personal fashion faux pas
I had a major housecleaning day yesterday in which i went thru my closet and tried to finally give the boot to all the half-assed clothing lounging around there. i'm such a clothes hoarder--piles of stuff that i've been meaning to "fix" in some way, and vintage items that i've had the idea of wearing but have not done so in a looooong time. It's silly and takes up too much space! so after sifting thru it all i have realized that i have some major deficiencies in my wardrobe: mainly PANTS. where did all my pants go? how come all my pants are the flare-type that was big, like, four years ago? all my jeans are terribly ratty (and not in the good way. actually, ratty jeans are not good, period). I found a picture of what I want: stovepipe pants. In with the new silhouette, out with the damn flares!
and i can't even begin to mention all my outdated tops and jackets. I never did buy a good coat this year...and i need leggings. yes, leggings. like the kind i used to wear in middle school under skirts and giant 80s Esprit tunic tops. i'm going to dress like i'm 12 years old again, only not really. and i want dresses. lots of little jersey cotton dresses that i can layer stuff over and under. and more jewelry. strange chunky jewelry that looks a bit "off" but that everyone will comment on.
I find it ironic that as a person who *makes* clothes, i can't even attire myself properly. I think it's because I generally wind up selling all the good stuff with the intention of making the next one for myself...and then...well, you know the story! Ack!
9 Comments:
I'm a huge fan of flares because they work to balance out just about everyone's body and add height (unless they're those stupid low-waisted ones that make your butt look low and everyones flabby stomaches hang out all over the place - thank god for tunics coming back in style to hide that business...). Stovepipes in my opinion, make just about everyone look awful - anything with a peg leg makes normal thighs look huge and bizzare, butts look wider, and they cut the body's height. Even on super skinny girls I hate them - that weird space between their legs sticks out more and makes them look like they're waddling.
I have mixed feelings on the leggings. I wore them in grade school too, and have fond memories of them, but once again, you run into the same problems you do with stove and peg jeans, AND they make knees look weirdly thick, AND they cut the body oddly off at the ankle. If you have the legs to wear them, love them. All of this recent stuff we're importing fashion wise from Asia - I hated the look when it was over there too. I stopped picking up fashion magazines when it came into style.
i buy heaps of used clothing in finland every summer and only a tiny percentage ever makes my practical wardrobe. i have occasional flea markets where i invite friends to come take everything they want for free and then drop the rest off at a charity shop.
as far as the trousers go, i just magically transform any offending annomaly into slinky drainpipes. with my sewing machine. especially if the pants/jeans look good in the bumular region, you can't just throw them away if they're doing you a favor..
duh, i didn't think of turning my flares into stovepipes. duh. thanks, sarah...it sounds like finland is the land of great lost vintage! i did a "naked lady" event a few years ago where my old roomates and i invited about 20 girls for brunch. everyone brought clothes they didn't want and we put them all into a pile and just traded like mad. it was fab!
ashimo, yah, i hear ya on the weirdness of leggings, but dag nabbit, i'm a-gonna try 'em again! wish me luck... :)
i think it's funny that talking about pants brings out so much feeling in all of us. i swear, i search high and low to find great vintage pants and it's most always an exercise in frustration. they've become akin to my personal holy grail. or something like that.
i also feel like i kinda neglect my own wardrobe, and never make anything good for myself:( i just get so excited about other folks enjoying it!
the leggings are creeping me out (sorry steph)! i've been seeing them everywhere, and it just reminds me of the 80s all over again... in a bad way. but hey, if you can pull it off and look good doing it, then applause:)
I think leggings can be really cute if the outfit and body are right. Personally, I can't do it - I look stumpy when I wear them. However, I love the idea of a jersey dress, leggings, and cute flats.
Leggings are BIG in Japan - it's all about layering here. I totally think you can pull it off. They have some cute ones here with lace fringes etc.
i too have mixed feelings on the leggings... they're cute on some celebrities i see but i heard the rule is, if you wore them the first time around, you shouldn't wear them when they come back!
i may have just missed the cutoff in my older age...
(i did break down last year and bought some stovepipes though. and i love them! from ben sherman.)
yeah, i cant stand flares anymore. i prefer bootlegged. i'm not ready for stovepipes. nope. my saddlebags say "no thanks."
hey jeannie, i may have to look into a pair of ben shermans myself, per your recommendation! oh, if only i paid attention to the rule of not wearing things the second time around...i still have things in my wardrobe from *high school* that still get worn!
aj--let's all say good riddance to flares...begone ye flares!
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