can do so while incorporating the trends, but your style shouldn't be defined by them. :)
ReplyDeletexo, Yi-chia
Always Maylee
i have a love-hate relationship with fashion. i have a pretty good sense of what i like to wear and what looks good on my body. but i also like to find new things and try new outfits. so fashion shows me new (or in most cases, 20 year-old) items to wear. i pick and choose what i like, and don't feel like i have to buy all the latest trends.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Vivienne, I love that top paragraph the most. Sometimes I buy fashion magazines just for the visual stimulation, or if I think I may be spending some time in a hotel room while other people are sleeping. (like now) But as I thumb through them I always wonder why I keep buying them. They're so unrealistic and they lure me in to spending more money. One of the ways I've learned to build a better quality wardrobe that lasts longer is to think ahead about 10 years. WEll, maybe not quite that far....but, you get my idea.
ReplyDeleteI obviously need to read that book! I've actually been thinking a lot about style vs. fashion. I'm older and dread the whole "mutton dressed as lamb" thing, and I've lost most of my interest in pop culture (which is where so many trends come from). I also design and make jewelry that doesn't appeal to trendy customers at all, but definitely appeals to artsy people and those with a strong sense of their own style. I have a glass on my worktable that has a quote by Edna Woolman Chase: "Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." I like that.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting point to bring up--there is a fine line between fashion and style and often fashion is more damaging and hurtful than necessary. Plus, it's an industry that perpetuates its profits with images of "beauty" and "perfection." So.... yeah. There is a lot of discussion that could happen here, but I'm going to leave it at that. (:
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing a lot about this book and i really want to read it. I also would L-O-V-E to learn to sew or at least alter better so i could change clothes to my whim. I just need to find a teacher!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I think I'm starting to think the same way. I've become more and more willing to mend my clothes and alter items to fit me while be less and less willing to buy fast fashion. I guess the Land of Nosh Opping has been good for me after all!
ReplyDeleteThis was great Vivienne! I use to frivolously purchase items on a whim, but now I really take my time to think about everything. I'm buying for ME now. Do i like it? Does it fit well? What about the longevity of the outfit? Those are all the things I consider and take into account. I hold onto my wardrobe for long periods of time.
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Love Elliot Bay Bookstore. Such a landmark in Seattle. Your shirt is super cute.
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