Art completes what nature leaves unfinished.
One way to interpret this thought is by seeing a human being behind nature's unfinished creation. We are all born into this world as prototypes: similar to each-other and semi-finished. Art around us will start to model us according to how we response to changes. Fashion, overall fashion without any specifications about what can be perceived as art in fashion and what not, is a form of art.
Tom Ford once said: "That's the whole point of dressing up, you feel better about yourself. It's an enchanted version of who you are".
We all do it! We hide our flaws. We hide our insecurities. We bring out the sides we like most about ourselves. We manipulate, with ourselves or with others.
You wear. You feel. You are.
You are. You feel. You wear.
I have always found it extremely fascinating how one chooses between countless numbers of items and combines them. Dressing up is really a form of art, coming back to the "art" part.
Communicating with the world without words, offering aesthetic pleasure, making the world think, inspiring.
Our choices reflect out thoughts, our mood, our dreams, our hope, our plans. They reflect us.
I think, actually I'm positive you have also tried to figure out who is the newcomer on the first encounter or the stranger passing us by in the street. What is their story?
All the previous fancy cliche sentences belong under the wings of one giant question: "Why we wear what we wear?"
Seriously, why do you wear what you wear? Do you know? Can you explain it in words?
Yes, one way to expound this question is to think about the personal motives behind our wardrobe. The second one is to think about the universal motives. That includes: why we are given these specific opportunities in the stores? why designers create these specific opportunities for us? who/what inspired them to create? why we wear certain clothes to certain situations?, etc.
I am beginning the hunt to find out the answers to these questions and many more. And since this is like an introduction to the whole series of post I thought I would start by answering the personal question about myself and because I had to do this presentation at university already I figured I'd follow the shortest road.
In advance, I wouldn't say that I have the most interesting wardrobe of unique pieces. And also a big wardrobe. I'm quite the simple gal with a simple closet. You know, keep it simple. And so I didn't really photograph anything. Only the similar colors together to defend myself by stating previously how "simple" it is.
Let's see what the statistics say, shall we?
I like me some black. Color that is.
It's like that, you open my closet and see nothing but black at a first glance. And when the eye has become used to the darkness a couple of colorful things start to pop out.
I know that too much of black in one outfit is too much for my type (a summer with winter influences, at least that was what the teacher told me, I would never have considered myself as a summer type), but I feel comfortable in it.
I love how Ann Demeulemeester, who herself uses a lot of black while designing, said: "Black is not sad. Bright colors are what depresses me. They're so empty. Black is poetic. How do you imagine a poet? In a bright yellow jacket? Probably not..."
I don't share the extreme opinion concerning bright colors, I don't mind them, but I totally agree with her about black. There is something special about it. If you think about why we see black material as black, then physics explain that black swallows all the colorful lights and doesn't reflect anything to the eye back. Hence, there is a lot of energy and light in black. I feel it extremely well when wearing only black. There is something undescribable about wearing it head to toe. But it can be compared to that moment in, for example, movies when the superhero puts on his costume for the first time and this large quantity of energy runs through his veins like lightning. Have you felt it?
Then there are black and white items and white items. Overall, black and white forms over 60% of my closet. I can't help that my eyes first notice black and white in stores. I don't do it intentionally. Just the other day I was looking through the clothes in Humana (happy hour, ding-ding-ding, 1,50 euro). Second-hand shops and flee markets are the only places where I don't look for b&W (unconsciously that is). The more interesting color or print the more attention it will get from me, especially when I'm just passing by and running my eyes quickly through the items. And my last Humana visit concluded with two blck things: a skirt and a dress. And they both were from sheer fabric. I can't explain it in any other way than faith. I wasn't searching for these two pieces, they were searching me. And that's how we met.
By the way, the colorful colors are also a little dusty than clear and bright and in your face. That's the only way I can digest them. And colorful prints are a rare species in my closet. They are extremely loud at times.
So, the second diagram shows different items and how they are divided. It's quite logical that I have blouses the most. We change blouses most often. Although, I prefer pants, because they are most comfortable and practical routinely, I somehow have managed to collect a lot of skirts and dresses. If I didn't have to make this presentation at school I certainly would not know about this. And I kinda even miss them. If only we didn't have Siberia outside here. Actually it's getting a little warmer, so I'm hoping a get-together with them soon. These different jackets and vests have in my wardrobe and in life a very special place. I swear, on a bad day I feel as if I'm naked without a good pair of shoulder pads. A jacket gives this kind of a secure feeling, adding a gram of confidence that would be otherwise missing. If I know that I have something really important awaiting me (e.g a public performance) and I know I'm going to be nervous about it, I will most certainly wear a jacket or a vest to it. Without it I feel too...fragile . I'm manipulating with my own feelings and insecurities with a jacket.
The third diagram shows how old most of my clothes are. By "new" I mean items I bought form a shopping center, without taking into consideration how long ago I bought it. And "old" refers to items that are bought from a second-hand store, a flea market or items I fished from my mother or grandmother that are older than me. The secret to a successful "fishing trip" is to be consistent, make as much as you can positive-til-they-become-annoying comments about the item and to not give up! Although, I have less older clothes than new ones the older ones are my most exciting (for me exciting! Don't remember why? Read once more carefully from the beginning) and most treasured items of which I luckily am the owner. A piece of clothing that already had a life before you found it is thrilling. I once bought a green jacket from a well know Estonian singer Reet Linna and she told me that this jacket had been to Canada. What? I don't travel as much as I would like to and I have never made it out of Europe, but my jacket has been in Canada. Wow! And I often dream about the story of a fedora I came across by chance and thanks to a very good friend of mine. That hat is from the Soviet Times and I bet it has seen much more than I have in my life.
Fashion is great, because it allows to live several different lives in one lifetime. If you have the chance to play a new character with a new story, why not take it. I find pirates, musketeers, Louis XIII, Pierrot, pianists, detectives truly inspiring.
But let the truth come out. I don't usually dress always like that. Especially if I have to make my clothes decisions in the morning for school, especially if it's cold as you know what. The most usual picks are among cotton items that are comfy and soft to the skin (and kind of gives the impression of still laying in bed and who hasn't still mastered the art of sleeping with their eyes open during high-school?).
When talking about personal style, I can't define mine jet. I believe that before one can define their style one has to know thyself. It's an art. And I'm too young and restless to dedicate myself to some "word". But I'm old enough to know which direction I'm moving towards and you know what? By George, I think I've got it!
For now I've made up my own quite generic "words" that I can use describing my personal style without surrounding myself with boundaries about what I consider "this is soooo me" and "this is soo not me". Although, I have to admit, there are already several things that I can refer to using these expressions.
Logical Concrete
Logical in the meaning that using overall common knowledge and your own personal when deciding for a garment. E.g dark brown doesn't like grey (some men still don't get it) and underwear is the very first layer of clothing and then comes light wear and then overalls (simple and reasonable!). Concrete in the meaning that a blouse is a blouse, it has to cover certain parts to be called a piece of clothing; pants are pants, no, tights are not pants; a skirt is a skirt not a belt. Every item has to serve it's function or else why even make the effort of putting it on. And I think these two keywords are so universal that a lot of people can agree with me on these ones.
So this was a part of me. In very short small words and a really long post.
And this was par one of a series of post I'm planning to do in the future (the near the better).
I'd love to hear about your closet and why do you think you wear what you wear.
Tom Ford once said: "That's the whole point of dressing up, you feel better about yourself. It's an enchanted version of who you are".
We all do it! We hide our flaws. We hide our insecurities. We bring out the sides we like most about ourselves. We manipulate, with ourselves or with others.
You wear. You feel. You are.
You are. You feel. You wear.
I have always found it extremely fascinating how one chooses between countless numbers of items and combines them. Dressing up is really a form of art, coming back to the "art" part.
Communicating with the world without words, offering aesthetic pleasure, making the world think, inspiring.
Our choices reflect out thoughts, our mood, our dreams, our hope, our plans. They reflect us.
I think, actually I'm positive you have also tried to figure out who is the newcomer on the first encounter or the stranger passing us by in the street. What is their story?
All the previous fancy cliche sentences belong under the wings of one giant question: "Why we wear what we wear?"
Seriously, why do you wear what you wear? Do you know? Can you explain it in words?
Yes, one way to expound this question is to think about the personal motives behind our wardrobe. The second one is to think about the universal motives. That includes: why we are given these specific opportunities in the stores? why designers create these specific opportunities for us? who/what inspired them to create? why we wear certain clothes to certain situations?, etc.
I am beginning the hunt to find out the answers to these questions and many more. And since this is like an introduction to the whole series of post I thought I would start by answering the personal question about myself and because I had to do this presentation at university already I figured I'd follow the shortest road.
In advance, I wouldn't say that I have the most interesting wardrobe of unique pieces. And also a big wardrobe. I'm quite the simple gal with a simple closet. You know, keep it simple. And so I didn't really photograph anything. Only the similar colors together to defend myself by stating previously how "simple" it is.
Let's see what the statistics say, shall we?
It's like that, you open my closet and see nothing but black at a first glance. And when the eye has become used to the darkness a couple of colorful things start to pop out.
I know that too much of black in one outfit is too much for my type (a summer with winter influences, at least that was what the teacher told me, I would never have considered myself as a summer type), but I feel comfortable in it.
I love how Ann Demeulemeester, who herself uses a lot of black while designing, said: "Black is not sad. Bright colors are what depresses me. They're so empty. Black is poetic. How do you imagine a poet? In a bright yellow jacket? Probably not..."
I don't share the extreme opinion concerning bright colors, I don't mind them, but I totally agree with her about black. There is something special about it. If you think about why we see black material as black, then physics explain that black swallows all the colorful lights and doesn't reflect anything to the eye back. Hence, there is a lot of energy and light in black. I feel it extremely well when wearing only black. There is something undescribable about wearing it head to toe. But it can be compared to that moment in, for example, movies when the superhero puts on his costume for the first time and this large quantity of energy runs through his veins like lightning. Have you felt it?
Then there are black and white items and white items. Overall, black and white forms over 60% of my closet. I can't help that my eyes first notice black and white in stores. I don't do it intentionally. Just the other day I was looking through the clothes in Humana (happy hour, ding-ding-ding, 1,50 euro). Second-hand shops and flee markets are the only places where I don't look for b&W (unconsciously that is). The more interesting color or print the more attention it will get from me, especially when I'm just passing by and running my eyes quickly through the items. And my last Humana visit concluded with two blck things: a skirt and a dress. And they both were from sheer fabric. I can't explain it in any other way than faith. I wasn't searching for these two pieces, they were searching me. And that's how we met.
By the way, the colorful colors are also a little dusty than clear and bright and in your face. That's the only way I can digest them. And colorful prints are a rare species in my closet. They are extremely loud at times.
So, the second diagram shows different items and how they are divided. It's quite logical that I have blouses the most. We change blouses most often. Although, I prefer pants, because they are most comfortable and practical routinely, I somehow have managed to collect a lot of skirts and dresses. If I didn't have to make this presentation at school I certainly would not know about this. And I kinda even miss them. If only we didn't have Siberia outside here. Actually it's getting a little warmer, so I'm hoping a get-together with them soon. These different jackets and vests have in my wardrobe and in life a very special place. I swear, on a bad day I feel as if I'm naked without a good pair of shoulder pads. A jacket gives this kind of a secure feeling, adding a gram of confidence that would be otherwise missing. If I know that I have something really important awaiting me (e.g a public performance) and I know I'm going to be nervous about it, I will most certainly wear a jacket or a vest to it. Without it I feel too...fragile . I'm manipulating with my own feelings and insecurities with a jacket.
The third diagram shows how old most of my clothes are. By "new" I mean items I bought form a shopping center, without taking into consideration how long ago I bought it. And "old" refers to items that are bought from a second-hand store, a flea market or items I fished from my mother or grandmother that are older than me. The secret to a successful "fishing trip" is to be consistent, make as much as you can positive-til-they-become-annoying comments about the item and to not give up! Although, I have less older clothes than new ones the older ones are my most exciting (for me exciting! Don't remember why? Read once more carefully from the beginning) and most treasured items of which I luckily am the owner. A piece of clothing that already had a life before you found it is thrilling. I once bought a green jacket from a well know Estonian singer Reet Linna and she told me that this jacket had been to Canada. What? I don't travel as much as I would like to and I have never made it out of Europe, but my jacket has been in Canada. Wow! And I often dream about the story of a fedora I came across by chance and thanks to a very good friend of mine. That hat is from the Soviet Times and I bet it has seen much more than I have in my life.
Contrasts Romantic Military Minimal
Equestrian sport Balance Characters
The previous were a few keywords that I consciously or unconsciously keep in mind. My main philosophy when dressing is that I don't dress according to who I am or what I feel, but according to who I would like to be and how I would like to feel. This can be expressed best as contrasts- one half is who I really am (but I can't/don't suppress it) and the other who I actually would like to be. For example, feminine and masculine that I play with the most. Surprise right? Feminine for me representing delicateness and masculine strength.
Fashion is great, because it allows to live several different lives in one lifetime. If you have the chance to play a new character with a new story, why not take it. I find pirates, musketeers, Louis XIII, Pierrot, pianists, detectives truly inspiring. But let the truth come out. I don't usually dress always like that. Especially if I have to make my clothes decisions in the morning for school, especially if it's cold as you know what. The most usual picks are among cotton items that are comfy and soft to the skin (and kind of gives the impression of still laying in bed and who hasn't still mastered the art of sleeping with their eyes open during high-school?).
When talking about personal style, I can't define mine jet. I believe that before one can define their style one has to know thyself. It's an art. And I'm too young and restless to dedicate myself to some "word". But I'm old enough to know which direction I'm moving towards and you know what? By George, I think I've got it!
For now I've made up my own quite generic "words" that I can use describing my personal style without surrounding myself with boundaries about what I consider "this is soooo me" and "this is soo not me". Although, I have to admit, there are already several things that I can refer to using these expressions.
Logical Concrete
Logical in the meaning that using overall common knowledge and your own personal when deciding for a garment. E.g dark brown doesn't like grey (some men still don't get it) and underwear is the very first layer of clothing and then comes light wear and then overalls (simple and reasonable!). Concrete in the meaning that a blouse is a blouse, it has to cover certain parts to be called a piece of clothing; pants are pants, no, tights are not pants; a skirt is a skirt not a belt. Every item has to serve it's function or else why even make the effort of putting it on. And I think these two keywords are so universal that a lot of people can agree with me on these ones.
So this was a part of me. In very short small words and a really long post.
And this was par one of a series of post I'm planning to do in the future (the near the better).
I'd love to hear about your closet and why do you think you wear what you wear.
My favourite post so far!
ReplyDeleteVery-very exciting to read!
this accidentally managed to remind me how i love your style-sense, your own way of looking at things (also the deeper philosophy behind every argument) and lastly the way your personality gleams from the words you write down here
Keep going,
XOXO, your nose-battery
Gosh, honey, this made my day (even though I managed to blow a little snot from my nose when I started laughing by myself surrounded with my course mates, yeah I know embarrassing).
DeleteThank you for being the beautiful soul that you are, battery.
XX Jane