Some Interesting Articles On Fashion
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I have very strong opinions about the Met Gala.
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They are also very split.
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I did an episode about it a few years ago on my podcast if you want to hear more.
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It’s a fundraiser for the Met’s Costume Institute
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The theme of this year’s gala was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style​
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Monica Miller is the guest curator for the exhibition.
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She is the author of “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.”
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But, I’m here to talk about the gala.
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I feel it’s an opportunity to be outrageous.
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But is that missing the mark?
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Especially when you’re not “on theme.”
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Which means people are getting these outfits tailored.
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And they’re missing the point.
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The next morning I downloaded a bunch of photos.
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It doesn’t include everyone.
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But it’s a nice representation.
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I’m curious to hear what you think.
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Wardrobe Wisdom Sale of the Week
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A SINGULAR TAKE ON FASHION |
Bricking A Fit
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By Eric Langlois
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A while back I put together what I thought was an interesting outfit.
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In a nod to classic workwear, I wore jeans, leather boots, an open collar flannel shirt, and a World War 2 era fatigue overshirt.
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Topping everything off, I added a brown fedora in the style of farmers and workmen of the early 20th century who would wear felt hats with work clothes on the job.
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I didn’t take the time to check out the final result when everything had come together, so it wasn’t until I got to work and caught a glimpse of myself in the car window that I had some misgivings.
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I checked my fit again in the shiny door of the elevator, then went to my desk where I took off my hat, hung up my overshirt, and sat there in the realization that my outfit just didn’t work.
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Everyone has had those moments where we realize don’t like the clothes we put on.
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Maybe you were trying to dress for a particular event or dress code that’s outside your comfort zone.
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Maybe you were in a hurry and didn’t think about how the silhouette of your jacket contrasted with the cut of your pants.
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Maybe you were trying something new on a whim, but when you looked in the mirror you realized that reality didn’t match the image in your head.
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The look just wasn’t there: you had bricked your fit.
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I had approached my bricked fit through the lens of workwear, and while each part of it went with the whole in theory, in practice the look didn’t sit right with me.
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A brown felt hat with jeans and a flannel shirt would likely work fine, and the shirt and pants with an army overshirt would also go together, but everything all at once clashed.
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Partly the problem was in the proportions, where the combination of wide-brimmed hat and full-cut overshirt made me look oddly pencil-necked and scrawny.
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On someone with a different build it might have worked, but I couldn’t carry it off.
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The good news is, outfits are a very short-lived.
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By that evening when I got home and changed, the failed outfit was already in the past. I probably wouldn’t even remember it except that I mentioned it to a friend the next day which lodged it in my mind.
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Influencer and fellow NY Fashion Geek contributor Daniel Hakimi mentioned recently on his Instagram stories that there are plenty of outfits that don’t make the grade for him, that he doesn’t photograph or share with his audience.
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When someone like Dan - who is far more stylish and adventurous than me - says that sometimes his choices don’t work out, I find it reassuring.
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The truth is, like any form of self-expression, personal style requires experimentation and a necessary amount of trial and error.
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In order to become a good writer or artist you have to produce bad art, works that don’t meet your standards.
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It’s frustrating but true that the process of learning to play guitar well requires making your loved ones hear you repeatedly flub the chord changes to “Dirty Water” by the Standells.
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By the same token, learning to dress in a way that you enjoy involves trying new things, and trying things that might not work or at least might not appeal to you at the time.
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Items like double-pleated linen trousers, white bucks, even my beloved rugby shirts and bucket hats, are all
pieces of clothing that I hadn’t thought would work for me, but I pushed my stylistic boundaries and discovered new ground that I was comfortable on.
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Last summer, my work amended the office dress code to allow shorts.
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Inspired by old Apparel Arts illustrations from the 1930s I wore white cotton shorts with a navy blazer, but the overall impression didn’t quite work.
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I think the relatively slim cut of my sack blazer clashed with the roomy 1930s-style shorts and undermined the breezy style that the look should have had.
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More recently, I wore a grey tweed suit to dinner with friends, paired with a wool/silk necktie in olive green and deep purple.
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While the outfit looked fine, in retrospect I would have worn a different necktie that brought out the blue tones in the tweed and added a brighter pop of color.
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Neither of these outfits were bricked, but they didn’t meet the standards that I wanted to achieve, and that’s okay.
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Every mistake is a potential learning experience, and every reach outside your comfort zone is a potential mistake, so if you’re interested in expanding your style then it’s important to never stop learning.
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I looked at myself in the reflection of the elevator door and I didn’t like the outfit that I saw, but I was also able to see WHY I didn’t like it.
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And the next day I retreated to a familiar, comfortable rugby shirt and chinos pairing, but I was still ready to try something new the day after that.
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Do You Need My Help?
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- Have you ever found yourself staring at the closet not knowing what to wear?
- Do you need help with coordinating pieces?
- Do you constantly struggle putting an outfit together and want to turn that confusion into confidence?
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Then let's talk about how we can improve your look.
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