My apartment is small. The amount of garments hanging on racks in multiple rooms makes it look as if I’ve been living in an exclusive boutique rather than a home. Since the moment everything stopped, I’ve been forced to confront this every day as well as the economic vulnerability of my new occupation. There will not be money coming in the way it did last year. The clothes are in my face, tickling my nostrils at the very moment I’m feeling a need to take deep and cleansing breaths.
I can’t imagine a world without beautiful garments. It would be like a painter not being able to have paint or a photographer without a camera. It’s always been the way I express who I am, how I rebel, how I make a statement and tell the world who I am. But what has become so very clear now, if it was not before, is that our(my) relationship with clothing will need to change. I will need to move beyond the surface aesthetic and find out the values that really make them beautiful. What values are embedded in the filaments of their textiles that are respectful of the earth and those who make them? That is enough to take a chance on, to collect as an asset, to know it will be something that when I leave my wardrobe to my granddaughter she will love, wear and appreciate it and leave it to hers. In the pieces I have that can be endlessly reimagined? That will not be thrown away.
As an influencer, I’ve flirted with “sustainability” in a way that in hindsight seems so shallow, hollow and dishonest and as some readers have pointed out, in ways that still encourage people to buy more clothes while deep inside I know the answer is to buy less. I wasn’t in it enough. When I began this blog, before “sustainability” was a thing, I was more authentic on the topic because all of my clothes came from vintage and consignment shops. My time away from you writing a book proposal was a reckoning with myself and what I had become. As I went on my realness became corrupted. I always returned to “sustainability” from time to time and my lame attempts were a way to remind me of what should matter but I was too busy and moving too fast to let it in. I needed to stop and ask my exhausted self, “What is it that you are trying to sustain?”
One of the silver linings I find during the “Time During Corona Virus” is that not only am I making do with less but also that I’m wanting to. In the space of having less, there is much more room for imagination and creativity to find a way into your daily routine. Sleeping more means the hornet’s nest of neurons in your brain from too much stimulation has a chance to clean up and clear out like the yard cleanings that pick up the remaining debris from fall and winter. There is a reckoning with what is really important and we are now at the heavy, solid base of that pyramid of basic needs. All are being threatened. The integrity of our physical bodies, our need for food, how we think of the word shelter and the yearning for a connected, tactile human touch of those we cannot be with. And bizarrely, even toilet paper. While we have been in a prolonged process of destroying the purity of the air we breathe, it now contains droplets that are destroying us. Living in cities that are hotbeds of pollution means if we contract the virus it will put us a risk of having a more serious case. It hangs around on all the things we buy.
But in the spring there are also new plantings in tilled empty gardens that are open to new possibilities. Outside my window nature is still moving forward, greening and blooming in spite of it all. It seems right now that this turning of the earth and renewal is actually going to have to occur for us in our homes, minds and, hearts. By the time we will come out it will already be summer. Forced to slow down and having been given the small consolation prize of more time in the midst of horrifying loss, the cracks in the infrastructure of who we have become as a global society are in sharp relief. Many were and are falling through them. Many of us who have the privilege of being safe enough to think and reflect have come away with a new sense of what is important and what needs to change. For me, as my young neighbor’s text or knock on my door to see if I need anything, my favorite local restaurant is delivering meals to the hospital three blocks away and the designers who are helping me get and give masks to social workers, I see all the possibilities of small. All the possibilities of local, the possibilities of community-based and all the innovation that is coming from craft, reinvention and reuse. I see the re-building happening from the bottom up, not the top down. It is my local neighborhood that is providing “social welfare” right now, they are the ones protecting me from risks and insecurities. These are the assets that need to be preserved and strengthened as we move forward. Mr. Big has failed us.
In conversations on my Instagram, there are so many women who like me, are feeling ambivalent about their relationship with their clothes right now. It seems superficial in light of what is happening but for some of us what we wear is a second language. It is the way we tell the world who we are and what we wish to be. Yet despite all the magic I imbue my garments with at the end of the day they are a material object. An object that also provides a tactile touch. An object that lies close to your vulnerable physical body. An object that in the making has caused so much harm to the earth in the “Time Before Corona”. We see it in the broken supply chains that are not just cancelled orders but for many who work in factories in Bangladesh and other faraway places it means no food and work. Those who buy them and sell them in your favorite stores are laid off. Those who make beautiful pictures of them and style them are still. And those like me who tell you stories about them are no longer paid for our stories. What allows me to still love a garment is that I loved them before I was paid, and that in the “Time After Corona” the decisions we make about fashion can profoundly change the world for the good. The fashion system has been brought to its knees and how it gets up is in our hands. What I chose to wear can become an activist instrument, one that shows not only who I am but is also embellished with my values. There is a quiet dignity in our decisions.
So how do we continue to use clothing as our form of creative expression in ways that promote social well-being and human and ecological flourishing? That embrace the values of a small, local, and community-based social welfare?
Please do weigh in this is going to be an on-going conversation and I need to access your brilliance!
This is a lovely and meaningful post that is rich in reflection and a positive call to action.
Many thanks for sharing.
Thank you.
I’m an artist/educator. Maybe a fun and interesting photoshoot would be of you, wearing some of your designer clothes, but doing the mundane, corona world things, disinfecting counters, mopping the floor, accepting takeout delivery with a fancy outfit, complete with mask and gloves, or maybe even a statement of what’s become the new important possessions, and sacrificing one of your garments to make masks or a toilet paper roll…or something of the like…essentially, the perspective. Or…. wear one of best pieces for a zoom dinner….but be sitting at the computer, at your kitchen table. I’ve got a million ideas 🙂
Love these ideas/
Accidental Icon,
She’s an inspiration, her style is motivational, she reminds me of the legendary “Garbo”. A. I. is my Heroe, my muse, my mentor.
thanks for the love
I stopped following you during your What Nowness , feeling that you no longer felt genuine to me. I am happy that you are reconsidering the use of clothing in your life. I find that my favorite garments have been with me for years and they are ever changing in relationship to what I combine them along with. Each time a “new” ensemble is created……I rarely buy new, I prefer to create new from old.
Yes it was a process I needed to go through.
I LOVE you and your advice. I’ve never really focused on myself. On top of my career, I have ALWAYS been a caregiver for different people in my family and extended family. I look to you for advice, courage and “whatever comes next.”!!
I am beyond blessed. I have a nice home, plenty of food, amazing children and grandchildren and friends. And while I have been divesting myself of things I still have way more that I need and it feels like it owns me more and more. I want to be free. I’ll be 73 in June I’ve had an amazing life have travel around the world but there’s an end game here and it’s in view. So I’m asking myself more and more Mary Oliver’s big question, “what do you want to do with this one precious life”? And for me with the addendum of given what time is left makes it even more precious.Blessings to you…
This post made me so happy! I have loved your style and creativity in fashion, but struggled with the sustainability issues. In the last two years I have changed the way I view clothing — I do think we still need creative designers, but we have to think more about the effects that “fast fashion” and the quantity of clothing we each have. I am eager to follow your posts and see what you learn and share on your platform. You are a great influencer and can affect change. Stay well!
Thanks! It’s a wonderful challenge to explore this and feel like I am back in school again.
I am excited you are having this experience!
You said: “…I was too busy and moving too fast to let it in.” That’s an important clue, we need to allow ourselves to be quiet every now and then, not only when we are forced to it like we are these days.
Your young neighbor cares, my daughters care. How can we best show them we care?
I love clothes, too! Personal style more than fashion, texture more than pattern, a hint of color more than colorful, and I like for function to dictate form.
Sustainability to me is to own and use pieces for a long time, ideally made from materials that can be reused at some point. I Either for a new piece of clothing, napkins, a gift bag, or last resort, as rags or weaving material. I like repairing clothes, and remaking. Therefore, I tend to buy clothes (and fabric/yarn) that can be reused. There is beauty in that for me. I love natural materials of good quality, they age well when cared for properly.
What makes something beautiful for you?
I have asked myself: Why do we cram so much into our days that we have no time left for what really matters, for what really makes a difference, for what could have a positive effect on our relationships as well as our environment. Is it because infinite “growth” in areas that involve money or things have become the goal? More, more, more! More of what?
Maybe we need to discuss, and hopefully appreciate, growth in other areas, too? The kind of growth that doesn’t cost money, that doesn’t make us drown in stuff, that doesn’t make us feel there is never enough time…
You put my thoughts to pen & paper, thank you! I am purging my closets-if I don’t love it, it is boxed for Goodwill & when they reopen, someone else can love them. Then I can shop & boost the economy & get garment factory workers back to work. Wonderfully & thoughtfully written.
I started following Livia Firth and listened to recent Fashion Critical podcast she hosted. I want to know more about fashion sustainability and she directed me to her website. On her Instagram I found Alex who blogs and posts about fashion and it prompted me to shop my closet which I’ve done on many occasions. I managed to create some new spring/summer looks and there are lots more because I DO have a lot of clothes. I’m planning to look at what I have and see what needs to be altered, repaired, cleaned. If I shop, I should get it only if it’s fabulous, unique, sustainable and not shop fast fashion. Quality over quantity. My eyes have been opened. Today I’m wearing a couple of pieces I hadn’t worn in ages…?
Well I’m glad you woke up! I’m sure gazing at all the clothes around you has brought great solace and comfort in this time of the virus. I admire Jane Fonda and her decision to NOT buy anymore clothes!
I totally agree with you. Clothes are just clothes. There is no need to be making a “statement.” Live life, not statements.
Everyday I look in my closet and see all of the beautiful clothes that I have curated. At my age if 64 I Have become the family stylist for my sisters, daughters and granddaughter. I’ve made them feel special, encouraged them to express themselves through their unique looks. Now I am comforting them, by staying safe and isolated. Today I “ dressed” in something other than yoga pants. Just to feel a little normal in a time of such uncertainty. I’m still ordering some things on-line. Just to support my brand ( URBN). I am sad for the employees who have no jobs. I wonder how the industry will recover?
One thing I know for sure. I am less concerned about my increasing wrinkles and gray temples. And more concerned about what really matters. I’ve returned to my mindful practice and love for nature. I see birds I never noticed before. Every day is new. And when tomorrow comes it will bring new things for me to enjoy.
Design and make your own…. learn new skills, access the smallest amount that you need… learn to draw, design, sew, make, pull apart and start again, work at a slower rate, respect what Mother Earth has given us and realise that we are only a small speck of cells in the realm of things. Respect yourself, others and most of all our home Planet Earth.
On my to-do but using clothes I already have to upcycle.
SheEO ventures offer sustainable fashion. Go research at SheEO.world.
There is a lot to think about here. Personally, while I adore my clothes, I’ve been striving to pick and choose, only keeping what I am most passionate about. This has forced me to get more creative with pairing outfits. Part of this is from necessity- my closet is fairly small. I’m much more peaceful when I keep what I own on the spare side. I adore beautiful things but I value my peace of mind more. Hence it forces me to truly give a lot of thought to what I choose to keep.
I heard someone today talk about how much attention is placed on the making of clothes but not so much on how we use them.
I am being creative by updating my wardrobe with what is already in my closet. As i cut, sew embroider and change the garments they become “new to me” while also being creative..using the yarn, beads, fabric already in my house..
Such fun items..I really think we will be dressing casually and so the things I re-fashion reflect this new aspect..a sweatshirt becomes a jacket by cutting down the middle and adding touches of embrodery..or using bleach to do a tye dye.
And you also get the pleasure of expressing your creative self/
What type of clothes do you reimagine? What do you use to
determine your choice.
I used to love to sew and comb thru Vogue etc. for ideas but I’ve lost my enthusiasm.
I now just wear t-shirts and jeans.
very boring!
I’m looking at a lot of young designers who are doing upcycling. There are some very interesting designs that are giving me inspiration for when I start taking apart what I already have.
Sydnei, one of the things I do for inspiration is read fashion history. There is so much available online these days it’s really rewarding during this “stay home/save lives” time to spend some time especially on the vintage fashion sites. There is a rich treasure trove of color, style, and personal expression just out there for free!
I had a conference call with my work yesterday. A traditional office, I guess – staff is all female and most of us are well past 35 (I’m nearly 70). We got to laughing a lot about how we weren’t previously bothering much with makeup, even lipstick or mascara, or fussing much with hair, until we were homebound and suddenly “discovered” how great it felt to fuss a bit and add lipstick and a bit of eyeliner or mascara. Just adding some color does wonders for a worried and very tired mind.
So here’s my idea: sure, keep the t-shirts and jeans but add a scarf to the t-shirt and go find your favorite lipstick!
Lipstick is the only make-up I’ve been wearing.
Your reflections are honest and inspiring. I truly believe the world needed a good kick in the backside and that if mankind — after all the unnecessary and tragic suffering this virus has caused — continues to make choices that are selfish, superficial, and unsustainable, shame on us all.
Please help us in our journey by showcasing fashion brands, retailers and methods of distribution that reflect the way the world should be.
Stay well. Stay safe.
That is my goal Tina and I will.
Bravo, Lyn! As the owner of a small boutique on a small green island, I’ve been struggling with the same issues for quite some time, as well. The industry is due for change, and if I survive this global, ethical and ecological crisis, I hope we’ll find solutions that benefit all of those involved. It’s a great reckoning we’re facing, and high time we turned to embrace change, for the sake of all our well-being.
Great article… I am now working at home and have been for 2 months now… I too am one that appreciates my clothing and I feel that it is an extension of me… With that said, now working at home for over 2 months, I’ve found that I have looked into my closet and questioned myself… how many clothes do I really need?
Since I’ve retired I find myself going, or gravitating towards certain elements in my closet. I’m now in the process of donating all my old work clothes and anything I haven’t worn in more than six months….surprisingly a lot. I find it a relief to be able to go to my closet/drawers knowing anything I pick out will work for me. No signature look, just comfort. They now reflect who I truly am…content.
If only we could scale back slowly, like evolution so lives would not be so drastically affected.
You point out what we intrinsically know, but……..
Thank you.
Yes, I know…that’s my comment about the change coming from the bottom up.
Enlightening
This is a powerful, amazing right-on-target post. I loved your work before, but with this post, you mirrored my concerns about how/why I dress and whom it affects. Thank you for all you do. More please!
Thanks for the encouragement, stay tuned.
I have a love of beautiful clothing too! When I was a child, I would play dress up in our attic with whatever I could find. I did this just for myself——my own enjoyment——no one else!!
I still “dress up” according to my friends. Everyday I put thought into what I am going to wear. I may not go anywhere or see anyone other than my husband, but it is important to me that I look and feel good about myself.
I, too, am a retired professor and have the luxury of doing what I want to get the most enjoyment of each day.
Now I spend my time and talent making abstract art quilts and sewing my own clothing. The art quilts have taken a back seat recently but I’m percolating some ideas to express this pandemic in art. I decided a couple weeks ago that I would now sew ALL of my clothing.
This seems even more important to me when I think of how the fashion industry has contributed to the demise of the environment.
I am feeling very good about this decision and eventually find happy homes for clothing I no longer need or wear. I think it is important——-especially as an older women, to do what makes my heart sing. The time for doing what I love is getting shorter. I love color, fiber, beautiful clothing and using it as an expression of who I am.
Every day it makes my heart sing!!
We say more but with less. We speak loudly but less often. We express through others but increasingly with the help of local artisans in a truer and more responsible manner.
Thank you for putting my feelings into words. I am a clothes hog as well as a shoe and purse girl. I’ve been feeling guilty lately about the number that I own. I’ve been going through things to donate. I too lost sight of who I am / was when I started collecting my vintage / pre-loved clothes. What we are currently going through has made me re-evaluate who I am and what is important to me.
Thank you for this! I have been rethinking my wardrobe as well. And am one of the lucky ones still working and safely from home. When I went into IT, I told myself I may not be working as an artist anymore on my own terms (I started out with a small jewelry business back in the 90’s), but I now I can better support other artists with greater means than I had available to me previously. Every year I set aside a nice chunk of change to hit up the Ann Arbor Art Fair (which I don’t know if that’s happening this year or not yet?) But, since I can support small artisans, companies and retailers, and they need it now more than ever, that is what I am trying to do much more of.
Exactly.
I too have come to an amazing realization about clothing . I was in the process of moving and decided to spend a week or so with my sister and her husband in S Jersey prior to moving into my apt. My pod -meaning clothing and art are stored away in a facility in Bridgeton NJ. We decided that this was indeed not a wise to move if not absolutely necessary..My situation is the opposite of yours. Daily I consider how to wear my clothing differently, washable only- the laundry and dry cleaning service is closed-at first I was in horror; i now find the challenge fun..When/ if I ever open the contents of the pod will i be repulsed by the clutter?
Lyn, You beautifully articulate exactly what I think, feel and need right now. I started to write about “conscious style” last year. As we learn to live with less, it’s clear we have too much of more. There is a “Time after Corona” world that looks so inviting and a challenge to slow down the decisions I make about what I wear to express myself. I am oddly excited about consuming consciously and the possibility that many of us, for whom fashion is important, will do the same. This is the tipping point for the fashion industry and consumers and an opportunity to come together and embrace less is more, quality over quantity and a circular fashion economy.
As an influencer, you have an opportunity to lead us in the pivot. And I will join you. Warmest, Nancy
I look forward to it!
You are, as usual, very observant. This could be an excellent time to reevaluate our wardrobes as we do other parts of our lives. I’m going to ask you to do something else as well. A friend posted an article in Facebook about “gaslighting,” in this case the advertising industry’s effort to convince us that we are back to normal and that COVID-19 had no permanent impact on our lifestyles. The article https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0. Your task is to keep us updated on how you are living and what you are wearing in your new era of awareness. And, somehow, we have to spread this awareness to the 18- through 25-year-olds who have swallowed the advertising industry’s message of “You’re healed through consumption.”
I fully intend to keep this conversation going and not let this be forgotten. Thank you for the article. I have many younger followers on Instagram who are thinking about these issues as well and if we were a united front we could make some inroads for sure.
Well said! We have become a society of consumption. I see it in myself with ready access to online shopping and immediate delivery.
This pandemic has forced us to rethink our choices and become more mindful of the impact they have on society and our environment. Great reflection! Thank you.
The luxury of enough. “Luxury” and “enough” now defined as the laughter of children, the sound of the ocean, wet grass underfoot, a glass of wine with a friend, dinner with family, and our community.
This post touched my heart. I deeply appreciate your honesty and willingness to be so open. And, you said it so brilliantly! Thank you.
This pandemic has definitely made me think about my purchases and need for new clothes. I work at a boutique that has been in business for 32 years in the small town where I live. We have a devoted clientele, like family . We have a small staff of 6 women and we are very close. The owner has never done online sales and hasn’t seen the need. But right now it’s very tough. She can’t sell clothes if we’re closed. I miss the camaraderie of the customers and my co-workers. Going forward it’s hard to tell if we will regain our sales.
None of us need as many clothes as we have but it’s always been the way that I express myself. I dressed up in my grandma’s clothes as a young girl. I created outfits with little money as I put myself through college. It wasn’t about the money since I didn’t have much, it was about the creativity.
My other gig is modeling which started when I was 65. I do print ads and magazine and TV spots. I love it! But this may cease as well. It’s time to re-evaluate what is important.
My volunteer work is with Dress for Success, a non profit that promotes financial independence for women by providing interview clothing, employment clothing and career counseling. They have had to close and it is tough for the population to women we serve. DFS is still working with the clients but in a much different manner. Many don’t have access to computers which is another service we provide in the career center.
I know that this pandemic will change our lives in many ways for a long time. I hope that it helps us to consider what is important in life. I hope it causes us to work harder to help those that this has hit the hardest.
My hopes as well. I feel there is something very important about making those small local places like your boutique survive because it provides the community with much more than just selling clothes.
You as usual are observant and wise. I’m going to set another task for you. A friend posted this article on Facebook about the upcoming “gaslighting” of the American consumer, as industry and advertising seek to convince us that we don’t need to make lasting changes in our levels of consumption. The article: https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0. We can just return to life as we knew it. Keep us apprised of how you evaluate your life in light of COVID-19. And let’s all figure out how to spread the word to the 18- through 25-year-olds who buy the “Healed Through Consumption” gospel. I know, because year’s ago I bought it hook, line, and sinker. Thank you!
You as usual are observant and wise. I’m going to set another task for you. A friend posted this article on Facebook about the upcoming “gaslighting” of the American consumer, as industry and advertising seek to convince us that we don’t need to make lasting changes in our levels of consumption. The article: https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighting-6a8ce3f0a0e0. We can just return to life as we knew it. Keep us apprised of how you evaluate your life in light of COVID-19. And let’s all figure out how to spread the word to the 18- through 25-year-olds who buy the “Healed Through Consumption” gospel. I know, because year’s ago I bought it hook, line, and sinker. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing that, it is a good warning. I am taking very seriously my ability as a so-called “influencer” to influence us in not forget what we are learning and seeing during this time.
I think this has to be, as it has been before, a conversation about survival. People are dying. Loved ones are dying. It’s no longer just about the fashion world, or any world really, being brought to its knees. It’s about how we support and sustain one another and how embrace the “now” to reach another day and the day after that until we emerge back into the light. Perhaps a different world, one that’s even better?
Yes, there needs to be some grieving of the unspeakable losses, of human life as well as the things we did in the past but will do more in the future.
I admire you so much. I’ve always wanted to have “a look” and “a style” but just don’t know how to accomplish it. I try putting it together on a budget, but it just never works. Once in awhile I feel I’m getting close to finding out who I am. I even struggle with pairing the pillows on my sofa.
This article is so relevant. I have read about and thought about sustainability in the clothing business and how I would like to deal with this new way of thinking and buying, going forward. Throw in the Corona Virus and the new lifestyle that goes with it, and I realize that if I could not purchase a single item of clothing for two years, I would be okay, and could still manage to look stylish for any occasion. I’m sure I will continue to acquire new clothing when this pandemic has passed, but I will do my best to do so with a new sense of purpose.
And we can ask some very serious questions about supply chains, how the people who make them are treated and how transparent the brand is being about those questions.
Like yourself I am in the fashion business and feel like this plague has hit so many of my friends we are all asking the same question
What will life be after carona
In the past I lived for the next season to come so I could e.NJoy the new fashions on the runway now it is all about survival and getting a delivery within the week
I must admit that I still desire nice things but then I realize I am in my apartment alone so comfortable clothes are my new norm
You hit the nail on the head!
I’ve always considered myself to be a “fashionista” and have had a love affair with clothing since I was a small child. I’ve always dressed myself in a flamboyant, unique manner. When I found your blog I felt like I had found my soul sister. As I’ve gotten older and have had more resources to accumulate more clothing, I found myself going into super mode. My closet is filled to the brim. I recently splurged and bought myself a new Chanel handbag. It had been a long time dream of mine to own one. Now here we are in social lockdown and my clothing and Chanel bag sit in my closet unused.
This whole Corona Virus pandemic has, like you, changed my whole perspective on what is important. I now get giddy when I find a bottle of 409 cleaner or hit the jackpot when I find Kleenex or toilet paper. I find myself being more cognizant of how much paper goods I am using and no longer pull the toilet paper like a roulette wheel. Sorry, I digress.
When it is all said and done, I think people will be living their lives in a different and hopefully more productive manner. Don’t get me wrong. I will still like to dress up and try to look pretty. It’s in my DNA. But my whole perspective of what is important will definitely have changed. I guess we can consider this pandemic our wake up call and what is really important in life.
Please continue to keep on inspiring us!
And please keep commenting because you are inspiring to me.
Deep thoughts about clothing and its manufacturing and environmental impact. I would like a list of environmentally responsible and sustainable companies that are doing their part to help global climate change. Would Eileen Fischer be one? How about Talbots? I have often wondered how my purchase choices impact our global environment. I am guilty of often just buying what I like and not taking into account the global and environmental impact of my purchase. I like your idea about buying less items, but making thoughtful, responsible choices in those purchases. Thank you, Lyn. Going forward I want to support the businesses that are globally responsible in their manufacturing processes. I would like to leave the earth in better shape for our children and grandchildren.
I will be posting about some of the brands I am finding that could be role models for others moving forward as well as resources and links that help us know what questions to ask and what the bigger conversations are. I am also very interested in craftsmanship so more about brands that are preserving that as well.
Love your thoughts! I’m right there with you. I think Simplicity will be the new fashion. I’m in S Fl. I had a water leak that caused mold. I had to move out of my house in December & lost 3/4 of my belongings. After Hyperventilating, I learned that I did really well with less. Now I really like the Less!! Total minimization!
Your question….I like clothes & products that Put off less of a CO2 footprint when manufactured or less any bad Eco footprint. I see A lot of companies going this direction. We don’t want to harm the earth & we don’t want to wear, sit on or sleep on Formaldehyde or any other cancer causing chemicals that Off gas & harm us. We’re the 60’s-70’s Bell Bottom hippies. I look at the Millennials being the same now, but have this knowledge with the chemicals. Not sure I answered the question, but it’s an interesting subject. Btw….Love the Pic. Stay safe in NY!!
As you note there are many ways to look at and in the time of COVID sustainability takes on a much greater meaning. We have all been sustaining and being resourceful in living with less, appreciating the use of things more as we are not able to buy. Sustainability is a way to think about life and culture and not just clothes. So it will be interesting in exploring it from that perspective as well.
I enjoy my clothes too but fear being superficial. Worse than being superficial, though, would be a conscious effort to be “deep,” or even a little deeper than I am. I am content being a superficial person living in a world with many “false gods,” like appearance, possessions, children, or the very act of acquisition. I recently got my first horse at age 68 and am re-learning to ride after 43 years. So I’m confronting fear and feelings of inadequacy but I’m also thrilled to see his rear end passing by my living room window. I think, although I’m enjoying my solitude right now I also will look forward to having more outlets for making others’ lives better again. Looking forward to departing the land of endless navel-gazing.
Lenore, your honesty and words touched me deeply.
Keep doing you.
See that’s the question I think you can love clothes without being superficial, as well as beautiful objects and other things. But if you are thinking about how these things came to be, who they touch and are made by, what they are made of they can become an expression of ourselves that is far from superficial. Congratulations on your horse!
Incredible. Thank you for the eloquence and generosity of your words. You have inspired honesty, at least in me, that readers can forgive themselves through, for having collected more clothes and shoes than they need. Except for this superficial attempt to express to the world who I am, I have more than I need. It was a welcome surprise to be reminded of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need and how close to his model our human-ness follows.
While I shelter in place with my kids, I am restored by the fact that the only people’s opinions of me that matter are their’s and, of course, my own. I have used clothes and shoes to, like you, express who I am, but secretly sought validation from the audience I wore them to impress. Where, thanks to your treatise here, I recall how feeling safe and healthy – and hoping for that for my loved ones, is the foundation of need. Those bottom of the pyramid foundations are all any of us care about “in the time of Coronavirus;” for without the connectedness you describe with your community members atop those base needs, all else crumbles and cannot exist.
Your piece, indeed, helped to remind me how we should only be trying to impress two people, our 8-year-old self and our 80-year-old self. I imagined, when I first read that quote, that it was because at 8 we don’t judge people by what they have or wear, but by how they make us feel. And at 80 we judge people more by what they have done and do to make us feel like we still matter.
Thank you again for helping me see my collection of clothes for what they are, and what they should be. Though still a mere instrument in expressing who I am and who I aspire to be, who I am will emerge – post Covid – someone new: Someone humbled by this halt in production that my glut has relied on. I must say that the tenderness of your words here allowed me to go gentle on myself. Usually, as I take inventory of my superficial wants and possessions, I end up loathing myself and cloaked in shame for my decisions.
Thank you for this lovely response
Your article today resonates so much with my present state of mind. After graduation from college, I admit that I became a clothes horse…a rebellion against 12 years of wearing a school uniform. Because of a career in public education, I never had the funds to buy designer clothes, but I sewed and created garments that were couture in construction. As a history teacher, I certainly taught and emphasized the dangers of consumerism. Recently we downsized to a much smaller home in an active retirement community away from the urban big city demographic. What a wonderful opportunity it has been to rid our life of 40 years of stuff and to just keep what we truly love and enjoy. We have neighbors galore to walk with, small yards to lovingly tend and a myriad of ways to interact with others. I see in our children and my former students a desire to remove the clutter of the past and to focus on people more than accumulation of things. The good that can come from this forced isolation is to restart our world with less material goods in favor of better pay for those who serve us, be willing to pay more for less so that everyone can not only survive but maybe truly enjoy their lives. You don’t need a closet full of clothes to do this.
Well said!
I love your humanity and candor as you look at the superficial and tie it to the supply chain that exists and is important to feed the many. I believe now, with spring coming is the perfect time to bring out the clothes we love, put the sweats away and start to breath new life into our changing world. We can do this visually (with clothing), through communications (like friends contacting friends and staying socially engaged), through giving (supporting local restaurants, food deliveries, hair salons, etc), and audibly (listen to music and the birds singing) . We need to feel good about ourselves so we can help others – that visual freshness can help and perhaps be the first step to feeling renewed. Thank you for your post.
Thank you for all these wonderful suggestions and yes they are small, local and community-based.
Thankyou for your honesty, we are all guilty in paying lip service to sustainability because making changes is costly, putting boundaries in place and telling ourselves no! while still finding self expression. You have reminded me of the small is beautiful movement, EE Shumacher- a study of economics as if people mattered. Now it’s not just people but our planet.
Yes and people who were invisible on so many levels as they served us like grocery store workers and delivery persons are now people who are risking their own lives to serve us. We can’t forget.
Thanks for your email
Great blog today! Heartfelt and true.
My husband got the coronavirus and is now thankfully on the mend but it certainly is a revaluation of life.
Our relationship with clothes really has to be deeper and less egoistic in the future.
Thanks again for the meaningful blog tiday
Oh thank goodness your husband recovered, take good care.
I will find myself totally in what you’re writing here! Before this pandemic it was just the start of the new spring collection, when the decision was fallen that every store has to close (Belgium) I didn’t realize that it was for months…
I am not that person who buys clothes online because I have to feel and see the things and certainly when I want shoes I must try them and it is for me always a pleasure to visit my favorite shops like Miyaké Antwerp and try the pieces that I really want to have! But now everything is changed, I am surprised of myself that I don’t miss the shopping and after a big cleaning of the wardrobe I started to make new combinations with everything I have and I must say I love it! I see also when you buy good basics you can wear them for years. I love fashion since I was very young it’s a passion for me and I love some of the latest trends but I wear them on my way and I only think twice before deciding to buy them. This Lockdown has learned me that we must be creative with all the things we have also in relationships and it’s easy but we have to think larger and make compromises, but the most important thing is that we must care of ourselves (it’s not selfish) and even we are at home wear a beautiful outfit, wear make-up do exercise and enjoy of a healthy meal, it will help you trough this horrible time….
So beautifully articulated.
Dearest Lyn…I live alone on a small ranch with my horses, local creatures, and my studio. Like many, I’ve used my time contemplating the worst, but mostly reflecting on many of the ideas you so beautifully expressed. I am a metalsmith and for a time (pre-corona) I’ve been struggling with the purpose of my making art jewelry. The pleasure in the making has become incomplete, and I’ve been seeking to focus increasingly the message my work communicates from me and possibly the wearer of my work.. “Decorating” myself, whether it be with clothing or jewelry sometimes makes me shrink with notions of self-absorption, shallowness, a need for attention. Reading your blog for years now has given me ways of deepening my relationship with these ‘material’ things as a way to understand and express myself, thank you again. Seems Mother Nature and our own hubris has given us quite a smack upside the head I’d say. I for one plan to take advantage of it. My hope is to create work that will promote and compel the conversations, thinking, and possible chance for a reset that I think many of us are craving. Your beautiful expressions of your deep, intimate, and honest thinking are a beacon as we move forward. On a personal note: Now that I can travel (husband passed last November) I was to be in NYC on April 1st with my sister (my first time) to celebrate my 68th birthday and her 65th, visit all the museums, buildings, bridges, parks, zoos, eateries, and all I’ve dreamed of for years. Always looking for inspiration and maybe running into you in a thrift store :). Wasn’t meant be. Or maybe it was. Take care Lyn. Love, K
Another time perhaps… this will be a wonderful journey to travel together.
Wow, your post has touched my deeply; this is a very honest post, thank you very much. I never quite understood what it means to express yourself with clothing but now it starts to dawn what it could be. To me designing and sewing your own clothes (or altering existing clothes) is the ultimate way of expressing yourself.
Yes, and there is research that also shows that clothing can impact mood and cognition. It is not just a superficial pastime for those of us who do use it to express our identities and our impulse to create.
Quite thought provoking and interesting, and I am having many of the same thoughts. Am I to be allowed to order a pretty thing to try it on in my home, and then send it back if it doesn’t suit? All of the effort and supply that goes into that whim. I think not. But to change that habit will require effort and thought on my part. Is out thoughtlessness and ease, a way of the past? When all of society is pushing to make everything easier and less thoughtful?
An ongoing conversation definitely.
That is the biggest metaphor that this has made us have to PAUSE, to STOP so yes I do believe it has made us remember we can tolerate things that are not immediate and we can be thoughtful of those who work in jobs that serve us. We cannot go back to how we were before although there will be a great amount of pressure to do so.
I so agree. Love your blog. The fact that you are integrating fashion and cerebral pursuit is very cool. That doesn’t happen very often.
Lyn,
I love your posts, don’t ever stop because you are such an inspiration to so many of us. I’m a writer, so most days my wardrobe is jeans and a white blouse, or vintage teeshirt, or turtle neck if it’s cold. Because of the virus, I found it hard to get up each day and be inspired. But that is behind me now and each morning I put on minimal make-up, earrings, and a spritz of perfume. Although born in NYC, I live in the Virginia countryside where shopping is never going to be like the Village:) That is why I love your blogs, your fashion statements inspire me.
You have all inspired me to keep on this and I will!
This is a time we can use to re-examine our lives. I’m grateful to be able to work from home during this time, and I’m grateful that my husband and I aren’t sick. But I grieve for the many losses people are enduring, the suffering of those who are sick the people dying alone. I admire and grieve for our healthcare workers and their heroic efforts to help people, risking their own lives. The low wage workers who are delivering goods, working in grocery stores and pharmacies And the enormous number of people who are suddenly unemployed.
I still cherish personal style, which has little to do with fashion and everything to do with how I put myself together in the morning, even when I’m staying home. I’ve colored my hair for many years, a perfect golden blonde and kept it in a short bob. But now it is growing fast, I’m fascinated by my silvery roots, my hair is long enough to pull back now and my bangs are too long. I’ve gelled it into a tight side part and now I look like a little boy from the 1950s. That’s my style for today.
We can still enjoy style, just in a smaller way. I don’t know how this is going to end, but our world is changed forever. All we can do is love each other and care for our neighbors. I hope you keep sharing your thoughts, I enjoy reading your “columns.”
Thank you, I will keep sharing my thoughts and discoveries and I encourage you to do the same as comments form readers are always inspiring.
Thank you for this thought provoking article. Like you I am rethinking nearly all aspects of my life. In my mind I keep going back to the early 1970’s when I was just leaving teenage to 20’s and feeling a free hippy kind of vibe. I had been modeling since I was 14 used to fine garments and newly married with a baby. Husband in college I was now sewing my own clothes out of whatever fabric I could find. My all time favorite dress was one I made using a lovely cotton madras bedspread from India bought in a hippy shop. I designed it myself very simple halter maxi dress. Maybe it is nostalgia for that simple time but I am leaning backwards and grabbing hold and yes purging my closets. I want 100% natural fabrics sustainable fabric is key. I have always loved vintage and will still look for clothes in vintage shops and on line. I have never followed the rules but I am realizing now that I have been “falling in line” not now and never again.
It is so lovely to see how blue the sky can be here in NYC without all the cars and pollution. This time is also making me want to have only 100% natural fabrics against my skin, everything else feels so harsh. I too have felt my mind drifting back to simpler times and I enjoy the slowness and the daily rituals that have emerged for me during the quarantine,
Love this! You’re about the same age as my sister. I the very early 70’s my mom sewed halter dresses and caftans out of Indian bedspreads. I took the scraps and made a halter dress and drawstring bag for my Barbie doll. I still have it. I’m busy sewing fabric masks to give to family and friends. After that I’m hoping to sew some clothing for myself. Simple times indeed.
I am profoundly moved by this essay. We are all forced to slow down, to reevaluate, to look more closely at what is important to us now, in a changed world. Thank you for your thoughts.
Good afternoon;
In reading your article this morning during my breakfast of local baked goods and fruit and my latte I would like to share a few thoughts if I may.
Being a visual artist I would be lost if I did not have my art, my art books and magazines which have as they always have done consume me for hours on end. I’m fortunate to have a healthy addiction. I just finished a new art catalogue with my graphic artist/publisher and she is so talented at her craft.
We much reach deep beyond the surface to appreciate what we have amongst our peers in my case fellow visual artists and not the galleries or art dealers.
The art and cultural community has been decimated but we will recover and come back even stronger after Covid-19.
Oh on a lighter note I love my distressed clothing and look forward to wearing it again when I work an art opening or teach my art students.
Look forward to another instalment
Please be safe and well
Regards
JD
Local, small creative communities. Sounds good to me. Books, magazines all evocative objects that have meaning and not thoughtlessly consumed.
Now is the time I would be changing from cold weather clothing to warmer weather garments. Now is the time I would be asking that tough question, “Am I going to put this away till next year even though I didn’t wear it last year? Can I part with it and send it on to a new owner? What’s holding me back?” This year I have more time to make the seasonal wardrobe change; more time to really think about each garment. Now I’ve added a new question: Is this fabric suitable for masks? My trusty Singer sewing machine and many spools of thread are at the ready.
First, beautiful outfit, lovely picture of you. You have expressed my feelings so very well and I’m sure the feeling of many others. Did we need a wake up call such as this virus to bring us to our senses? I look forward to reading each new post on your blog. Even tho I live on a rather remote farm and have/had a limited social life, at 85 I still love clothes and hope I always will.
Hi Lyn,
Here’s one of my favorite articles about fast fashion and how we can change. Easier said than done as behaviors in how we shop relies on economics in many cases, but buying one nice article of clothing that lasts versus ‘cheap thrill’ throw away clothing would be a great start! Being you have such a following and influence around the globe, you have the capacity to educate shoppers in how to end fast fashion and sway fashion lovers how to buy less at higher quality. Also, how do we create a movement to hold the fast fashion industry accountable? like Forever 21, H & M, etc? These are companies polluting the environment and abusing their workers with low wages and poor working conditions, yet people still buy their products. So much to explore. Have a great week.
Don’t forget to hire your local shoe repairman and take care of your shoes!
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-case-for-expensive-clothes/408652/
Thanks for sharing that article. I am going to start posting my bibliography again and this will be first on the list. I also want to share brands that are worth the investment.
Very thought provoking article. Thank you.
The Summer will be well over before we emerge from this
Thanks for your revealing and insightful comments. I agree with you that things will never be “back to normal” since we are learning that the former life was not all good. We’ve been given this chance to step back and reconsider everything as you describe.
I suspect that my personal trend toward re-using, thrifting and creatively combining new and old items will continue and possibly grow. I do wonder how I will find new-to-me items, though since we are not shopping and I don’t like to buy clothes online, especially used without knowing exact sizing (I’m kinda hard to fit).
You’ve given me more to think about as I clean out the winter and downsize my spring/summer wardrobe. Thanks and stay well.
All good options.
B R A V O !!!!! These are the miracles coming out of the Carona Virus time.
Yes, let’s hope for the best.
I appreciate your thoughts about sustainability and being honest about being an influencer, but I think you are being far too hard on yourself. I love your photos and the way you talk about aging beautifully. I admire your style and your knowledge of it. Your blog is a work of art in the process. On a personal level, it is helping to redefine how I see myself as I age. It has given me courage and hope.
I suspect your book will be a huge success and hope you start getting paid for your work again soon. It is valuable. Stay healthy!
Beautifully said.. as A stylist and collector of fashion and many of my own vintage.. I’ve been purging and reinventing the old and cataloging vintage In photos I wear for my grandkids in the future
So well put! This is a time to slow down, breathe, listen and weigh our priorities and values. And as you said, it’s from the bottom up, in our small communities, that we will step forward, take our tools in hand, and rebuild together.
Thanks for your words. Keep writing. You are a valuable part of our community and it’s rebuilding.
You are correct about the local being important, being a ‘base’ but never before has humanity been more aware that we are one planet, one ecosystem and one species running things. Act local but think global. This cognizance has been coming for a long time — since before Bob Geldof and Live Aid considered a continent on the brink of complete famine. Fashion has always been a globalizer — and is notable for the good it’s done as well as the bad. You are right that it is being decimated and needs rebuilding along new, values based lines that consider more about the effects on our planet as a whole than art and profit. Please keep on keeping on in your small apartment of lovely clothes and use your creativity and intellect to help spur on the industry to needful change!
Point well taken think global, act locally. Inspiration for fashion has always come from all over the globe. We will need to look at the supply chains as all are not created equal. I am taking this on as an exciting challenge and look forward to the creative response which I am sure will come from my readers.
Aloha Accidental Icon… I appreciate your heartfelt honesty in this blog. I also have been thinking about the clothes I wear, how so many years ago I had a Mother who made me beautiful clothes and therefore I hardly ever bought clothing in stores and resulted to thrift stores and vintage markets …. til the rich discovered my past-time and I couldn’t afford to buy even the vintage clothes I loved so much and thrill I got from such a good deal. I live on an Island in the Pacific and fashion is a misnomer and over the past 20 years of living here, I have found some unique articles of clothing and wear them proudly… I shope the local consignment stores, clothing exchanges with lady friends and recently have discovered the dump store… but when we hopefully return to the outside world, I definately will be even more furvent on my search for second hand clothing since I really don’t have a choice of anything else. But you are an “icon” for us older ladies and please don’t stop your blogs.. Mahalo
What a marvelous Film Noir style outfit and photo!
Kudos for throwing the elephant out onto the virtul conference table.
This is a very scary time and I think I am morst worried about when the pandemic contagion has been checked but so many people have no money, food, or place to live. I am not sure how I can help other than to volunteer and donate.
Here is what I have learned in tthi past year of retiring (former employer retired ME), purging/selling the place where I lived, and totally reassessing my income and “discretionary shopping”.
My daughter has no interest in my clothes and 99% of the bric a brac I collected. Self, get over it.
No grandchildren are possible so all the lovely saved baby clothes that my mother and I made were not welcome either.
My clothes were very stylish but you know what, they were not me anymore. I am confident that they found more life passing through my local Good Will store.
Researching clothing styles throughout the ages is VERY interesting. When exactly was it that we abandoned multi-tasking garments and components of garments? (tie one set of sleeves onto several different dress bodices).
Fashion history reveals collective cultural perspectives that are fascinating to me. The ones from ‘my decades’ are necessary for me to remember and reflect upon. Otherwise I feel like I am just hurtling through space like the slab in 2001, A Space Odyssey.
I wish for all to stay well and that somehow the energy and intelligence shared here will have some part in healing in the places it needs to happen.
I love the detachable sleeves. Looking to the past for inspiration and innovation is a really great idea.
My fashion statement, if I even make one, is so simple. Fluid movement pants or better yet pleated. Winter :turtlenecks, summer: colorful t-shirts -natural fabrics. Summer = Bermuda shorts, capris, dresses. I have summer sandals & black loafers. Oh, and jumpers & tights in winter.
That’s one of the reasons I consider you as an icon. You clothe your body in art and it is breathtaking.
Now I just have to figure out how to do it within some new parameters.
Wonderful blog today! Thank you for inspiring me to rethink what I wear, why I wear things and the beauty you so succinctly write about. How we come out of this will be a testament to who we are. Some of us will be better, some will remain unchanged. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.
I think we will have to go back to “why?”
Why do I own this? Why am I wearing this? Why do I covet this? And so on…
And the acquisition has to become more difficult, less frequent… I think the supply chain itself will sort some of this out, and it will hurt, a lot.
In the end though, I am hopeful.
It is the transition that will be tricky, and hard to survive because whatever this industry has become “before Corona”, it was never something that could last (I am deliberately not using the word “sustainable”).
I am kinda excited to see.
In the meantime, I know that my daughter and granddaughter will probably NOT be interested in my stuff, and that’s never a reason to keep or to get something. I used to think that and a friend of mine told me that based on her experience with her daughter, that wasn’t the case… An item here and there, yes, but by en large, not. And that kinda hurt.
It’s an illusion of the ego though, like anything else, to believe that our stuff has meaning and value to others… It takes a special kind of alignment to make that happen, without mentioning body size.
From everything that my mom own (and she lives in Italy and has worked in fashion all her life), I maybe want a handful of accessories. None of her clothes fit me and never did since I was a teenager as I am much taller than her.
It’s frustrating… I think “investment pieces” is a marketing ploy grafted on the illusion of relevance we hold so dear.
I don’t know. I have no answers. Let’s keep talking.
Thank you for opening the door to this conversation.
I too agree. It’s time to pause and reflect on the apparel industry as a whole and our role in it. We’ve lived in a consumer society where we are used to having more ,refreshing our wardrobes with the change of the seasons,or a holiday trip,accumulating much too much. Then purging only to accumulate again and again…Clothes are an artistic expression to me.. a statement and can be visually pleasing but there is an alternative .East and West coast thrift stores have an abundance of excess clothing and accessories. Clothes get a second life and avoid the dump. Now is the time to reduce our need to over consume and change our habits. We could cut our consumption in half.Pay more for new clothes so the garment industry isn’t impacted as much .Perhaps recycle more fabric into new fibers to give it new life.and recycle all plastics. Less is really more in the end.
Let’s tell better and more interesting stories about the clothes we do have.
I find it hard to look at nice pieces and not being able to wear them and at the same time realizing I have too many of them as well. Not being able to physically shop I find is a good thing although I have snuck in some on line orders just to satisfy my urge. We need to look good to feel good especially as we age so as to not to fall into a feeling of unworthiness. After recently losing my husband I want to keep up myself for friends and family. I donate a lot or pass down to friends but don’t feel I have much say in the matter of sustainability aside from deciding not to purchase but don’t know if that makes much of a difference. I just hope that going back to normal means a good normal.
Cheers!
I agree clothes are critical for mood maintenance.
Thank you for the very thoughtful and intelligent remarks. I am retired, pushing 79, and no longer require or use the clothing that once made up my wardrobe. I find our (humans) relationship with covering our-self throughout history to be fascinating and, as with all else in life, in fashion sometimes we are the windshield and sometimes we are the bug. I have always sewn but until recently did not realize how damaging the cottons I adore are to the environment. Couple the damage of growing cottons with fast fashion, not to mention the horribleness of poly anything, and you have a recipe for disaster. Nevertheless we are required to and like to dress, so perhaps a smaller wardrobe with elegant pieces is the key. At least that is the direction I am heading. But, in all honesty I love, love the beauty of haute couture and good tailoring and will read about it as well as sew it until the end.
Yes this is not an either/or proposition.
Hi,
My friend just introduced me to you and your blog. Thank you for your clear insights and sharing of them. I look
forward to hearing / reading more.
I felt compelled to comment since I grew up in a family that valued clothing as a way of life.
My dad was a sales rep for a women’s clothing line… and he had five stores. I started working in them when I was 10. Later on I had my own stores and found that my relationship with clothing was special.. much like the friendships I developed with customers, fellow shop owners and vendors. Many of those relationships have stood the test of time. It’s been 22 years since I closed my store but the lives of those clothes, the stories they told and keep on telling.. are a big part of the “
Sustainability” that resonates for me.
when I look at the pieces I love, when I see my friends wearing a well cared for sweater or a pair of shoes they bought from me in 1980, when I see a relative wearing something I gifted them 30 years ago that’s part of my notion of sustainability.
I think recognizing the businesses practices of designers I buy from, the conditions those garments were made under, and the politics of all of that is essential.. But when I put on my moms Persian fur jacket that I remember her wearing in 1960 it does help Sustain me. With memories, with love, with thoughts of who I will give it to so my mom lives on.
That’s some of my notions on sustainability and my relationship with my clothing.
Thank you. Stay safe and be well.
A new and interesting way to think about what sustainability means.
Among the things that distress me about the pandemic is that I have new clothes that I won’t get to wear. I feel ashamed of that yet it’s true. Because of a life style change as well, I have 3 closets of clothes (sorry Marie Kondo) that won’t be worn as they should. I am not acquisitive; these are things that have been carefully curated and despite the age of some of them, are deeply appreciated and loved. Aside from the politics of fashion, the semiotics of clothing, and that clothes bear witness to parts of our personality, they are powerful transmitters of energy. I have written a book on energy management (Staying Power) that discusses how energy is acquired or lost through daily transactions, tasks and situations. In one chapter I discuss the importance of objects in bringing us energy. Consider the space you live in and the items beyond mementos and keepsakes that speak to you. Consider why you habitually choose a certain colour or keep buying scarves. Appreciate the energy you get from your clothes even if they aren’t being worn. Your love for clothes won’t diminish but now when looking for that perfect white shirt go to your closet first.
Words of wisdom
Thank you. You are a blessing.
You are a wonderful writer- there is such power in your words, your insight and your honesty.
I like to follow “fashion” a wee bit, but its culture is so often shallow and consumeristic. This particular blog felt refreshing in that, now, this Corona time is re-setting the psyche in ways that may be long over-due.
I’ve been thinking along the same lines, not only about what I wear(I’ve been living in leggings), but a whole new normal. My twin sister has rediscovered that she is painter! While many of us have other talents, I’m wondering if there is hidden in all of us that something that has been squashed down due to busy-ness? As for fashion, I am looking at footwear as an expression!
I am finding this time oddly peaceful. I look at all the objects around me and ask if they are contributing to any meaning in my life. As time goes by it is becoming easier to just keep what really moves me and either donate, sell or toss the rest. As I go through my clothes is hard at first to edit. I ask myself why. As times goes on it gets easier. It gets easier to walk into my closet and see a reflection of who I really am. Mostly I love things that are made well, natural fibers such as linen, silk and organic cotton, and little details such as buttons, the style of the garment, embroidery and such. Some time ago I quit buying things and have discovered I have a lot more money than I used to. I was using clothing almost like a drug. Now when I see something I really evaluate whether I want or need the item. It is actually quite liberating. I think about where it was made and what conditions it was made under and whether the person who made it was treated fairly. I see rebuilding too. I also see that air quality is better, my garden is growing better and that I feel better because most people are staying home. I am working on a new normal that is not based on big, over production and appreciate your comments on small. After all in the end the small details matter a great deal. I appreciate your thoughts greatly and hope that we can all do better from now on rather than going back to the way things were.
Those are wonderful questions to ask before purchasing something new. There is much to be said for those small details and appreciating them.
A lovely journal of authenticity, and honesty; with brutal but necessary truths. May we all find the thoughts such as yours to awaken to a new epiphany.
For a while now, I have been dealing with a physical disability which has definitely changed the selection of clothes that I choose to wear. It has been a challenge, actually a rather fun challenge for me at least, to continue to be true to my personal style as well as accommodate my disabilities. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I am perceived by others. I think that these new corona virus situations are going to change a lot of minds about fashion. What is important? What is practical? What do we find truly beautiful? How do others see us? How do we see ourselves? Like you, Lyn, I express myself through my clothing and since I’m not getting my regular feedback from the outside world, (I, unfortunately don’t have a talented photographer like Calvin to help me document my efforts) it has been so much more about being really true to myself. Keep doing what you’re doing. Love.
An inspiration for us all.
At the moment, I am wearing my comfiest things–a plaid flannel nightgown and plush gray robe, slippers with arch support. It’s delightful to know that I have hours until my next Zoom meeting where I will do my hair and makeup, put on something flattering like a black turtleneck. So, I have these 2 settings–comfortable and “at my best”.
This world reminds me to think outside the binary. Recently, the Queen was on telly and she wore a green dress. Artists everywhere took the opportunity to use that as a green screen, fill it with all sorts of images and post to social media.
Both you and the Queen influence us in many ways. Showing lovely, older women is super important now. We all know that older people are dying in really big numbers all over the world. We need reassurance that all is not lost, validation for the sacrifices and precautions.
Clothes can become our lost parents, grandparents. We see these trends in fashion but the real thing is so much better. That brown cashmere sweater in my closet is made of world class fibers. My grandfather bought it 100 years ago and now I have it. When I wear it (or even just look at it), the sweater warms me with memories of my loved ones.
Such a beautiful way of looking at this.
You have written this with such integrity and profound self reflection. As horrific as this time has been and still is for us and our fellow world citizens, I for one am grateful for this gift of Corona…grateful for this time to reflect upon “Time Before” and look ahead to “Time After.” It gives me an opportunity to affirm what I already knew…that it is the collective nature of social welfare that will save us from ourselves. My fascination with fashion has been a frivolous self indulgence honestly and I have consumed irresponsibly for years. This past month has helps me become a curator of select items I already own that hold memories, meaning, and beauty…and I’m thinking carefully about what to do about the items that no longer seem to belong. Thank you for this very thoughtful post.
Memories and meaning, a return to what clothes used to be for us.
Growing up as a child of the late 1960’s & ‘70’s in a military family who moved literally across the country almost every year, we were strapped for cash. My mom sewed most of my clothes— she’s a gifted seamstress and now an award-winning quilter— so while those garments were beautifully made, I aspired to being able to shop in department stores whenever I desired; to have clothing that reflected where we were living. I was a buttermilk-freckled kid with screaming orange curly hair likely visible from space, so being perpetually the new kiddo was already wearing; the new kid in clothing no one else had ever seen anyplace shifted to exhausting well before puberty. (Thank heavens Mom decided sewing our swimwear wasn’t effective before we landed in Hawaii!).
When I left for university and was able to afford consignment shops, factory seconds and sometimes Loehman’s, I was glad to have my own sewing skills and even more happy to be insanely skinny (although that’s a retrospective view weighed by 30+ years worth of hindsight and shape-shifting menopause). My closets (now straddling two cities as we’re relocating ourselves) reflect both my clothing accrual across decades and my disparate, competing roles— MD & Medical Director, spouse of an executive, Mom, person who studies yoga and Pilates when there’s slivers of time— as well as my own shifting, settling physical shape. Ironically (or really maybe/likely not), as my own family became more successful my desire to shop in department stores steadily eroded— I found myself seeking local shops or artisans who craft garments that reflect what I like and value. I am deeply worried for those people and know that like many others I’ll have much less resource to spend with them following this time. Online behemoths are so much better suited to weather our collective Great Stay In, so although I’m glad for their convenience and presence, I’m troubled by how much more weight and control they’ve assumed in our lives. Their true cost is more than the price-gouging we’re witnessing now.
We’re still trying to figure out how this transcontinental move will work— how 20 years in one house can at least transiently condense to a highrise with glorious views and half the space, which garments will ‘make the cut’, which merit being packed away, which can be donated when we’re able to donate again. My gentle west coast temperate wardrobe as a whole seems ill-suited to downtown urban living with weather extremes, more widespread high heels (No thank-you!) and shoulder pads. I’ve a real sense of needing to reinvest in myself— of finding the time to craft and edit my wardrobe, and even more, to finally, genuinely prioritize my own health. Hopefully my soon to be more condensed closet can better reflect both who I am and what I believe rather than my life reaching this point.
The autobiography of a relationship with clothes we should all write one as you have.
I suppose the question for all of us is: why do I think I need so much (clothes, food, stimulation, etc, etc, etc)? Why do I always think I need more and, in the process, force nature to have less?
Good question and one of the things I have been finding in my research is how technology has actually built in a conditioning process that makes us want to unthinkingly do this. We need to stop and reflect as many are doing here and ask that very important question.
Dear Accidental Icon: The answer to your final question in your latest post is to find a small town with big town soul. I found such a place on the outskirts of one of America’s not-so-glamorous fly-over cities in the Midwest. It is cost-efficient and provides everything I need on so many levels.
Since you asked for suggestions, I thought I would put my two-cents-worth in. How about a life make-over in new geographic place?
My town has it all, from fashion to fine food, theater, art, music and writing classes, you name it including kind and helpful people who are (mostly) sophisticated and progressive and where there are rivers, lakes and green landscape galore. There are numerous colleges and universities near y small town (within a 45 minute drive) and two offer fashion as a major course of study plus one with a fashion museum which you may have visited.
Why am I telling you this? I read yearning in your writing for something different. Your former quest to find “what’s next” might be to find something new. Start again (not over) in a new place and way of living beautifully while sharing your talents and expertise.
And, what better time to begin than in our soon-to-be “post-pandemic world.” Is a small town/city right for you? Would you find new purpose teaching fashion to your own curriculum? Just a thought on a peaceful “shelter in place” day out here in fly over country.
All very interesting to consider and as soon as Calvin retires it is something we have been talking about.
Please share the name of this town!!!! Thanks
Brilliant commentary, and so true. Shall keep this piece for a long time. Thank you for your thoughtful insight.
my gosh, you’ve said it SO WELL here…. laid out your ideas and thoughts and suggestions and conjecture so succinctly here before us, that although i’d love to drop some wisdom and ANYthing new & insightful, you seem to have covered it! i’m always impressed by your eloquence…. as well as your fab bomb style. as always, keep it vintage, locally sourced, american made, female-based (if poss) and continue to troll the web and your own collections as inspiration. you inspire me!
PS…….
did not see any other comments when i posted — and BOY am i inspired!! your followers are insightful, clever, introspective, savvy & smart! i’m enriched by reading all these comments…. THREE CHEERS to all of us!! ……and to the AI for bringing us together —
Yes they Are!
Let’s all keep talking!
You are always an inspiration. Keep on embracing us with your style. In these difficult days we need to see beauty. I think if clothes also as art pieces. So wear them and show us. This is a since idle normalcy. May you stay in good spirits and health. If you have to down size, keep the vintage and give away newer pieces that you haven’t worn yet. I am trying to down size and that’s what I find myself doing. Stay well and in good spirits.
Hoping that the fashion industry uses data to make better clothing – better fitting, better quality, and better value for the customer. Also, a return to customer service would be great.
I love clothes, but shopping is painful: ugly, ugly, cheap fabric, horrible construction, overpriced…..just OK, oops, doesn’t fit.
As usual, your ponderings make me take a minute to slow down and consider ideas that I often rush past. Thank you 🙂
In elementary school, most of my clothes were hand-me-downs, and the majority of those were handed down to someone else after I grew out of them. I really like that system–no money was ever exchanged or expected for hand-me-downs, so giving a bag of clothes to a younger kid wasn’t seen as charity even if my family barely knew them. It’s also much easier to pass clothes on to someone who will use them more than I do when I don’t have the feeling of “I spent good money on this; I should get more use out of it first”. I wish something similar was more common among adults–perhaps we could start a movement, or maybe one has already been started.
Frequenting local seamstresses and tailors might be another step in the right direction. It seems like the majority of our clothes (especially for those of us who fall into the “broke high school student” category) were made somewhere across the country, if not across the globe. Finding sources closer to home, even for alterations, seems like a good way to be more connected to our community.
I’ve also been experimenting with sewing more of what I wear, and I will say: even though I’m nowhere near being a professional seamstress, sewing has made me appreciate clothes so much more. I find myself mending and altering clothes that I’ve made, rather than giving them away as soon as I find a problem.
I appreciate your call to thoughtful fashion in the wake of coronavirus. Who knows, maybe this will become a historic turning point in the fashion world. Keep the ideas coming; I love reading your posts 🙂
Keep your amazing ideas coming!
Wow, Lyn – your words cut through the debris of all the useless things we collect. And yes, you are absolutely correct in relating the feel of things to our deepest psyche; silk, velvet, lace, ruffles and smooth linen…We cannot deny how they make us FEEL. Any one of them can lift me out of the doldrums to a pretty good high.
Being deprived of my wardrobe whilst stuck in a locked-down South Africa, I’m yearning to return to my home in Cyprus where there are two trunks full of fabric waiting for my magic wand… At present, I have the clothes that I packed for a beach holiday on my own with no-one to please other than myself… Hmm… Keep on writing, as we are all devouring your words. Bless you for your insights. I’m very moved by the image accompanying this post… a bit funereal but apt.
Please share with us what you make from what’s in that trunk. I am going to practice my sewing skills as a treat to myself. I’ve been yearning for my sewing machine which when “too busy” I put into storage. As soon as I am able I’m going to bring it back home.
You’ve been doing some amazing soul searching and I am excited to see where this leads you. There are many in the similar position of realizing that our relationship with the world is shallow. Let’s hope that we use this time for introspection and change. When we go back to “normal,” let’s make it a new normal!
I am experiencing revelations in my relationship with clothing and material culture that are uncannily similar to yours. Your words have expressed my own thoughts on this Corona time so poignantly. Thank you!
Dear Icon, your writing and story much liked and resonate with many of us. I agree so much with freedom to express ourselves in style. My area is food making as a tool for connecting. Foodies will have to face the same question: keep artisan bread recipes or just simply help inexperienced home sitting, mostly young people how to cook with limited resources. But I still reach for the best value, healthy recipes and commit to self-expression, wanting to be adoptive yet creative.
I also have silver hair, and loved to see you being so confident and showing your independence and style. After all, you are an icon!
As for fashion: the only thing I as your reader did is selecting items according to my budget and figure (I am tall, thin, but with curves.) I stopped buying too many clothes, because I want my closet kept the same size. Now I can’t even go shopping (hate online shopping, because I wish to touch the material.) So I recycle my own clothes once per week, and dress up at home for a ZOOM, or celebration. It keeps me sane.
Please keep writing in style, we need you!
For me, the time of Coronavirus is confirming what I hoped I knew as I was downsizing from my home in MA; coming to a rural/mountain area in the state of PA. Though I had a love/love relationship with clothing as artifacts of beauty and variety that helped me normalize the day-to-day for a nurse who often (not always) wears scrubs.
When I was downsizing I did so with a methodical effort aimed at ‘living simply,’ something that was nearly impossible in my former surroundings. There’s not a lot going on here and though I knew I would continue to work in my field, my neighbors seem to live a simpler life, a more modest life. I was happy to try that on, happy (and more than a little afraid) to learn more about myself and if I could also maintain that simple (and I hope, more Godly) attitude.
As I was cleaning out my closet(s!), I gave a stacked row depth of coats alone to Salvation Army. Many were designer pieces. I took a deep breath, kept one dress coat and one ‘snow’ coat to bring down here. I was right, of course, This year I never did put on a dress coat. There is nowhere to go – especially now that the virus is here. Days and weekends of traveling back and forth to New England and back stopped abruptly. My son was afraid for me to come there. He’s also a nurse and therefore at high risk of contracting/bringing something home with him.
I work from home (I’m an administrative nurse now, so I no longer see patients). I sit at my computer at my kitchen table. I revel in my comfy lounge-wear (pretty and utilitarian). I wear one, wash one – day after day; and no one cares or thinks about it. I love that I can look out the window and enjoy the evolving spring that comes regardless of what’s going on in the world. I miss my kids most of all – I long to look at my tall, handsome fellas back home, the ones I’m so proud of. I long to see the end of this terrible time of sickness and despair. We take SO much for granted and place too much weight on things that don’t matter. Let’s keep looking forward – praying for things to return a little bit more to normal (a ‘new’ normal – they’re telling us now). Be well – be safe – take care and God bless us all.
Please give thanks to your son for all he is doing during this horrifying time of sickness.
A very brave and clear self review, Lynn. I have many of those same thoughts. From the perspective of quarantine, the amount of clothing I personally have is disgraceful. Revaluation is now a spiritual necessity.
I think we have to reconcile the need for clothes as part of a healthy self-expression v. for other reasons like status etc. I don’t want to be punitive about it, just honest and then creative in my response.
Dear One,
I have long admired your work, not as an adventurous “clothes horse,”but as an artist.
Your body is your canvas, and your artistic expression tells the story of empowerment, aliveness, and dare I say it, joy, to women of all ages.
When you choose a different form of expression post Covid19, my hope is that you will continue telling your story your way.
Without the work of artists, many of us would be mute.
The artist’s job is to be a witness to his time in history.
Robert Rauschenberg
With appreciation and love,
Carolyn
Thank you so much!
I have always found comfort in special pieces of clothing that fit just right, are the perfect colors and just make me feel good while wearing them. Here I sit, wearing my favorite sweater, with my little dog snuggled by my side reading your blog. Thank you for your words of wisdom, words to ponder upon during these difficult times.
I look for individuality, someone or something that brings new ideas to the table. Bloggers and the internet do that , and retail does not. Retailer’s have too narrow a view. I am looking for people who are not afraid to show age, or individuality. I hope the future holds more appreciation for bespoke, handmade, one of a kind, objects, clothes, and people. I would definitely mix thrifted with couture, and historical with everyday., and shown on all ages and kinds of people. Real is the new black.
Love, love everything about this.
Thank you for this. Such honest introspection. Yes, we are all waking up; reassessing our lives and asking ourselves what kind of world we want to create ‘after corona’. Let’s dig deep, find a way together to use our gifts to create beauty and meaning. With a deeper understanding of ourselves, our common humanity and Mother Earth.
The time is now.
I became very uncomfortable with the “disposable” fashion industry. For the last four years I have shopped almost exclusively at consignment/resale shops and estate sales for clothing and many household goods. I wear what I term my “uniform” in my professional life, about 15 separate pieces and a few scarves. I’m hoping the pandemic makes people see disposable fashion for the waste it is. It’s possible to look and feel fabulous at much less cost – to consumers and to our world.
As a social worker myself, I completely resonate witb your ponderings. I too have always loved clothes and creating new ways of putting things together. Different people inspire me because their style is different but gives me ideas to adapt. I have been trying to resist purchasing at the same time, I know the local designers need our patronage. How to responsibly support and to care for our precious resources? Thanks for giving a platform to consider and discuss xx
Important questions.
Agree….thank you
Extremely thoughtful and well written. I am not a huge ‘consumer of things’ so it’s difficult for me to follow most influencers as it seems like too much. I love beauty and beautiful things but I see the suffering behind it and it makes it impossible for me to partake.
We definitely have a new opportunity to effect change, while not giving up everything. But we have to do it NOW. The earth can not continue to wait.
Thank you for expressing so beautifully everything my clothes have always meant to me in expressing myself and being a creative and most enjoyable art form for me.
Wonderful article and so perfectly expressed. Clothes and jewelry are how I express myself as well, so it has been very disheartening looking at all my wonderful clothes, wanting to put them on to express my mood and where I am going that day to know it is not right now. The one thing I have been doing to give myself sanity, is to try and keep a normal schedule. I have been fortunate enough to continue to work from home, so I still get up and do a workout from home, shower, dress and makeup. Trying to feel as human as I can be.
I also wanted to add that you expressed all my thoughts and feelings with what the COVID19 has brought on us.
As you do, I buy only good quality clothes but I am not overwhelmed with excess at least more garments than I can possibly wear. My excess tends to be saving good books incorporated into my library. I did in the last 5 years force myself to do a cleanse of books by authors I only read just briefly and no longer felt the need to keep those books. My local libraries received multiple donations spread out through the libraries. I was surprised to learn that (at least by me, the expansion of technology part of the library has forced the removal of many books). As a bibliophile, this is sacrilegious, because the two can exist quite well together. Hopefully, this crisis has made converts to appreciate physical books.
But to your theme of physical possessions, as long as there’s space to move around without appearing to be a hoarder, these give us joy now and hopefully will give memories to our descendants. Enjoy.
I agree the relationship we have with the object is the key. If we do not connect then it becomes easy to dispose of.
Lovely consoling read…Thankyou. ..
My sentiments exactly. I’m in the comfort of my home with a closet full with items never or seldom worn. What made me rethink about my over-consumption and interest in fashion was the news coverage of the healthcare workers on the line with this virus. They do not have the luxury of worrying about fashion and are lucky if they are covered sufficiently with proper clothing to guard again the virus they are confronted with daily. I confessed to a priest once that I was too invested in my clothing. He said – don’t worry about it, at some point you will say “enough”. That time has come.
PS: Eileen Fisher is one of my favorite designers. I’m drawn to her by her simple designs and the company’s policy of being environmentally conscious with sourcing and manufacturing.
Yes, the time has come perhaps to change our relationship rather than end it and do more with less. What wonderful possibilities to be creative open up.
I’ve always believed a world without artistic beauty and creative thinkers would be so dreadfully dull. I’m sure you and other artists will use this time wisely to refresh your energy and re-emerge with incredible new creations!
I think this “sheltering” has made a lot of us reevaluate our life and priorities. Things we thought we needed we no longer need, basics work just fine. It breaks my heart to see the food lines, hospitals overflowing, etc.
I have always loved seeing clothing in magazines and in person, I love the feel of certain fabrics and the workmanship going into to making a special garment. My mother used to make all my prom dresses.
I love many forms of art and I consider dressing an art. The making of cheap clothing has gotten out of hand, too disposable and exploitation rampant. I remember the days(long ago)saving my money to by a planned item of clothing and wearing and loving it for a long time. Perhaps it won’t be business as usual when this is over. We just need to get our priorities right.
Who do you know that can get you to THE influencer(s) needed to change and consolidate their consolidated lens? (designer, manufacturer, retailer, distributor, etc.) I would focus on recruiting one big name who would then convene a group (as was accomplished with Central Park) and work to convince the biggies to change their ways yet remain profitable. So many of us would reward them if they treated their employees fairly with a living wage (wherever they live); if they used organic and eco-friendly and new materials that do not do so much damage to the ecosystem; if they simplified the supply chain. Work with community schools to teach people how to create/run a profitable eco-friendly garment business (small scale, like a Junior Achievement project); and teach people how to sew. Have upscale designers give or sell patterns to these people in small businesses with hints on best, most economic results, like best kinds of fabrics to use, so people can have a business from their home. Get ad agencies and social media and the news to get on it to promote these local businesses. It could start with FIT in Manhattan. They could give this project to all of their students which would include all of the various curriculum. Other design schools should do the same. Big competition. Like the wonderful solutions that architecture students created after Hurricane Katrina. But someone has to be a czar to organize the tremendous effort that would be needed. And while you are finding the czar and getting all this started, a public relations campaign on social media and the news and PSAs would need to be started to create the “100th monkey” so that this idea would change organically. People who can afford to care and resist buying items that harm people and the planet would be part of the new frontier. And, of course, you’d need big philanthropy to get involved, too. — Good luck with all this! — (BTW, I’m restructuring my business too, and am developing a new website, so not intentionally omitting it.)
This is such an excellent blueprint to think about in moving forward. Thank yoiu
Don’t sell yourself short. You fight long held disparaging beliefs about aging. You find and give joy through the art of wardrobe. Your life view is different than most and you will never fit neatly into anyone’s rule book. You’re a flagrant example of following your own path. And, you demonstrate how to be successful in new and unexpected ways. Isn’t that relevant enough?
Oh yes, yes and yes said very sadly from me, Mara Moore. I am beyond sad at all the people sick, caring for someone ill, or have lost employment. I, like you, breathe fashion. Style is just inside of me whether I like it or not… and I always have liked it. Just going to my local grocery store amid this ugly pandemic brought me to my knees. My sweet butcher was sad eyed behind his mask- and he commented on mine just trying to keep things light. The store I always loved to shop at looked cold and gray. No one made eye contact. They were all in a hurry and wanted out of there… as did I. I don’t care about my clothes right now but I still love them. I would give them all up to save one life if I could. This has turned us all around and we are unsure and feeling very unsafe. This will all definitely reflect in fashion and in all that is created in the near future. It will look different so I know that I will always relish and be so very grateful for what I had.
Gratitude is my operative word each and every day right now.
I too have been soul searching my love of clothing and before Corona Virus I had started a self imposed campaign for myself to buy vintage/Op Shop and also support local small fashion businesses and I must say I love it. I think by donating to and buying from charity stores and vintage stores and also supporting your local businesses and at the same time buying less and loving what you do buy is fun and satisfying and handy on the bank account also. This can suit every budget and style and I am also getting a sense of community in these stores and supporting good causes. I am missing my visits to my local charity stores and can’t wait to get back into it. xx
Exactly!
I believe fashion is an artistic expression and not just for the Designer. I come from a long line of stylish, timeless, beautiful hearted women and I have always seen their various styles as expressions, showing who they were, how they felt, etc. This is how we tell our stories, sometimes without apology. Thank you for your inspiration through words and fashion.
Yes and they can tell stories of how they are made that we will not have to apologize for.
Beautiful
If clothes tell the world who we are. What are we without an audience?
Ah….
I can’t help but look at your lovely editorial like photo and gorgeously styled ensemble (and the heels that I wish I could still wear) and see the vacant streets behind you and think that you are missing your mask. I don’t mean to be judgemental and of course I don’t know when the photo was taken and as I said there is no one nearby and you may have removed it for the photo. It’s just that masks have suddenly become our newest accessory in daily life as we venture out into the world. How quickly our world has changed.
Thank you for your posts. I have never commented before. I appreciate your style. btw I loved the orange outfit on the train in your last blog too!!
The photo was taken before this all happened on a very quiet night. Right now I always appear outside in a mask as NYC is still in the thick of it. But, What you may be seeing is that during this time I have dropped my “invisible mask” and am engaging in a very different way.
When I was ten years old I was playing with my classmates at recess. We girls were talking about how many clothes we had in our closet. When I chimed in with my response I was met with a comment that I looked like I came from poverty. This came from the mouth of someone who I considered one of my closest friends. I was crushed and this changed my relationship with clothes forever. I am always looking for something that no one else wears, something that generates compliments and makes me feel like something I aspire to be, whatever that is. As you can see my relationship is not really healthy but something I selfishly enjoy. And then Friday comes and I put on my most faded jeans and comfy tee or sweatshirt, sacrificing style for comfort.
I actually see your response as a rebellious act and a statement that style is not about money, it’s about how the person feels when wearing it and the statement they are making to others,
For as long as I can remember, I was the child that my dad swore I came down the wrong shoot because of my ability to find the most expensive outfit in a department store. I never realized at the time how much it hurt them to tell me no, so that my other siblings would be able to leave with a new outfit, too! As an adult, I swore that I would get to wear all the beautiful fabric that felt good and had patterns galore or the solids that has embellishments that sparkled day and night.
Shoes excite me just as much or more. Having worked retail early on, I was on the hunt to find the pair that lent itself to comfort and style. Just the other day my sister told me she had stopped counting shoes at 200 and calls my closet a boutique. My purge began six months ago, but I still have a ways to go as I narrow down to that which truly brings me “joy”. It is rewarding to feel the weight lifted as I clear out and open my space to new possibilities. Extending myself grace allows me to do it at my own pace.
Beautiful journey. We must approach this with respect for a healthy relationship with clothes not a major break-up. It’s about thinking about the relationship more.
Oh, I so relate to how you are feeling and what you are thinking. I love what I’ve collected and every purge I attempt results in only a bag or two. Not only that, after I drop off I am often right back in the store to see what treasures are there that day.
I believe you are right, not only must “conspicuous consumption” change, but how we get these treasures, the manufacturing processes, how people are paid, what they are paid, what conditions they must work in, how toxic the dyes and chemical treatments are; the list is endless. I support all of this as I dream of having this industry back in the US safely; the manufacturing – we still have artisans that create amazing things, well and beautifully done, as the creation is as much an expression of individuality as the styling and wearing. I love your blog, I love that you help keep this creativity in conversation.
Thank you it is a time for creative solutions and I happen to have the most thoughtful readers to help!
First, its so nice to have you back in this space, which allows the in-depth questioning of the function and possibilities of personal style. To your question … it seems to me that clothing means something different now, it is performing a different function.
It used to be that when there was some extra time, I’d spend whole afternoons “playing with clothes”, as I thought of it. Putting together outfits, trying new combinations, pushing myself to be a bit more creative and find ways to use my good stuff everyday. When the shutdowns started, I thought, surely this will be a perfect time for that sort of fun. But it hasn’t felt right. When my partner and I started taking long neighborhood walks, I thought of putting on something fanciful for those occasions, an Outfit, to provide a momentary diversion, an expression of spirit towards others. But that hasn’t felt right either. What feels right nowadays is simple clothing; basic, comfortable pieces, worn with little or no makeup. I see this in others we encounter on the street, in Zoom chats, people on the news, working from home, even celebrities (most of whom now seem very irrelevant, their power reduced). As our guard is up against an invisible threat, it’s lowered in terms of how we present ourselves to the world. We see each other only at a distance, or in online video chats and the softness and vulnerability people have at home becomes part of their public face, as if to bridge the physical distance we must now maintain. There is something very tender about that. I wonder if this will carry over when the world returns to something like normal, whether in terms of the virus or the political situation, which is becoming just as frightening. Certainly, we are in a time of change. Will we armor up again, sartorially, when we’re back in the world together?
Brilliant reflections and questions.
Its a lovely article, I myself loved clothes and dressing up since I was a child. I was dressing up and have great ability for taste, as how to wear the clothes and what occasion , what to wear and what not to wear.
My dream was to work in fashion, but something always was in my way and never managed to get in to fashion.
Im 61 years old now but still attractive, and like you said, with clothes you can express yourself who you are.
Maybe one day I can realize my dream, I never give up.
My life was full of ups and downs but i still get up and smile, sometimes its not easy , many tears have been spilt, but I still can see the light in a tunnel.
Thank you for your article
You are a resilient optimist and that is who we need right now.
I think that you caught something very essential here in many layers. Maby we now watch the end of “Global” as the only solution and The need for restart of “local” as the sustainable solution. Fashion and The need to express yourself in What you wear will always be an option but we need to focus on good design and fair production. My grandmother had a seamstress and I have still got some of her dresses and a coat. I have been wearing the coat from time to time when in fashion. What we see now as a side effect of The Corona virus is a very much needed reduction of pollution. Hopefully it will give us a chance to restart and do better in terms of resources and environment.
Yes, it is amazing to see how resilient the earth is. It’s showing us we can preserve nature and the earth if we really want to. When you are close you recognize the beauty of relationship and you care more. This can really be an amazing time for us if we move slowly and thoughtfully into a new economy.
I feel connecting to our clothes, loving and caring for them is an extension of ourselves and not to be diminished in these times even. It’s a perfect expression of ourselves, and although I personally have not done this very well because I have been wearing many masks that are not my authentic self, I believe and have every intention of being more selective, and like you say connecting with it from a Values perspective.
I so agree, we do not forsake them but we shift the focus to how we love them, care for them and use them.
I have moved my winter and brought out my summer clothes.
I can see that they many are not going to be worn…no outings, no holidays, no flouncing up the high street. It does bring into question who has this all been for…
And…they are jewels, not expensive ones overall, but colour and light in my life, an expression of my creativity.
This is already and opportunity to jettison a pile of things that I can see either don’t suit or fit, or are ‘yesterday’ and no longer my style.
I downsized my winter wardrobe to a manageable 1 wardrobe, and am going to attempt the same with my summer…see this as an opportunity to, at 65, hone my style.
Discover, who I am in my clothes, at a riper age.
My winter style emerged as ‘boyfriend’ ….I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear this from a fashionista friend!
Perhaps my summer style is less Italian linens and more androgynous…I would be happy with that. More of whatnowness…
And every day,I put on my makeup and I dress for events…even if the main event is reading.
I excitedly dressed on Friday for a brief beach walk in the sun, combats, cashmere sweater, wool jacket.
Thank you for your thoughtful, deepening posts. They keep me on my style toes and in a conversation that I have longed for for years…the conversation about what are clothes really about.
Oh let’s keep having that conversation!
I’ve really found your perspective so encouraging and completely honest…. During my time at home, I’ve looked at all my beautiful clothing, my little precious jewellery pieces and have wondered….. ‘what was I thinking?’ Make no mistake, I do adore clothing and style…. it does however have its place! Corona time has given many of us a chance to really take a step back and re-evaluate ur priorities, and to ask of ourselves what we are giving… giving to our loved ones, giving to the less fortunate. When we open ourselves to solutions and giving, we become happier …creativity flows and unlocks parts of us that media and commercialism have stunted and buried…. time to be real! xxx
Agreed and we don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater either.
Thank you for your thought provoking and eloquent post. You’ve clearly struck a nerve with your readers and hurrah for that. This crossroads is one that has us all scratching our heads, and hopefully striving, like you, to do better in our post Covid-19 world. We must all search for our own way forwards and I, for one, will be using this as the catalyst for change where I take a year out from shopping. I’m not an influencer like you and know it will affect no-one but myself, but at least I’ll have a clearer picture at the end it as to which clothes impart joy into my daily life and which were merely fashion trophies. Good luck with the next phase and I will enjoy watching from the sidelines.
My challenge is to see what influencing may need to be in this world after. I too can not envision buying more and my creative challenge will be looking at what I can do with what I have.
Ambivalent Relations – Your blog piece raised issues with which I have grappled, literally, for decades. As a US tax attorney who has lived overseas for the past 30+ years, and a woman who is creative, civic-minded and loves fashion, I found myself struggling to find a way to look professional in my dress, yet not stodgy and stiff, at the same time not to be wasteful or frivolous in my purchases and very importantly, to dress in a way that suited my creativity and unique personality. Slowly, I came into my own and humbly, I believe I have met all of these goals
As an expatriate who was living in Asia and now the Middle East, I am sad to say that I saw a lot waste on such a regular basis, that I considered it obscene. Designer clothing, worn once or twice and cast aside was/is all too common within the communities with which I was familiar. Seeing these sins of excess always bothered me. I was never one to nod to fashion trends, but I always looked sharp and people always admired my sense of style. This was confirmed by Harper’s Bazaar which featured me when I was in my 50’s … wearing my own simple red shift dress, long black opera gloves, black hose, high heels, vintage large brimmed hat, and carrying a leather box bag with gold clasps and latch that I had fortuitously found in my mother-in-law’s attic (filled with coloring pencils, can you imagine!!).
One day while walking to the office in Hong Kong, I came upon a little thrift / 2d hand store run by one of the churches. I decided to stop in and inquire about making donations….. very soon, I became addicted to seeing what was being sold there. To make a long story short, over 20 years later I am still wearing pieces I bought at this shop as well as other Hong Kong charity shops run by Oxfam and the RSPCA (so-called at the time).
Following on this, I became involved in collecting clothing and other items that neighbors and friends no longer wanted and donating them to these shops, or hosting my own little “sales” and giving the funds to the charity. Now living in Dubai, I have followed up on similar work with a registered charity caring for stray animals (it is predominantly a TNR program as well as getting vet care for sick or injured, abandoned cats). I take donated clothing, model it whenever possible and post the photos on our community Facebook pages. I am pleased to say the chic looks I achieve fetch good prices for these items and expatriate women are encouraged to buy without feeling any embarrassment when they see me, a fellow expatriate, wearing these items. In addition, they see how good they can look in something secondhand at a fraction of the price.
I rarely buy “new” clothing items. I love finding a treasured vintage piece or something that is very different in a charity shop. As I have aged (no 63) and loved ones have passed on, I have acquired many items that I love wearing – long gloves, hats, nets, costume jewelry from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. I consider it a privilege and honor to wear these things and when I do wear one of these items, I feel a great bond and respect for the person who wore them before me. Here I am blessed with a zillion choices in my closet — I have trouble getting rid of things, but that’s OK. I’d rather be a bit of a pack-rat than an avid consumer, hungry to hear the next Ka-Ching of the cash register.
I’m an avid follower of you on Instagram. (@taxlady_w_style). I hope you will find your way safely through this earth-shattering pandemic. NYC is suffering a lot – my 3 brothers and sister are there and my niece is on the front lines as a RN, working 13.5 hour shifts. I am sure in due time, your work will pick up again and with the lessons we all have learned you can be a big influence on women to make wiser fashion choices. I know not everyone is happy to buy “second hand”, but some may be inclined to give it serious thought if given the right nudge in that direction. For those who still “buy new” – they can make wiser choices. Fashion designers may need to become a bit more practical, stop using what I consider slave labor and simply get with a more sustainable program. I wish you much happiness and success.
Thank you for sharing your story and for giving some great examples of what can be done. I really want to explore upcycling as that may be an option for those who do not care for “second hand” clothes.
I agree with you, our concepts are in full revolution …. great text ????
I live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I like fashion and I believe that the changes could make us more minimalist
Sorry, my english is bad. ..
You made the point perfectly!
Now that I am working from home, and often go for days without seeing another human being, what I am wearing is based on comfort only. As for you, clothing has always been a second language for me – speaking volumes about who I am without me having to open my mouth. I wonder what it means that I am no longer putting an effort into creating outfits. Do I dress more for others than myself? Or, is it because my day to day life has become pared down to the basics (sleep, food, work) that I have realized I am still the same person whether I am wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, or a great vintage jacket and cool skirt? What has become certain, as I face the “walk-in closet” that is my bedroom every morning is that I don’t need, or want, this many clothes. I want to find other ways to express my creativity which may involve what I wear (I am currently painting a pair of thrifted jeans), but doesn’t require me to fill a room with clothing. Given that my signature cropped hair won’t be getting cut for a while, I may not be recognizable when we come out of this!
This time offers a creative challenge and your questions are important ones. what is the meaning of clothes, why do we have so many? How do I use them?
I work in a place that requires a uniform, so the clothes that I wear in my off time are definitely expressions of who I am. There’s a woman at a local flea market who makes gorgeous clothes out of repurposed textiles or other articles of clothing…. I wonder if she’ll be there when life re-opens…. I wish I could find her card and order items from her now…. ( My clothing style isn’t as classic or elegant as yours, it’s definitely more boho and eclectic… )
I am seeing many people knitting or sewing at home and I’ll bet that woman will have a lot of business when this is done. It’s a great solution, one that allows creative expression.
Thank you, thank you for this amazing, thought-provoking, vulnerable, fascinating read. You helped me look inwards with curiosity and honesty, which is a service of tremendous value. Even before I agree or disagree with your points or beliefs, the primary process of experiencing your presence and thinking through this piece of writing was something good and beautiful. Ultimately, this is a profound message from the world I want to live in. Please keep them coming. God bless you, Calvin and all those who ‘sustain’ you!
Not being able to “go shopping “ for all of the things I don’t “need” has given me a change of heart as well. I have a closet full of clothes. Some of my favorites are years old, but I have plenty of “fast fashion” too. Crowded in my closet there are enough clothes to last the rest of my life! Your thoughts are beautiful and so thought provoking. You make me want to “be the change”. Thank you!
Thank you and we certainly have a group here to do it!
As it was with 9/11 and with breast cancer, I’ve been feeling there is a pre-virus me, a now-virus me, to be followed (hopefully) by a post-virus me. When the world as we know it shatters, so does our self-perspective. In the midst of a crisis, we’re working just to cope, moment by moment. It’s the after period that for me, becomes about getting acquainted with a new self, post 9/11, post breast cancer, and at some point, post virus.
Re: the clothes loving. A few days before my workplace closed and my city began to shelter at home, a beautiful rhododendron hot pink Japanese linen dress arrived that I’d ordered a month before. I had intended it as my spring dress, something to wear against peonies and lilacs. For more than two weeks, it hung, hanger hooked over my closet door, tags still on. It was expensive, and seemed too good to wear when I had no place to go. One morning brought a realization that it was my quarantine dress, and I started wearing it, around the house, over jeans, on walks, accessorized by my cloth face mask. I’m wearing it now as I type. The linen is easy to wash and dry, gets softer with washing, and the hot pink color does exactly what I figured it would when I bought it: fills me with joy. Once this is all over, I might not want to look at it or wear it again, but for now, it’s the only dress that I need.
What am amazing story one that illustrates so beautiful how we can talk and think about a garment through the lense of function.
I have always loved clothes and getting dressed. It is a creative outlet for me, and I don’t see that ever changing. Having said that, I think that I would appreciate more with less. I am thinking about how to approach this, and I am ready to make a large donation once things open up again. It’s a start.
I will be donating but I will also be trying to do some upcycling which I am excited about.
I do love your articles! They make me think. As a fashion business consultant I am seeing first hand how the virus is effecting our business. I believe that there will definitely be a new normal when this crisis ends. The trends that we were seeing before corona will be accelerated. Sustainability and ethically made garments will be even more important to consumers as this virus is teaching that we need to protect the earth. I also believe that we will buy less but better quality. I think fast fashion has seen it’s day.
Here’s hoping!
I used to live in a big city, had a very active social life, and indulged in high-end clothing. For the last 20 years or so, my hubby and I have been spending our summers in Maine. Initially, I carted my exquisite summer wardrobe across the county. Imagine my dismay to discover that no one dresses up for anything here. Weddings are a village wide celebration to which people wear their best casual clothing. I felt like an idiot walking through grass in my Manola’s.
Two years ago, my hubby and I decided to move to Maine full time, and we found a snug little house on 100 acres not too far from our summer house. I can’t express how much improved my life became. With few exceptions, (usually travel) I wear my old concert t-shirts with jeans and snappy blazers and jackets. Walks through the woods call for muck boots and barn coats. My collection of shoes have now become beautiful little sculptures that only I see.
My moment of enlightenment came when I had to rid myself of hundreds of expensive garments before we moved. When I calculated the cost of these garments, I realized that, (much to my shame), I could have put most of my nieces and nephews through college. The clothing was donated to a charity, and I am working to overcome my regret at both the original cost, and the loss of those very special pieces.
I have always loved your fashion sense, and appreciate now more than ever, the way you style your outfits. Even women on limited budgets can emulate the style. Especially if they are buying second hand.
The sustainability movement can only bring improvement to many lives, especially young people. I agree that we must encourage and support the rise of craft and artistry. We are developing an artist mentoring project, and I am now moved to find young women who are interested in learning all the aspects of creating unique and individual clothing. After all, even in quaint little villages, there are women who yearn for beautiful, hand crafted and personally tailored clothing.
I will be looking forward with great interest to your posts as you move through the possibilities of changing how we relate to fashion, and how we serve our communities and the world through ideas of sustainability.
Please do also share what is happening with your project as that is exactly the type of solutions that are needed.
Lyn,
Like you, I have been reevaluating many of my material possessions during this “time of corona,” including my wardrobe. It has been quite interesting to me how little I/we really need. In the case of clothing, these days I am gravitating to the items that I love or feel most comfortable wearing, which mostly are in colors or fabrics that I like, or crafted by hand, or vintage. I believe that “after corona,” comfort, sustainability, craftsmanship and place of origin will be my requirements before acquiring a garment. I haven’t always been strict with these. The virus is shining a light on the supply chain for fashion, food and other goods, and fast-fashion, agribusiness, etc. — these are related, I believe — and like you, I see “small, local, sustainable, community-based” as a solution for many of our challenges moving forward. To use your words in a broader context, we can embellish our world with our values. That feels good to me. We have a great opportunity with this virus to create new ways of working, wearing, doing, being. Thank you for opening this discussion.
“We can embellish our world with our values” Beautifully stated.
This piece is so moving. Thank you for your beautiful words in a bleak time, filled with more than a bit of ugliness, but also of hope, kindness, and community. Stay well.
Thank you, you too.
Some beautiful thoughts and reflections here, Lynn! I think there are no easy answers and that we must work step by step to buy products that are ethically made of textiles that cause the least harm (or hopefully none), that will wear well and be beautiful and serviceable. There are many, many ways to go about doing this from buying used, repairing, and buying local on to buying from ethical designers who use eco friendly textiles. There’s beauty in diversity. Thanks for helping to enlighten people!
While reading your blog, memories of my childhood flooded my mind. My mother (born in 1922), taught and influenced my love of fashion – from a simple “what to wear”, to the more enriching opportunity it provided for creativity and art. 97% of my clothing was made by my mother – sewn, knitted, crocheted, embroidered. It often began with finding a fabric, either new or repurposed, and thinking “what could we make with this?”, to hours pouring over pattern books (primarily Vogue and McCalls), imagining what could be. Fashion wasn’t just the end product, it was an experience from the idea to the creation. Slow, not fast. I believe we are returning to that experience in many aspects of our lives; fashion, relationships, work, travel, etc. Thank you again for your many thoughts, feelings and experiences that are helping us share our “influencers”!
What’s more important-clothing or the environment? Art is a beautiful thing and clothing can be an art but the rampant consumption of “items” is destroying the very air we breath and food we eat. As humans we need to be thoughtful and careful consumers and stewards of the world as a whole.
I lived in NYC , the self-proclaimed center of the fashion universe , from 1986-2001. In my 15 years there I went from an energetic , passionate stylist assistant to ultimately a super successful & sought after celebrity stylist & streetwear editor for an edgy downtown publication as well as a personal shopper for some elite clientele. I was traveling the world for work; Berlin, Prague, London, Paris, L.A. & Miami. I loved my work, I have always loved fashion, a gift bestowed by my mother before me. My moment of clarity came in 2000, when I found myself at What was ti be the last fashion week I was to attend, where a fellow editor , who I didn’t really care for, exchanged the typical double cheek kiss at a show. It was then & there that I realized the superficiality of the fashion industry I had known & lived & loved. I soon thereafter made up my mind & announced my departure plans to happen in one year’s time, wrapped up my business , spent final quality time with my REAL friends ( there were hundreds of faux friends in NYC), and returned to my family in Dallas. In Dallas, I have continued my work in fashion , it is more challenging here as my star power has faded exponentially, but the connection I now have with my personal shopping clients is a genuine one, based on a shared love of fashion and design. And the satisfaction I derive in helping others while using my fashion skill set. And yet here we are today in the time of Corona. I have lost all interest or desire for any matters concerning fashion right now. Viewing art & nature gives me much more pleasure these days. I feel that so many luxury retailers that I see online have a tone-deaf & disingenuous air, flogging their pricey wares when most of us are just trying desperately to stay safe & healthy with our heads above water financially. My work is 100% on hold for now, and I know that this too shall pass. So for now I am enjoying the simpler pleasures of life, our beautiful home which I am so grateful for, a walk down our tree lined streets , the company of my sweet husband of almost 3 years ( who I met & married in our 50’s, first marriage for both of us) , our warm neighbors who share some homemade food, text or visit as we pass by on our walks, our doodie rescue group we foster for, giving new lives to forgotten pups. And while yes, I have a closet full of fabulous fashion ( designer resale & vintage) , & cabinets & boxes overflowing with jewels, and some day it will bring me pleasure again, but for today, I breathe deeply, eat healthy, take walks , wear a mask , watch movies, read & clean house, and TRY to not watch too much news. Simple but real . I appreciate you sharing your experience strength & hope.
As a Personal Stylist the COVID life has seen me away from my seemingly öld school”ways of shopping face-to-face, in stores, seeing and feeling fabrics up close, making conscious purchase decisions on behalf of my clients. I miss the feeling of being around people and their energy. The moment when I see them put on a garment they never would’ve dreamed would suit them and they see a beauty in themselves like never before.
Many people say appearance is a superficial thing – I disagree. Its not about dressing for others – its about self care – how you feel about yourself.
There are days when I struggle to get up, get dressed into something I love, put on makeup and sit in front of my laptop and write. Today was one of those days – but reading your article makes be take a deep breath, feel connected and keep going. So thank you x
I agree and as many women are showing in their comments, the relationship with clothes is not superficial but as you say self-care and assertion of their identity. In may comments a sort of rebellion of current narratives about age.
My 30-year old daughter is my gauge for how the world is going to cope with change. She’s already started buying fashion from local designers in Los Angeles. My perception is that as globalization is forced to slow down, America will be forced to manufacture a smaller, but realistic, amount of goods. The U.S. has not been China or India’s major market; instead, their own countries supply them with the majority of demand, meaning, they don’t need us. Ideally, we will shrink back to the realistic mindset of making do, refashioning clothes instead of tossing them, and demanding better quality goods. Even more ideally, we will stop believing we ‘need’ the piles and piles of (often badly-made) clothes we have been gorging on for too long.
I think the type, quality, and quantity of a wardrobe depends on what chapter of life one is in. When I taught elementary school I had a larger wardrobe than now. Clothes really needed to be practical, comfortable yet still professional. Of course they also needed to fit my budget. I agree with so many of the previous comments that now I’m working with fewer items, want less in the closet, yet have the freedom to be really creative with what I wear. I might buy a piece or two each season from an artist designer I love who is completely transparent about how and wear her clothes are made. And also how the fabric is sourced. My staple though has always been nice fitting jeans. Love this conversation!
This was incredibly moving. I so love reading your thoughtful blogs. No other offerings just really enjoy reading them. Thank you.
Wendy
100%irish
My (late) mother loved beautiful clothes. Born in 1922, she was just beginning to be interested in clothes during the Great Depression. Her mother also loved beautiful clothes – but between the wars, there was not much of an opportunity to indulge in that preference. The few items she still had from pre-1946 were incredibly well-made, impossibly elegant, and supremely feminine. Even well into mid- and late decades of the last century as a careful shopper always seeking clothing of fibers with “good hand” where “finished” seams actually met, hems were generous, and the fit off the rack so much better than today’s clothing, she never once bought trashy, throwaway chic garments. By the end of the last century it became such a challenge to find quality natural fiber clothing that was beautifully constructed that she finally simply repurposed what she had.
I think as a western culture we have sacrificed well made in favor of cheap, sacrificed the concept of well-cut in favor of using as little material as possible to shave even a tenth of a cent off a factory garment production cost, and femininity in favor of blatant come-hither-ness.
Perhaps younger generations have never been exposed to or taught the notion of sustainability so don’t recognize its value much less demand it. Sadly the notion isn’t the sole purview of clothing – it permeates all of western culture which at economic base has everything to do with growth (more sales, ever more predatory marketing) and nothing whatsoever to do with sustainability.
I “shopped my closet” a week into the lockdown where I live and realized that the clothing items most reached for, most loved, were of natural fibers (except perhaps for a gorgeous mid-calf A-line rayon skirt which has the best fit and movement of any skirt I’ve ever worn) and were well cut, well finished, and feminine.
I don’t know if it is the glass of red wine before dinner, that now have become an acceptable moment during the day…
But I do find your text profound and touching.
Ha ha!
”There is a quiet dignity in our decisions.”
What an absolutely wonderful sentence. Thanks for giving us such words to hold onto.
What I take away is it is still okay to love what a person loves but the bottom line is there is life, and there is death. The planet is in a fuck you moment and it begs us to listen that we are not in charge. I believe in the law of reciprocity and we’ve screwed the planet so much it is pay back time.
So our lives are now forever changed not in a slow methodical way but a big fat slap across the face. Just like that. We think we are so smart, who’s the fool now? It is a somber reality check and for me, who works in an ER, a frightening one.
Thank you for your courage in going to work. Yes, it feels like a hard slap in the face.
Thank you for your most recent post. In addition to the lethal threat of the virus I also deal with the reality of no money coming in, which really, really forces us to recalibrate. The politics around food and who I am willing to spend on and support have been so clear for me for so long, now it will apply more and more how I will spend the rest of my money.
I have always had a lot of hand-me -downs and luxury 3rd hand clothing, so making these items my own is 2nd nature. Knowing that we all are not going to be the same excites me……..
I also want to say that finding pleasure in whatever provides it you is to be cherished.
Being alive is the new looking good.
Stay safe out there….
You are such an example of resilience and hope!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on all platforms, they are unique inspiration during this difficult yet rare period to reflect and learn. It would be meaningless if we gain nothing through it. As much as I admire your opinion on fashion and clothing, I would like to hear your view on love and relationship. You are such a cool person, I believe you have conclusive points. Pls always keep us posted. Looking forward for your thoughts and pics. and Stay well and sound.
Thank you, that would be an interesting conversation.
Thank you so much for this blog piece on your relationship with clothing. When sheltering-in started and I became aware this was serious (before most I think) I found myself needing solace. I reached for my credit card (yes, only one) and my favorite resale and retail sources for solace. I stopped before maxing out my card because I realized I was trying to comfort myself for another loss in my life. The loss of our world as we knew it. We shall never know that world again. It has been very necessary for me to find ways to bring myself into a posture and state of mind of peace and acceptance of the isolation of the body but not the mind. We cannot or shall we ever be able to return to our pre-COVID days. We have become too aware of wet markets and exotic meats. We are witnessing the fragility of our global economic selves and our insecurity of our day-to-day, paycheck-to-paycheck consciousness. You are right we must find peace by looking around with new eyes.
Thank you for your honesty.
Wonderful thoughts! I have been blessed to have an over abundance of clothes, jewelry, shoes and handbags and recently (pre corona) we downsized from a 4 bedroom house to a one bedroom condo. So I had to go through it all and let go of most of it. Here’s what I’ve learned….a lot of clothing takes up a lot of space and thus you tend to cram it all in closets or drawers and then you are forced to dig or move other things around to get to what you want. As a result you actually don’t wear all the wonderful things you’ve collected because they are not easy to grab. So I have a new rule – EVERYTHING must be retrieved in one effortless move, if not then something’s got to go. Wow, it’s opened up a whole new world of options. I’m changing my jewelry everyday, wearing fantastic pieces that I’ve forgotten about. Putting new looks together that I hadn’t thought of. Also, I still go to work and believe me I look forward to getting dress and heading out. So yes it is a great time to reflect AND evaluate but the joy of letting our personalities shine through our clothes and accessories will be back…maybe in just a more thoughtful, freeing way!
Thank you for an article that resonates deeply and opens the door to introspection and, perhaps, change. Although I am no icon, I have always defined myself by my clothes and how and when I wear them. I love the ones that have stayed as part of my wardrobe for years, but find myself more and more buying cheaper things that I fall out of love with quickly and discard. The ‘disposable’ clothing that is harming the environment and people with its’ foreign labor practices and flimsy fabric. And now that I’m dressed each day in leggings and a top, my whole closet seems superfluous. And we all know that as soon as we return to ‘normal’, whatever that may be, we will be gaslighted into believing returning to normal means buying everything that we’ve been denied during these months of isolation. You have helped to make me believe there is a better way.
I really love the point you have made about gaslighting, that is the force I am trying to disrupt.
I can understand the absolute distaste in propping up a rag trade that supports appalling environmental and ethical practices but as a woman who had a very late career change (at 62) and has just opened a ethically sourced women’s clothing shop, I think you are missing a whole lot of collective women’s experiences. Every day (pre lock-down) women would come in for simply cut, beautiful, comfortable clothing after finding their clothing just didn’t fit their lifestyles anymore. Women post mastectomy, post menopause, newly widowed. Women with chronic health issues whose bodies had changed beyond recognition. Women celebrating, mourning and creating new ways of being. The questions I ask are “how does it make you feel?” Beautiful? Free? Like your body is finally breathing? Clothes can be such a powerful statement announcing change, empowerment and creativity. Knowing that I buy from small, well run workshops that pay above award wages, provide education and healthcare for the women, allows me to be very proud of what I have built. Just a few thoughts from New Zealand under total lock-down.
Thank you for sharing that. I am now in the process of discovering who might already be ahead of the game as you so clearly are. If you know of others please do share.
Your beautiful! Sustainable! Classy!
Unfortunately during this pandemic, we are not wearing our beautiful clothing. I feel the same way. Hopefully we will return to probably a ‘new norm’., which will still allow us to strut our stuff!!!
Wish I were your granddaughter receiving your clothing!
Yes, our clothing shows our personality in more detail. You have nicely put up the issue of daily wage workers in Bangladesh and other similar countries. They are fighting for their survival nowadays. COVID 19 made us aware of so many things that we ignored earlier like we are now spending some time with our family and due to this COVID 19 we are now working on our skill improvement while attending online skill improvement courses.
Thank you so much for writing such an amazing article.
My Blog: https://www.motivationdrive.com
I just turned 50 earlier this year. I celebrated by going to South Africa, where there are so many gorgeous textiles, clothing, and artwork. There is also a strange dichotomy between the very poor and the very wealthy. It made me reevaluate the way I view clothing. Like you, I love beautiful clothes, but I began to wonder about sustainability and my environmental impact on the world. Your post made me happy because I know I’m not alone in my thinking. I just started following your blog. I’m looking forward to growing and learning on this journey with you.
Yes it’s time for re-evaluating indeed.
The all in black look is superior! Love your sophisticated look and that trench coat. A perfect choice for such a crazy time when no one knows how to handle this crisis. Love the minimalism you create! Great job! I also made a post on ways how to wear black trench coats, check it: http://fashioncanons.com/how-to-style-black-trench-coats/ I tried to show easy tips and tricks on how to make this outerwear look feminine and sophisticated.
A great piece, as always, Dr. Slater. Thank you. I have appreciated your thoughtfulness during this time. It has pushed me to think deeper. So, thank you for that, also. We seem to be at the end of a hellish cycle that started years ago. We have so many people worldwide who are employed making “things.” So many things, often cheaply created. We can’t possibly need them all. Alas, we don’t. We have cluttered homes and cluttered minds from all these things. Why did we buy them? To fill a void or because it was there or for enjoyment of the purchase. Many reasons. Then, we need Marie Kondo’s method. Where do these things go? Many go to landfills, a terrible treatment of the earth. What gives? First, we need to be willing to get by with fewer things to be kinder to our environment and kick our shopping habits (pointing at myself.) Second, we must be willing to spend more for the items we thoughtfully purchase (as creating pieces in an environmentally-friendly way is generally more costly). But we are left with a huge problem of what the millions who are presently employed making “things” will do to feed their families. We have backed ourselves into this corner. I don’t know the answer. Might we see a move towards more employment in services and experience industries? Perhaps. This was already a growing trend, pre-Covid 19. Maybe we will see more consumable goods being created. I don’t know. But I like that we are talking about this, and I know the answers will reveal themselves as we move forward. Thanks again. Keep up the great work. Glad to see you and yours are well.
Sp true but I have heard of simple yet brilliant ideas. I was listening to a designer named Jonathan Cohen who uses textile waste and scraps in his work. His elegant solution was to provide his factory with bins for that purpose and he handled picking them up. More thinking at this granular level so we don’t get overwhelmed.
I’m always struggling to balance my love for beautiful clothes with my political activism. These days I try to put my limited clothes budget into businesses – both makers and sellers of clothes – that seem to share my aesthetic, my concerns about the environment and my horror of the fast fashion phenomenon. I appreciate finely made garments, but can’t afford high-end designers, nor would I want to support the corporations that own them. My solution is to purchase clothing made by passionate young designers, of which there are many, and to support the shops that stock these lovely things. My favourites these days are Album di Famiglia (Italy), Samuji (Finland) and Bodice (India). In Toronto I can buy beautiful things (I’m the sale rack queen) at Article 27, Ewanika and Aloja. Not only is it fun to shop at small places where you get to know the owner, it puts fashion into perspective. Wearing beautiful clothes is one of life’s great pleasures.
Thank you for those suggestions, I am familiar with Bodice. Have you seen Another Tomorrow?
This post is very pertinent right now. It reminds me of an Audrey Hepburn quote: “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” It is less what we put on and more about our deeper layers that provide the meaning in our lives. Who We Are will always outshine What We Wear.
Lovely
I have been on a personal journey for a few years now, a re-awakening of sorts (more a homecoming). When I happily stumbled upon your fabulous photos I felt inspired and a comfortable familiarity. Many of your outfits are like the favorite things I love to wear. My closet has a lot of clothing in it. Some bought last winter, many bought more than 40 winters ago. I still find myself wearing the few favorite pieces over and over again-the pieces that make me feel most like my true self. Time to purge and have the essential pieces that reflect who I am now. This journey I’ve been on, this path which is new yet so familiar, has brought me back to the young woman I was when I was just discovering my way. At 69 I have stopped dying my hair (happy surprise-I adore it and probably one of the most liberating things I’ve done for myself), re-discovered tai-chi , beautiful books and poetry and a more profound sense of self. Now when I see gorgeous clothing or jewelry in all its sparkly wonderfulness, I can appreciate it the way I would marvel at a beautiful painting or sculpture in a museum, but don’t feel the need to own it-I have always believed that a skirt shouldn’t cost as much as feeding a family for a month. Over the years I have acquired a few pieces of art that fill me with joy and every time I look at them I am propelled back to the place and time when I purchased them. Beyond the beauty of the actual pieces, they are more valuable to me because of the experiences I was having when I discovered them. For me, it’s time for the “things” that are in my life to make me feel the same way, to actually reflect my life, not become my life.
Say that again…Things that “actually reflect my life, not become my life”
Thank you so much for the wonderful post.
A pleasure.