At its very core, fashion is about three things: practicality, authenticity and risk. Practicality is the most objective of part of the equation: you don’t wear ballet flats to your environmental studies lab or a neon unitard to a wedding — these are rules of common sense and need no further explanation within the contents of this column.
Authenticity on the other hand, is as subjective as it gets, this is what stylistic label(s) you place or refuse to place upon yourself, it’s where you shop, don’t shop, the type of people you admire and the trends you refuse to partake in. Authenticity in fashion discourse usually comes in the form of self-describing adjectives: relaxed, preppy, crunchy, athletic, euro, non-conformist, whimsical, feminine, classic, vintage and so on and so forth. Authenticity is taste, it’s liking what you like, because you like it – the why is irrelevant, it’s far more feeling than rationality. Because stylistic integrity is so inherently personal, it is impossible, and even downright mean to try and quantify and compare the value of respective sub-cultures over others — none is better than the rest, for the real success or failure of fashion exists in the final piece of our equation: risk.
“You wear things that people shouldn’t … but you always pull it off” is something I hear from friends almost relentlessly. Given not everyone might agree with them, for I feel a certain level of understanding about my personality is key when trying to comprehend why I’m wearing a Native American headdress in the middle of the day, or spent an hour in the morning putting my hair into 1940’s pin curls, but regardless, my response is always the same: “pulling off” a look is confidence supported by a strong foundation of authenticity and just the right amount of practicality. I’d say it breaks down 50-25-25; if you’re being true to yourself and dressed with common sense, a fair amount of risk taking is palatable, even by the most monotonous of clotheshorses.
Point being, you CAN pull off animal print, or skinny jeans, or lime green kicks as long as you don’t second guess yourself. Think of your wardrobe as a neutral starting ground, the clothes you always wear are like a security blanket, they are safe and warm and sentimentally recycled throughout the week over and over again. Now take two steps away from your favorite boots, to the shoes you have always envied on other people, but could “never pull off” in real life. Now subtract 5 percent of your practicality and act on feeling. This is where you want to live from now on, a safe distance from boring in the realm of the comfortable challenge.
Life is all about pushing yourself: your intellect, your truth, your emotional capacity, your creativity, your endurance, your confidence — and while you may not consider clothing to be one of your top priorities or perhaps not even a point of interest, why not let your inner growth shine through the “superficial” layers of the outside? Regardless of how much you personally care about fashion, we all like to feel good in our own skin, and nothing feels better than balance between all of our facets, inside and out. So put on the bright red pants. Wear heels out to the bar even though you’re already 5’10. Put away the sweatshirt and try something new. Every day is an adventure. Play dress up.
Et Tu, Sweatpants? 9/30/10
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