A couple of months ago I was scrolling on Instagram, and saw this video of someone talking about how we’ve confused fashion with being able to style ourselves, and they made some great points. Sadly, I can’t remember the creator, but they basically discussed how there is a difference between appreciating fashion and styling. Some people are really great at styling themselves, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they appreciate fashion as a whole. What I mean by that is that they don’t actually appreciate the craftsmanship and the history of clothes.
With the meteoric rise of influencer culture, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of people online that can dress themselves for any occasion meticulously well. For every holiday, birthday, special event, or even just a day out, their outfit is always on point. The pants are just the right shade or texture to go with their top. Sometimes it’s that their shoes are so unique that they center the whole outfit around them, and they just look so cool. I’m in awe of their outfit. After seeing one post, I’ll scroll onto the person’s feed, and it’s a flood of carefully curated posts but not one outfit matches or is similar to the other. It makes me think about what happens to all of their beautiful clothes after they upload the post.
Do they go to the back of their closet, end up in landfill, or at least in a donation bin?
The biggest problem I see with these influencers, and confusing styling with fashion, is that it contributes to the idea that to appreciate fashion you need a continuously rotating wardrobe. More importantly, it contributes to the exclusivity of fashion.
Continuously rotating one’s wardrobe is for one greedy and also it’s unsustainable. Though a person has the means to buy quality clothes in excess doesn’t mean they should. Especially for those with more expendable incomes it’s easy to justify new clothes as a treat or reward, but it’s unhealthy. Others who don’t have as high of an income try to keep up by turning towards cheaper clothes that will last them only a couple wears. This contributes to the rapidly growing practice of fast fashion.
My point is that appreciating fashion is about acknowledging the role fashion plays on history, society, and the individual. It’s also about taking care of and loving the clothes you already own. I own and still wear clothing thatI bought in high school, and even middle school. I’ve repeated many outfits and the reason I do this is because I take care of and love my clothes. If you truly loved your clothes, then ask yourself how many times you’ve worn a particular piece? Or on average how long do you keep a piece of clothing in your closet?
What makes fashion accessible to all is the mutual appreciation for a piece of clothing. Appreciate fashion by holding your clothes dear to you. Show them off. Be an outfit repeater. Keep them from collecting dust in your closet and let them see the light.
That’s all for this week’s post. Make sure to subscribe to be notified of new ones. Stay sharp 😉