this heat has got me thinking cold.
summer’s nowhere near over, but already i’m thinking about fall. while bopping around the apartment today and working on some mending/alterations from my restyle pile, i got inspired to throw together some fall outfits, and dress up my mannequin, penelope. i’m proud to say that nearly everything she’s wearing is hand-made or found second-hand.
-psychedelic bandana: thrifted in florida
-red/white vintage tee: thrifted in florida
-tiny denim jacket: buffalo exchange
-button-front patchwork skirt: pattern was designed by and made by me, with fabric from an enourmous thrifted wrap skirt that was thrifted ages ago in florida.
-brown vintage boots: thrifted @ goodwill on e. 23rd street, manhattan.
-simple orange wool crocheted scarf: hand crocheted by me
-green wool oversized sweaterdress: designed and hand-knit by me
-70s peach colored tank: thrifted in florida
-vintage levi’s 501’s with bleach spots: thrifted at the salvation army in hell’s kitchen, manhattan.
-brown/beige snakeskin shoes: old stuart weitzman’s, from beacon’s closet
-yellow 70s henley knit top: beacon’s closet
-red long-sleeved vintage peasant top: beacon’s closet
-red leather belt with snakeskin patch: zachary’s smile
-vintage gold beaded necklaces, thrifted in florida
-acid-wash skirt: from a vintage store in east london, UK.
-floral canvas and leather bag: miss sixty store in amsterdam, NL.
-yellow/tan campers: camper store, NYC.
***
question:
tis better to follow trends, pick and choose them to your taste, or eschew them altogether?
i’m not saying one is better than the other, not at all. i just wonder where other people stand on this sort of thing.
i’ve been following many fashion/style blogs lately, and some of my favorites tend to focus on seasonal trends. while i do keep all three eyes (hah!) open to all things fashion-y, i don’t always spend a lot hitting the fashion fashion spots trying to keep up with the latest and the greatest. instead, i truly just go out and find what appeals to me, whether it’s trendy or not. sometimes my whims intersect with the hottest trends, but often, they don’t. it is as if i simultaneously care and do not care.
i wonder if this is because i am somewhat older (31 in 8 days!), and am set in my ways? i often find myself obsessing or fixating on certain things, and these span several years or seasons or even years, though some do have a shorter shelf-life.
i also have a sort of hard-to-fit figure, so even if it’s the hottest thing off the runways, it probably won’t fit me or suit me anyhow.
then there’s often the waste angle: i don’t want to spend good money on a bunch of little trendy things, to have them fall apart after a few washings/wearings, or spend a lot on something designer-y but trendy, to have it become declasse too fast. i’d rather buy something i know i’ll love and use again and again, if i’m going to bother spending more than a few dollars on it.
i think of styling clothing as an art: it’s a singularly fun form of expression. it’s about color, texture, proportion, design…clothes and accessories are to self-expression as paint is to the painter or words are to the writer. we all put the elements around us together in a different way. the way things fall together on my body (or perhaps yours as well) is about serendipity: found objects come together and tell the world about who i am: who i have been my whole life, what is dear to me, how i am feeling that day.
trends can fit into that expression, that story, but for me, they can’t be the whole story. i have to be me, or i feel i’d be pretending to be someone else, or telling another person’s tale.
July 28 2006 | Posted in fashion musing, it's personal.
July 28 2006 at 3:44 pm
DeborahI say,keep to your style,incorperate a peice if you like it or lean twords peices already in your wardrobe(like skinny jeans!) that you can make ‘current trend’ matches with.
I DO like to keep the weights of clothing seasonal in the traditional sense.
And a note for you:since your such a fall/winter dresser:you care going to LOVE living in SF.Its all about layers all year ’round!
July 28 2006 at 7:49 pm
Victoria EClothing is an art and following trends obsessively takes the personal aspect out of it. I stay up on the trends via magazines and online, but rarely use them to influence on my own style; most of it is just writing research. I have a hard-to-fit body as well (at least according to the runway), so going shopping for vintage goodies or just making stuff myself is the best way to go.
July 29 2006 at 2:13 am
jill danyelleI think we are so lucky to be able to really wear whatever we want. In some ways isn’t that how trends are born. I know not all women feel the same about dressing, but I agree with your take on it being a form of creative and personal expression. I love the diversity of combining ever changing elements, but I have my Zittel-esque moments where I see the usefulness of “uniform”. I could spend a week in the t-shirt dress I am wearing right now. It is so easy… take-off, sleep, put on, go and repeat… but do I crave this simplicity as a palate cleanser to the not too far gone seasons of embellishment?
I am trying to explore more of the labels that people put on us based on our clothing as well. But generally, here in the East Village I feel like I could walk down the street on fire and people would barely bat an eye. So while I have always tried to maintain a sense of individualism, here I feel I can dress without too many social constraints as well.
I have all sorts of stuff living in my closet, some of it trendy… I loved my black leggings when I bought them a year ago, but I’ll be damned if I am going to put leggings under my skirt in the middle of a heatwave just to be trendy. And now that the streets are overrun with leggings they have lost some of their appeal, so that is part of the trend danger. Do you just soldier on through it or retreat to resurface another day? I have always had a bit of a bohemian vibe and I am certainly not going to throw away some of my beloved pieces just because that trend has faded. In general, I try to go trend light, maybe incorporating one or two new things if I like them and also saving my beloved things to reintroduce when the trend has died down and they seem fresh again. As you know, I am an even older lady!! Being older, I am starting to look at my wardrobe as more of a collection to invest in. I am also just learning how to sew properly, so that adds a whole new dimension too.
I think you brought up some great feelings on the topic. In the end by eschewing trends or fitting a trend or two into your personal style you don’t lose your individuality and, in fact, in my book are more interesting than someone who subscribes to tons of trends or labels…
I am hoping to read The Psychology of Dress over vacation. It was written in the 20’s. I wonder what they thought…
July 29 2006 at 3:36 pm
CaseyHi! I’ve been reading your blog for the past week or so. I want to thank you for sharing your amazing outfits with us!! I’m a pretty much a “basics” dresser, but your blog has really inspired me to add some color to my wardrobe. Not to mention your thrift-finds rock!!
I feel the need to do some serious thrift store shopping coming on… lol.
I really like what you said about trends. I really admire that you don’t seem to blindly follow whats hot and whats not for any given season. I tend to try to follow the basic trend idea, but in the end, I’m finding that anymore I dress to please myself. Right now, in the hot weather, I’m really just into comfort (basic skirts, basic tank tops). During the cooler months I tend to go all-out. hehe. Like you, I also struggle with reconciling the “waste factor”. I went into a high-end boutique yesterday to look around. I drooled over the most gorgeous sweaters and dresses I’ve seen in awhile. Of course, they were all at least several hundred dollars, and very of-the-moment in style. I just couldn’t help but think: what will I do with this when it becomes an old trend item?! My tastes change too oftent to facilitate buying into every trend too. I bounce from one idea or look to another often.
I guess my idea of sucessful trendy dressing is incorporating a few trend items with your own style. The classiest looking people I’ve ever seen don’t look like they just stepped off the runway–they always put a spin on the current season trends to suit them, their vision and their bodies. (Another point I totally agree with you on; I’m another hard-to-fit gal. 
Anyway, much rambling; not sure I made any points in there. hehe. Keep up your fabulous and inspiring posts–I’m really enjoying seeing your creative vision!
July 30 2006 at 7:33 am
Ashiyaclothes for me are all about self-expression, and i really feel that no one can truly express themself if they’re just wearing trends - and i’m 17, so i don’t think it’s an age thing! fashion, for me, is just too throwaway. like you said, i prefer to invest
i still can’t get over your beautiful knitted green dress!
July 31 2006 at 2:57 pm
Lisa-GabrielleThe subject of personal style is one that interests me very much. Isn’t it always the ones whose amazing house you visit ,the ones that have a collection of something you never dreamed people would collect, that always have the best clothes. Is it because they have a way of re-imagining these clothes in a way the creator of the garment did not.? For me the answer is yes.These are the people , I think, that actually do inspire trends. They look so truly beautiful, cool, and confident that the designer is inspired to riff on them.As a lifelong fashion freak , I can never resist a trend or 2 ,but I always pair them with what I love most ,what inspires me.