I have always been fascinated with the darker side of life. As I walk the East Village, reminders of what it was in the 70’s when I visited tattoo parlors before they were legal, drank in seedy bars and had friends who lived in squats, brings back all the feelings of attraction/repulsion that go with transgression. I think this fascination comes from being young during a time when we had bomb drills in schools, there were fall-out shelters on every corner and we were always warned about being buried alive and tortured by the “Communists”. On TV we watched Twilight Zone about the barren life after nuclear disaster and Life Magazine offered up big color photos of the new phenomenon of mass murders like Richard Speck killing student nurses in Chicago, Charles Manson and his followers and assassinations of public figures.
At some point as a child I got really sick of being afraid and rather than withdraw I embraced the fear and started my lifelong habit of dealing with it by managing the terror, studying the object creating it, finding everything out about it and transforming it to an object of interest rather than dread. This capacity to neutrally view the darker side of life and to transform horrendous stories and events into objects of curiosity rather than horror has enabled me to be very good at my work. Perhaps this explains why I always wear black and white, it contains both darkness and light. Perhaps my change of clothes was the real reason for my feeling displaced this summer. Can clothes be that powerful? Is that why I now choose to study fashion? Because of its incredible power for beauty and/or destruction?
Accidental Icon Wears:
Black Vest: Sarah Pacini, Skinny dark jeans, AG Jeans, White Shirt: San Francisco Clothing, Sunglasses: The Optical Boutique
What are your thoughts about the “power” of fashion?
This is so fascinating. I was just thinking about the student nurse murders. I remember their faces all in a row on the front page of the news. And Ted Bundy of course. I think we remember those moments so strongly because they are pivotal moments of introspection in new places of our psychi.
Your description of transforming horror into something of interest reminds me of the dear Ann Rule who just passed away this week in her 80’s. Author of "Stranger Beside Me" and other crime novels. She was a friend of the family from the 70’s and she was a master at revealing the fascinating side of the darkness in all of us.
I think your new found denim love touches the edgy side of you.
So funny, my leisure reading is crime novels and police procedurals. I especially love the series that come out of Sweden and Great Britain. Art transforms.
Thank you so much for saying so!
Your posts are so thought provoking Lyn. I love your discussion regarding dark vs. light and your stunning edgy look. Your reveal of your shoulders and a little tummy is so tastefully done. I really believe it’s not so much WHAT you wear, but HOW you wear it that really determines whether or not you have that "it" factor, which you definitely do. I think the fact that you delved into the darker things and embraced them makes you a much more interesting person and dresser!
Haven’t been able to visit my favorite blogs lately and I’m never disappointed when I visit yours. Very exciting that you have decided to study fashion. Would love to hear more about that.
Cherie
http://www.stylenudge.com
Happy to hear from you! I imagine you have been busy with your new e-store. I will share the results of my study and see how they can be transformed into editorials and posts.
Your posts are so thought provoking Lyn. I love your discussion regarding dark vs. light and your stunning edgy look. Your reveal of your shoulders and a little tummy is so tastefully done. I really believe it’s not so much WHAT you wear, but HOW you wear it that really determines whether or not you have that "it" factor, which you definitely do. I think the fact that you delved into the darker things and embraced them makes you a much more interesting person and dresser!
Haven’t been able to visit my favorite blogs lately and I’m never disappointed when I visit yours. Very exciting that you have decided to study fashion. Would love to hear more about that.
Cherie
http://www.stylenudge.com
Happy to hear from you! I imagine you have been busy with your new e-store. I will share the results of my study and see how they can be transformed into editorials and posts.
I love your post dear! Have a nice day:)
http://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/printed-sea-3880191
Thank you so much for saying so!
Yes, yes, I think you are studying fashion for all of those reasons. I too have always been attracted to what I call "the seedy side." I also love black. When someone I know recently complained about all the New Yorkers in their black clothes, I gently reminded him that it’s the dark night sky that the stars shine upon and that’s beautiful. Fashion is powerful. Not to sound overly dramatic, but let’s not forget that in some parts of the world women are made to cover their entire body. That’s about all kinds of power. Anita
http://www.lookforthewoman.com
Yes, yes, I think you are studying fashion for all of those reasons. I too have always been attracted to what I call "the seedy side." I also love black. When someone I know recently complained about all the New Yorkers in their black clothes, I gently reminded him that it’s the dark night sky that the stars shine upon and that’s beautiful. Fashion is powerful. Not to sound overly dramatic, but let’s not forget that in some parts of the world women are made to cover their entire body. That’s about all kinds of power. Anita
http://www.lookforthewoman.com
The choice to use or not to, along with usage of the fashion elements imbues one with personal power. Deciding how to express yourself is where real power lies.
"…The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances…" Victor, Frankl
comment:
even when it comes to fashion and style…
I’d wager to say competing/conflicting elements create sense of displacement, which drives our behavior to make changes in areas that are easier to control, i.e., experimenting with a new style that finds itself accommodating a state of transition or suspension. The power of fashion often seems organically shaped within us; we dispense it according to that which is dictating our lives, be they internal forces, external forces, or perhaps both. When I write "organically", it is in the sense that some of us feel fashion. What we choose to wear is more than simply making a choice, rather it is feeling a choice on any given day. You know those days when you’ve put something on only to head back to the closet to change before you head out the door because the first outfit simply did not feel right. Therein lies several dimensions of the power of fashion. And certainly there is plenty of room for fashion’s power to drive commodification, whether it’s coming from the top to the bottom, the bottom to the top, or across cultural and age bearing polycentric origins. What a great topic and one to spark lively discourse over a good cup of coffee! Btw, I have only three pairs of jeans, boyfriend jeans. My second pair from JCrew arrived yesterday. Figure I’d up my blue jeans’ game. 🙂 C.e.
http://www.whitedogluxe.com
Such an eloquent response and a postmodern view of power. Thanks so much for sharing these thoughtful comments.
I’d wager to say competing/conflicting elements create sense of displacement, which drives our behavior to make changes in areas that are easier to control, i.e., experimenting with a new style that finds itself accommodating a state of transition or suspension. The power of fashion often seems organically shaped within us; we dispense it according to that which is dictating our lives, be they internal forces, external forces, or perhaps both. When I write "organically", it is in the sense that some of us feel fashion. What we choose to wear is more than simply making a choice, rather it is feeling a choice on any given day. You know those days when you’ve put something on only to head back to the closet to change before you head out the door because the first outfit simply did not feel right. Therein lies several dimensions of the power of fashion. And certainly there is plenty of room for fashion’s power to drive commodification, whether it’s coming from the top to the bottom, the bottom to the top, or across cultural and age bearing polycentric origins. What a great topic and one to spark lively discourse over a good cup of coffee! Btw, I have only three pairs of jeans, boyfriend jeans. My second pair from JCrew arrived yesterday. Figure I’d up my blue jeans’ game. 🙂 C.e.
http://www.whitedogluxe.com
Such an eloquent response and a postmodern view of power. Thanks so much for sharing these thoughtful comments.
You describe darkness and light. I have chaos and control. I wonder if they are the same, one with fear, the unknown, one with safety, almost predictability. I am always wary of too much of one or the other, which to me feels artificial, if that makes sense. I love your take on these feelings with your black and white ensembles and the sometimes skewed architecture of them.
So funny, my leisure reading is crime novels and police procedurals. I especially love the series that come out of Sweden and Great Britain. Art transforms.
Thank you for commenting. I have to say that control and chaos seem to be apt descriptors of what it feels like at times. I guess we are talking about dualisms and how to contain them so we feel genuine and real.
You describe darkness and light. I have chaos and control. I wonder if they are the same, one with fear, the unknown, one with safety, almost predictability. I am always wary of too much of one or the other, which to me feels artificial, if that makes sense. I love your take on these feelings with your black and white ensembles and the sometimes skewed architecture of them.
Thank you for commenting. I have to say that control and chaos seem to be apt descriptors of what it feels like at times. I guess we are talking about dualisms and how to contain them so we feel genuine and real.