“Fashion is part of the daily air and it changes all the time, with all the events. You can even see the approaching of a revolution in clothes. You can see and feel everything in clothes”
This week, four years ago, I wrote my first post. I was inspired to use this site as a structure through which to explore my interest in fashion. Being a social scientist, for me, this also meant thinking about the role that fashion plays in the cultural and social development of the times we live in as well as it’s relationship to personal identity. Throughout the years I have met, and then tried to understand, the inspiration and motives of those who create and work in the fashion system. I find myself, still surreally, now a member. I have shared not only what I have found but also the personal challenges I have faced in trying to negotiate a world that moves exceptionally fast, is often celebrity driven and in the managing of ethics and commerce. I have shared the moments when I have been tired from too much work, when I have lost myself for a moment or two and you my readers, have consistently exhibited understanding, inspiration and kindness in those moments for which I thank you.
At times it has been difficult to define what this project has become or who I am in it. I have played various roles; model, writer, creative director, blogger, influencer, actor and the list goes on. This is both the curse and the blessing of the current situation that makes up the fashion system, it is in the process of becoming and we still do not know where it will land or actually if it ever will. Change occurs now in days rather than years and soon will be minutes. Specific paradigms are gone or going and the very definition of fashion is getting harder and harder to be precise about. The more I seek to produce a definition of fashion, of style, of my role in this new world it seems there are no certainties or standards to guide one. This is both liberating and terrifying.
As I think about many of the designers both from the past and part of the now that I find myself admiring, I understand that they always use their medium, or their “art” to create something that conveys some story or works through an important theme about the cultural moment we are living in. Garments created in this manner allow us, just like art, to find meaning and to express personal identit(ies) and that helps us tell our own personal story in this time. In the best of all situations, they become a tool through which we control our representation and not something that is controlling us. When I view a garment where this potential is embodied; similar to a piece of art, a sentence of prose or a few bars of music that meets this standard, I feel a jolt of affect. When I swipe through Instagram and I see a photo of a garment where this occurs for me, my comment is “breath away”, because that is the response of my body to what I consider expressive and impactful. This is the moment for me when the virtual crosses the line and becomes real. It is also a collaborative moment because it involves designers, models, stylists, hair and make-up artists, photographers, creative directors and depending on the scope, many others.
The garments, the objects, the signs and the world may change but fashion can always offer up this potential to be a cultural guide, That is what Diana Vreeland is saying. The revolution for us today seems to help us find a way back to emotion. To observe and record those times when the real peeks through. So I realize now as I enter the fifth year of my project I do not have to have a plan, define myself or what i do. I just have to be, just lean in, stay true to “breath away” which means I am being true to myself and always experience the joy of collaborating with others.
Now those are earrings!!!
True to yourself…perfect. Thank you for all the inspiration.
Thank you for being a companion along the way!
You are such an inspiration ?
Thank you for your kind words. I hope that inspiration is being completely comfortable with who you are in this moment in time.
I’m approaching 60 in 2 weeks thank you for give the inspiration you given me I have a bypass 7 years ago and haven’t been able to be like myself again. But seeing & reading of you Has Lifted Me Up and inspired me to go out there and socialize again. Tyu GB ??
This has been a gift to me, thank you so much for sharing this.
Wonderful news! I am so happy that this virtual thing has done something real in the world.
Thank you for such a beautiful post – the wording and the messages. I love what you share of yourself and in looking at society, culture, and art. I hope we all always "find a way back to emotion" in our lives, and continue to share our individual selves and stories however we can 🙂 Thanks again!
Thank you for being on the journey. Posts like yours by thoughtful women keep us in the real and go well beyond the usual fashion blog post like “love what you are wearing”. Thank you for your contribution to keeping us in the real.
Thank you, Lyn – for the very same =) Cheers –
It’s so interesting to know you are a social scientist….I find that even makes you more interesting. I found you at a low point in my life, all the time I once had for fashion and style , out the window, while caring for my ninety one yr. old Mom. But discovering you brought me back, even if it’s only on the edges of style and fashion, something I loved so much all my life. So thank you…..for helping me feel alive again. Your journey has been one of inspiration for me and so many who felt lost in duty. ❤️
This happens so often to women who are the caregivers. When one is giving to others is especially the time to take a little something for oneself. Fashion and beauty let us do that in ways that are easy and doable. A moisturizer that feels like a soft touch on our skin, shoes that are both comfortable but stylish, a nice shirt over jeans or a healthy meal we take the time to make for ourselves.
These small things give us strength and make us feel known. Thank you for sharing your story, it is one that resonates for many women I am sure.
I’ve been with you since the beginning Lyn – I am the same age as you and ,although we come from different backgrounds ( and continents!) your posts and your journey “ speaks” to me on so many levels. Thank you for helping me to be true to my style and to my creativity.
Yes you have Sarah and that has been a joy. I so admire your talent to create and make clothes so the enjoyment I am sure must become even greater.
I was so happy to find you Lyn! I had seen you briefly on T V recently and truly felt like I had indeed found a woman that is doing her part to inspire those of us that have always had the love and appreciation for fashion. And to give us the confidence that age is only a number! And that our real personality come out through our own personal style. Thank you for your strength and inspiration! ?
Yes we must never forget the women we were, are and can be when it comes to expressing our love and passion for fashion. Therefore no category is ever relevant to that pursuit.
Thank you for your unapologetic honesty. I relate to what you say about fashion, and the bewildering speed at which it evolves. My touchstone questions of any outfit are “What does this say?” and “Does this make me happy?” These are usually quite easy and quick to answer. I love the attitude which comes across in any of your photos – it’s confident, cool, devil-may-care, and completely true to yourself. Please keep writing! Is the possible book you mentioned happening?
Yes the book is going to happen! Just signed with a wonderful literary agent and will be about cultivating those qualities you have graciously assigned to me in this post!
Thank you for the inspiration! I am approaching 70.
Best wishes and enter that new decade full of new ideas.
The good outfit for me. Thanks, Lyn. Best wish for you
Lyn, you are exactly the subject of my studies for my masters in Communication. I live in Brazil and I am studying how fashion enabled creative women like you to get visibility. I would love to have an open channel with you, so we could talk about fashion, body as a media and maturity. Actually, I’ve noticed that aging and maturity is not quite an issue for you or your work, am I right? Please, if you have a chance contact me: [email protected].
Your style is amazing, and those earrings are GORGEOUS!!
https://www.shoetopia.com/
Although I have not been a fashionista, I so appreciated and turned my thinking anew about fashion. I have a very high regard for the way you have written about it. The article dealing with inclusion was absolutely an eye opener, and I was very happy to see so much thought put into it. One of the things I have NOT enjoyed with any of the fashion walks I have seen is the way the models walk down the runway, looking partway as though they are all starved and expressionless women with no signs of the individuality of each, as if that would somehow take away from the fashion. You have shown that the individuality, if anything, brings out the fashion statement. I enjoyed the show, Fashion Runway, because it dealt with the designs of young new designers, often challenged by having to use unique materials to create the pieces. There was so much individuality in the work of the designers as well as the models, who were sometimes not professionals, and for me, it gave a whole new identity to the idea of fashion. In doing so, it helped those of us who have not been involved with formal fashion a whole new respect for the art form. I do see it as an art form just as fiber arts is an art form, not just because the two share textiles as a medium, but it helps us to realize that art is unlimited in its nature. Thank you so much for making all of this so enjoyable to read and so informational. You have piqued my interest into a number of cultural issues related to fashion in general.
Beautifully said and thanks for adding to the conversation so eloquently.