Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Fashion Should Be Funny

My Best Friend Marge is visiting Sydney from California. We went to school together right from Grade 4. I was originally attracted to her for many reasons, but the clincher was that I fell in love with a picture of a sailing ship floating in a deep blue sea that she painted in Grade 5.  From then on, I knew I wanted us to be friends for Life. That was in 1963.
This picture is definitely odd. We've both got on quite an assortment of clothes which is partly due to the changeable Spring weather. 
Of course, I'm dying to have a rant about my wardrobe choices. But I suppose I should  quickly mention that Marge is wearing a complete 'Anthropologie' outfit, including the shoes. She looks great & 'Anthro' is our favourite shop. 

But Back to Me.
One of the advantages of Relentless Self-Examination Through Photography is the opportunity to critique your everyday outfits. If I hadn't had this Completely Thrifted Outfit photographed I might never have realised how truly awful it is. But when I put it on this morning, I thought it was a Triumph of Pattern Mixing. The shirt was perhaps from the v. early nineties & came with fairly bulbous shoulder pads that I had a devil of a job cutting out before I put it on . I congratulated myself on how cleverly I had selected the faux reptilian skin skirt that accentuated the brown highlights in the shirt. Wrong. 
It looks like a Blind Person selected the outfit or I had my eyes closed when I opened my wardrobe. Or I was drunk.
And I've just got to stop wearing those little Kindergardenesque Sockettes! 
I know this sounds Very Negative. You might get the impression that I'm becoming a Crotchety Old Crone. 
Nothing of the Sort! I regard Wardrobe Selection as an amusing game that One Mustn't Take Too Seriously. It's not like Parenting, or Negotiating High Level Peace Talks or Going for President. 
In the words of one of my Great Role Models, Simon Doonan, the world famous Window Dresser, 'Fashion should be Funny'.




6 comments:

Darla said...

Wardrobe selection is giving me fits this morning. I'm about to fly off to another State for a visit with my Mom and a 90th Birthday Party for my Auntie. AND... I have Nothing.To.Wear. I guess I'll just close my eyes, reach in the closet and grab a few things to fling into the suitcase.

Wish you were here.

Darla

Sheila said...

Compared to you, my dressing choices are so dull! I do love your crazy mixes, but I will agree with you on the sockettes and the skirt (it looks muddy from a distance, and the length makes you look short - Marg's skirt length is great).

Anyway, you are a fashion icon in my world. :)

rabespierre said...

fashion should be funny, and sometimes the funny part is hard to translate to pictures. once a former student wrote about me on her blog something like this "i'd like to dress like hilary when i am a professional woman, but without the color-matching problems hilary has" --and i thought, but what would my fashion BE without color matching problems? in any case, you look great! as does the blog. to me the blouse and skirt have a wonderful relationship, a little moody but dynamic. sufficiently matchy!
yours, hilary

Jane said...

I agree - I often dress with my "wine goggles" on!

La Belette Rouge said...

I could just hug you for your comment about the Broad on my blog!! I love that you were there and had the same reaction as I did. I do hate that you didn't get in to the museum---because it is a fantastic museum once you get in. Please come back with your California friend and I will show you how to get in!

I really admire your capacity for self-assessment, your ability to mix textures and patterns, and most importantly that you have the ability to laugh about it. Clothes should be fun and I love that you have fun with fashion.

Hope you and Marge continue to have a fantastic time in both fashion and in other things.

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