long self-reflection ahead:
My friend recently sent me this link:
http://the-nife.blogspot.com/2014/09/wh ... -want.htmlThe author comes to realize that the objects she buys have an aesthetic pattern, and she interprets the pattern as representative of a deeper desire. In her case, she's buying jewelry with Indian, Moroccan flair; she takes this to mean that she wants to travel and is subconsciously manifesting the wanderlust in her purchases instead of actually exploring the world (she also makes note that sometimes we can't get what we really want, and that these purchases can tide us over, but we ought to be aware that we are purchasing to tide ourselves over).
I sent my friend a message wondering what she thought it meant that most of my material desires (clothing) were either super futuristic (techwear) or super rustic/timeless type things (french villager). She thought maybe I was having trouble accepting the present.
Definitely seems to ring true. I don't find the here and now of Chicago living to be so inspiring to me. But it is easy to romanticize the future and the past. Beyond that, there are some other ways that I interpret those clothing choices.
I see the interest in techwear as a desire to be in great shape, active, agile, competent and free, able to move unhindered around the city. The clothes are meant for activity, and have great movement ability. Useful for my biking definitely. I also see them as pretty cool in terms of being modern, futuristic looking.
But I can do those things without the techwear---or at least without the ninja-like stuff; a few pieces from Patagonia or something similar fills the void for activewear just as well at a cheaper price. Also, the techy stuff I find most cool is usually black, which looks bad on me to be honest. It's also possible to walk and bike unhindered, and be active and agile in many normal, non-activewear clothes, so long as they're comfortable, temperature appropriate, and breathe well. Beyond that---there is something to be said for beauty in inefficiency. The feeling of sweating after biking in a sweater and button-down.
The other aesthetic I'm pretty into, and have been for years now, is more timeless stuff that falls somewhere between my idea of french villager, Hemingway, and LL Bean. Natural materials. Leather boots and shoes. Few tailored jackets or vintagey workwear jackets, since those are dead giveaways of periods and times. Everything fitting well, maybe on the slightly looser side, without being slim or overly baggy. In some ways, I think that dressing this way is part of my desire to be someone who DOES THINGS beyond sit in front of a computer. To be fair, I do---just not nearly as much as I could.
Breton-stripe wearing sailors worked and saw the world and nature. French villagers went out and worked--also close to nature. Hemingway had tons of experiences and wrote great novels. Basically, I want to be a more interesting person who has more experiences, especially in nature. The clothes aren't required for that (though I do feel more of a 'true' connection to this style than to techwear, if that makes sense). And to some extent, I think I look to clothes to reflect that.
I don't think I would say clothes are filling a gaping void in my life (though they have in the past), but I will say that I think a lot of the time I spend consuming clothes-related text and images online could be better spent in becoming the kind of person who deserves to wear a certain set of clothes. Of course I don't need to reach some kind of self-zenith in order to be allowed to wear a certain set of clothes, but it's important for me to remind myself that clothes are often just a symbol of the way we wish we were, and that it's possible to become a certain way not just symbolically, but also actually.
Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:25 pm
