About Fashion

Yesterday, at an art show, I mentioned to a friend that I take a long time in the morning choosing what I feel like wearing. I don't know what it is that influences my choices, I suppose it's a lot of different things, like what colour do I feel like expressing, do I want to be comfortable or do I mind being in a bit tighter-fitting clothes, do I want to stand out in a crowd or blend in, do I want to be dark or bright, simple or complicated, eccentric or normal, and so many other factors. Throughout the seasons my style also changes; if it's summer, I have a lot less layering to do.

Anyway, when I told my friend this he was blown away. He doesn't get why girls (I think both girls and boys can take as long getting dressed) take so long trying to decide what to wear, trying to look "perfect" all the time. His girlfriend takes pride in her appearance and takes a long time to get ready in the morning, and it's very hard for him to understand why one would bother taking all that time. It must be frustrating for those who just don't see any benefit or purpose to fashion. We all brought up some really good points though, as to why people want to feel trendy, feel good in their clothing, conform or stand out from a crowd ... and it all has to do with social acceptance and exchange of information.

If I think (really hard) about why I dress up the way that I do, it's mainly because I find my being another canvas. My self is a portrait, much like a painted portrait, of who I am and which era I live in. It tends to describe what I like, and sometimes what I'm interested in. I can NOT wear the same thing twice. Yes, I will wear a shirt a bunch of times, but I won't be able to wear it in the same combination with the same other pieces even twice... if I do, a long time must go by in between. It's almost like an artistic challenge every morning: how can I combine what I have and turn it into something brand new? The way my brain works (I've figured through time) is it wants to improve everything it sees, and never repeat anything. It wants to make things better, different, more complex, always wants to add something new into the mix. It erks me to even take the same route to the coffee shop every day. You could say I'm an entrepreneur ...
I will surely be influenced by what other people think. Probably because I always want to look new and exciting, but I also want to look "good" to the public. I want people to think some kind of positive thought when they see me, whether this be "she's creative" or "she's mysterious" or "wow, how did she think of putting all those layers together?" Perhaps because that's what I think when I see others who look really good or interesting. If I enjoy it in other people, I sure will want to reflect this in myself.

There's my little rant on fashion. Why do you dress the way you do?