Thoughts On Knock-Offs

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/k1_zps418658ac.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/k2_zps33334ec3.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/heart_zps3c8aff66.jpg" /><br />I fear this post will be quite long because there are so many areas to cover when we are discussing knock-offs. First what makes a knock-off? A direct copy or something very close to a direct copy? When does it become "inspired by" instead of knock-off and what if it's all a copy of a copy of a copy? And does it hurt the brand? What about how it's produced?<br /><i><br /></i><i>The first question that comes to mind with knock-offs is what is the creative source?</i> The first image in this post is a dress from the Schiaparelli Haute Couture F/W 2014 collection and the second is of Ginger Rogers in a similar heart top for the 1938 movie <i>Carefree </i>and the final picture is a <a href="http://vanessajackman.blogspot.com/2010/05/running-with-fash-packaustralian_7462.html" target="_blank">street fashion picture</a> from 2010 of a Karen Walker dress. Which is the knock-off? The haute couture look which almost completely replicates the 1938 one or the Karen Walker dress which seems to take inspiration from the past while putting its own twist on things? After seeing the Karen Walker dress I actually made <a href="http://theclothes.blogspot.com/2010/06/begot-by-flash-of-lightning.html" target="_blank">my own version</a> using felt. Is my DIY project a knock off?<br />Ultimately to me defining a knock-off becomes very tricky when you look back and notice earlier versions and how things get re-interpreted by different stores and brands. Can you actually pinpoint the original thought or is that high street knock-off actually copying a copy itself? If you buy a Schiaperlli Haute Couture dress copying a 1930s one are you buying less of a knock-off than someone shopping something cheaper online? Also, what sort of alterations make an item "inspired" by an original design rather than a copy of it? Is changing embellishment to a flat print enough? There are blood drips in the Sciaperlli look you can't see in the 1930s one and it's more gem-encrusted--so is it not a copy since they changed small details? I just find it a very thin line between an online shop selling an identical dress in a cheaper material than the original and a high street store selling a dress inspired by the original with minor alterations.<br /><i><br /></i><i>Of course the inspiration becomes a moot point with many blatant designer knock-offs. </i>Perhaps ultimately though the question of originality doesn't matter. Even is a modern designer dress was inspired by a vintage one, the designer dress is the one being copied today--it is that current design house that stands to be affected by knock-offs. For me it then becomes a question of whether my knock-off purchase actually hurts the designer. For example, I recently wore a dress that replicates a Dolce & Gabbana dress priced at over $4,000. I hesitate to purchase an item when it costs more than $100 and won't spend $4,000 on my wedding dress. So, when I purchase a much cheaper knock-off I'm not hurting Dolce & Gabbana sales--Dolce & Gabbana were <i>never</i> going to make a sale from me. Direct sales to individuals like myself do not affect big brands that have priced themselves out of our market.<br />Indirectly, a lot of knock-offs can theoretically negatively affect sales since part of the incentive of a higher price is <i>exclusivity</i>. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/bluecarreon/2012/07/17/has-the-hermes-birkin-bag-lost-its-appeal/" target="_blank">Birkin popularity seems to be decreasing</a> since more reality stars started carrying them and they have became more ubiquitous. Not even Birkin knock-offs, but rather the supposed of accessibility and rise in Birkin visibility on city streets is affecting the brand. The model remains the same for knock-offs though: too many versions of the same dress being available at high street shops and people who can afford the original lose interest. Again, personally my thoughts are this: <i>snobbery shouldn't be reinforced</i>. If people are only interested in a piece because no one else can afford it, then their interest is superficial and I don't see why I should protect it by refusing to buy a knock-off. Many <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2384963/The-REAL-reason-designer-clothes-expensive-How-luxury-brands-raise-prices-increase-appeal.html" target="_blank">luxury brands are inflating their prices</a> to increase their appeal. I'm not really interested in protecting a brand that intentionally seeks to appeal only to higher income individuals and keep the plebeians out of their clothes. In fact, my views on not wanting to protect brand identity of a number of designers could be an entire other post.<br />On the opposite side of the knock-off dilemma affecting brands is a theory that <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/2011/05/the_highest_form_of_flattery.html" target="_blank">the popularity of replicas</a> actually helps sales of a brand--perceived popularity can also drive sales. People interested in having "it" items will buy things they seem everyone else wearing and people who buy replicas do sometimes upgrade to the original. It seems that whatever way you look at it big brands and major designers aren't suffering that much from knock-offs.<br /><i><br /></i><i>Independent brands and artists are a different story. </i>While I'm fairly comfortable purchasing knock-offs of major designers and brands I'll never be able to afford I avoid pieces that knock-off individual designers or artists. Of course, many shops that carry knock-offs of designers will also carry knock-off of individual, independent work. If I recognize an illustration from an artist on Etsy on the sweatshirt in a shop not affiliated with the artist, I won't purchase it. Some will choose not to shop at those stores, but it's rather difficult to find shops that aren't guilty of copying artists' work. I often see shops based in China or Korea as the biggest offenders, but we are quick to forget that even <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/15/spain-fashion-inditex-tshirts-bloggers" target="_blank">Zara has been caught printing images of bloggers</a> on their tee shirts. They pulled the shirts after public outrage, but the example remains: almost any high street shop you shop at is probably guilty of producing a knock-off. It almost seems as if the only way to avoid knock-offs entirely is to go directly to the source and purchase only vintage, secondhand, or independent designs. Although I admire people with that sort of dedication, it's a step I don't quite feel prepared to make. I just know for myself that I will do everything in my power to support independent designers through posts and purchases--and non purchases!<br /><i><br /></i><i>But aren't knock-offs produced in unsafe working conditions?</i> While I think it is good people seem concerned about how knock-offs are produced, I think it's disingenuous to phrase this problem as if it's a knock-off issue. It's becoming more and more clear that <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324874204578441912031665482" target="_blank">much of our high fashion</a> is produced in terrible, even deadly conditions. Even brands like Nike, Gap, and Calvin Klein produce clothes in Bangladesh where a deadly factory collapse happened in 2013. PVH Corp. (owner of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hillfiger) only signed a safety agreement aimed at stricter regulation of working conditions <i>after</i> the factory collapse. Consider also <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9006988/Mass-suicide-protest-at-Apple-manufacturer-Foxconn-factory.html" target="_blank">the suicide protests</a> of factory workers in China producing Apple products a few years ago. People rarely seem to question how their iPhone was made even when they focus on ethically produced clothing. Knock-off and otherwise, many of the products we acquire with little thought are being produced in atrocious conditions.<br />And while the working conditions are terrible, boycotting factories and pressuring companies to end production in certain countries <a href="http://www.phdinparenting.com/blog/2014/4/17/where-can-i-shop-for-clothing-understanding-bangladesh-safet.html" target="_blank">also negatively affects communities</a>. Boycotting knock-offs or buying only "Made in America" clothing won't improve working conditions elsewhere. Ultimately, we need to ask for more brand transparency and question the origins of all of our purchases. Something you can do is join a site like <a href="http://sumofus.org/" target="_blank">SumofUs</a> (I'm sure there are others) which has the slogan of "people over profits." The site will notify you about campaigns you can get involved with--some ask merely for a signature while others might request a small donation. Specific to clothing you can join the <a href="http://www.cleanclothes.org/" target="_blank">Clean Clothes Campaign</a>. Sites like these help keep you informed, but ultimately we must use discernment in all our decisions from our purchases to what causes we choose to support.<br /><br />Anyway, these are my thoughts on knock-offs at the moment--I'm not as educated in all of the issues as I could be and my opinions could change as I learn more and feel convicted. <i>What are your thoughts on buying knock-offs?</i><br /><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1459px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a></div>

Thoughts On Knock-Offs

I fear this post will be quite long because there are so many areas to cover when we are discussing knock-offs. First what makes a knock-off...

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Why You Should Do Things Even When You Feel Insignificant

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/small_zpsb943cc79.jpg" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*collage by me</span><br />Last week as I casually browsed the web between e-mails I found a number of articles appearing in all of my news feeds informing me of American Apparel’s decision to fire CEO Dov Charney. It was very good news. Back in college one of my favorite places to shop for basics was American Apparel. Their u-back fitted jersey dress was a perfect complement to my thrifted skirts and beat-up sandals in summer and wonderful layering piece in the fall and winter. The advertisements for the company made me uncomfortable though. Then articles started to surface about the CEO, Dov Charney, and his alleged icki-ness. Bad ads and “ick factor” was one thing, but when actual lawsuits were filed against him by former employees and he infamously confirmed many of the stories in an interview I felt convicted. I went on an American Apparel shopping ban. I didn’t burn my old pieces, but I didn’t buy any new ones from the company unless I stumbled across something at a thrift store. <br /><div></div><br />As a full-time student and part-time cashier the money I had spent at AA had never been much; my ban left the company with maybe $40 less a month. A few friends questioned “the point” of it all. What good did my shopping ban do in the end? The company wasn’t hurting from my lack of endorsement. It reminded me of arguments friends had with people who “wasted” their votes on political candidates that did not represent either party. But if that candidate represented your views best, how was the vote wasted? Do I think that my personal ban from shopping AA helped make this happen? Not really. But other people like me also were disgusted by AA’s ads and the numerous allegations against Charney. They wrote articles, they told their friends, some stopped shopping there as well. More people felt safe coming forward with their stories and who knows what the straw that broke the camel’s back was, but in the end facing some big financial issues and burdened by Charney’s multiple law suits the company finally fired him.<br /><div></div><br />No matter how insignificant my part in the whole story is, it feels like victory. Of course there is more work to do—more magazines that need to stop working with Terry Richardson and clothing manufacturing is often produced in unsafe working conditions for pitiful wages—and there won’t always be victories. But in the end I don’t think we should choose to make stands (no matter how small) only when they promise to make a difference. We make a stand because we want to be the sort of people who care. I try speak up when I hear friends around me say something offensive because at the end of the night I can go to bed knowing I tried. We should choose our actions not for some distant desired result, but for the immediate satisfaction of doing what we think is right. When you look back on history often the people who started a revolution didn’t wake up in the morning thinking of how they would change history forever, but rather reached a point where they decided they were going to do something that day. <br /><div></div><br />And sometimes we don’t get the desired results, but we do make a difference. When you perform a random act of kindness for a stranger, like running a block to return a toy a child had dropped to a mother who didn’t notice, the mother might be too distracted and busy to register your kindness. But who is to stay someone else on that street might not observe your act and feel convicted to pass it along? Our actions move like ripples through water and sometimes we can only observe the first wave while our decisions continue to affect those who were never in our line-of-vision. Here's another way to think of it: when you help a friend move from one apartment to another do you do it because your friend will now owe you/shower you with gratitude or do you do it because you're friends and that is what friends do? We do good things because we want to be good people.<br /><br />I don’t mean to imply in any way in this post that I am some perfect social justice warrior who spends her day fighting socio-political battles on the streets—far from it! I do however try to be conscious of my actions and words. When I feel convicted, I try to act—focusing on my choices not the results they will or won’t achieve. Sometimes what you do or say won't change anything in an obvious or observable way, but every once in awhile you will be lucky enough to see a discernible difference in the world...</div></div>

Why You Should Do Things Even When You Feel Insignificant

*collage by me Last week as I casually browsed the web between e-mails I found a number of articles appearing in all of my news feeds inform...

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More Please

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/9863123495_d6e95bf50f_z.jpg" width="530" /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">*<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenewclotheshorse/9863123495/in/set-72157627112481281" target="_blank">collage by me</a></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A quote that has been resonating with me lately comes from a poem by Marty McConnell that is called "Frida Kahlo to Marty McConnell." While I find the entire poem incredibly inspiring and sometimes ponder the beauty of the lines "don’t wish away your cracked past, your crooked toes, your problems are papier mache puppets you made or bought" which just makes me feel so much better about my own history, today my focus is on this potent bit of text, "don’t lose too much weight, stupid girls are always trying to disappear as revenge; and you are not stupid." While I don't like being told I've been stupid, that line really wakes me up every time I read it. I don't see it merely as an attack on diets, but an assault on the countless, routine ways in which myself or other females attempt to diminish their own presence in society. What is the shrinking of bodies but an attempt to take up less space? Even on a subway or bus I find myself crossing my legs and keeping my arms tight to my body, tucking feet under the seat and holding my purse on my lap--turning my body into a pretzel in order to take up less bench space. Half of the time in this situation I can look across and see a young man sprawled with legs splayed wide and body stooped over as he consumes part of the space in front of his seat as well as.<br />When it comes time to pen resolutions for the coming year I'm once again struck by how many times the focus is on "less." Whether it's less fast food or less time spent online, the focus is on reducing and looking at current habits in a negative light. Sure, some things are destructive and should consume less of our days or lives, but approach and the way things are phrased matters. Instead of less fast food perhaps it can be more cooking at home (the goal of a new recipe a week), or instead of less time attached to your computer why not figure out what you do want to spend more time doing--reading, hiking, learning a new skill? It's merely language but language is the beginning of definitions and how we see ourselves and it's possible that if we change the root we can alter the entire pattern. So for me, 2014 is to be my year of "more."</div></div>

More Please

* collage by me A quote that has been resonating with me lately comes from a poem by Marty McConnell that is called "Frida Kahlo to Mar...

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Thoughts On Becoming

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6778062974_fcc0407075_b.jpg" width="530" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenewclotheshorse/6778062974/in/set-72157627112481281" target="_blank">*my collage</a></span><br />A lot of time we have this perception that people who we admire (stylistically) always look that good--there was no ugly duckling stage, there are no bags under the eyes in the morning. This is usually false. Celebrities spend hours in hair and makeup before they walk a red carpet. Even your best friend who can roll out of bed throw on some mascara and whatever clothes that are lying on her floor and look fantastic still spent awhile picking out that random assortment of clothes, selecting her low-maintence hair style which involves layers, low lights and highlights, and goes to bed every night after a strict skin regime she learned from her mother in her formative years. It's just one illustration of the idea: swans aren't made overnight. But while we usually know this to be true, we don't always talk about the process of <i>becoming</i>. How do you find your personal style? How do you get comfortable in the clothes you like on others? How long does it take? Today's post was sparked by a recent question I received, because as a lot of people know figuring out my style and being comfortable in my own skin was definitely not an overnight or easy sensation for me!<br /><br />Part of being photogenic is being comfortable in front of the camera. Part of looking good in your clothes is being comfortable in them. But these sorts of things rarely happen overnight. I've written a little on this topic before, like my <a href="http://theclothes.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-tip-for-developing-personal-style-one.html" target="_blank">tip of trying on thing at a time when developing personal style</a> or <a href="http://theclothes.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-tip-for-developing-personal-style.html" target="_blank">learning to listen to your inner voice and stop hearing others when you're experimenting with style</a>. But there are numerous other little tricks or practices I went through when figuring out my own style. Even when I figured out how I wanted to look it still took years to gradually change my wardrobe from jeans and tee shirts to an extensive collection of dresses I feel comfortable throwing on. Since I didn't start wearing makeup until my senior year of high school it took awhile to learn how to apply eyeliner and feel comfortable in lipstick. It might just seem like a small swipe of red lipstick to a stranger, but to someone un-used to it red lipstick can feel like wearing a neon sign on your face.<br /><br />I spent months watching French New Wave films and couldn't get over Anna Karina's face in <i>A Woman Is A Woman</i>; I wanted blue eye shadow, winged eyeliner, and scarlet lips but felt like a clown when I wore any of those things alone let alone combined. To get comfortable in vivid red lipstick in a sea of nude lips, I would apply my lipstick an hour before I left my dorm room. By the time I walked out the door I had usually forgotten it was on or gotten more comfortable with the feeling of it on my lips (sort of like how you learn to sit different with skirts than jeans). I did the same thing when I started to wear heels--I always wore them around the house before I wore them out; I find when I'm cooking is the best time to get comfortable in them because there are always so many steps back and forth between cabinets and the fridge and oven and heels help you reach things on the top shelves! Feel uncomfortable in dresses? Wear bike shorts underneath in case you don't always "sit like lady" (because who does?).<br /><br />I also feel developing a personal style is a constant process. What clothes we feel comfortable in changes over time, how we want to look progresses through the years. Some days I still feel self-conscious wearing red lipstick (and I still get it on my teeth, ugh) and some days dresses I thought I'd be wearing for years suddenly feel too immature to wear. I still admire Anna Karina's style and can't imagine a day without winged eyeliner, but my preferences for shoes are shifting from chunky heels to cleaner lines. If our clothes are not just pieces of fabric we use to cover our nakedness but reflections of our desires and interests then the clothes we gravitate to will be constantly changing as we age and our interests develop because we are <i>always</i> becoming.</div></div>

Thoughts On Becoming

*my collage A lot of time we have this perception that people who we admire (stylistically) always look that good--there was no ugly ducklin...

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Thoughts On Being The Quietest Person At The Party

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/NYCFW2010/DSC_0145.jpg" width="530" /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">*being weird with my dress at a party in 2010</span><br />I once took a personality test which told you which sort of soda you would be if you were a beverage at a party and I was labeled as Sprite. The test (as I roughly remembered) described Sprite as, "understated, Sprites are usually overlooked but missed if they are absent." It probably says more about how I see myself than how accurate the test was that I still remember these results. But the fact remains: while I frequently post images of myself online and type up lengthy essays in person I'm quiet, prone to awkward silences, ground gazing, and embarrassing blushes. This is not to say I am a non-functioning social being because despite this shyness and tendency to either say too little or say something so random it hinders conversation I have friends, I go out sometimes, and even attend those holiday parties that I both dread and enjoy. In fact, in a strange twist a fate I'm often a chosen "wing-woman" for friends attending parties when they want a plus one. I've even at moments become comfortable enough with the people to be one of the loud<i>er</i> people at the party and the first to start dancing and drag friend out to join me.<br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />As an introvert one of the most important thing to realize is the immense gap between how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. Most introverts are incredibly introspective; we analyze situations and ourselves and are usually over-aware of our shortcomings. When I start to blush I can feel the heat rising in my body before my cheeks pink all while my mind is mentally screaming over the stupidity of what I just said or my inability to respond to something quipped at me. However, the other person in the room probably can't notice my rising color in the dim light and they probably don't think my statement was <i>the most idiotic thing they ever heard</i> or noticed any momentary lapse in conversation. Sometimes when you remember that not everyone is mentally critiquing your every move you start to loosen up--you crack jokes and make strangers laugh, you move on past innocent blunders and at the end of the night people don't remember you as the quietest girl in the room but rather some other random observation that stood out to them.<br /><br />It's also important to remember that while we live in a society that praises extroversion and every movie or song seems to focus on being the "life of the party" to have fun, introversion is not a bad word and if you find it more fun to quietly play guitar in the corner at a party, or get into deep conversations with one or two people instead of circulating is perfectly ok. Half of the time we miss out on enjoying ourselves because if the gap between what we think we should be doing and what we actually enjoy. My favorite parts of a party is the preparation beforehand and the download after. I love the ritual of selecting my clothes, putting them on and touching up my makeup, and doing the same for my house--cleaning up a bit or adding small decorative touches before people arrive. Then once the evening is over, sitting around with your fellow hosts or driving home with your friend you share moments you found funny, laugh and complain about how you got food on your dress, and generally relive the best moments of the night. It's not the gone-wild-incriminating-pictures-on-facebook-my-house-is-trashed view of parties you might get from popular cultures, but I'm having fun. Since I've always been invited again and never have trouble getting people to come to my parties, it's safe to say I'm not the only one having fun.<br /><br />So, even if you're the quiet one at the party, that doesn't mean you shouldn't go out, or that your company is less valuable than anyone else's. If you want to go out this holiday season to events ranging from Friendsgiving to work parties to random gift exchanges and NYE (despite any social anxiety misgivings): go out. Aside from everything else--you're allowed to leave as early if you want. </div></div>

Thoughts On Being The Quietest Person At The Party

*being weird with my dress at a party in 2010 I once took a personality test which told you which sort of soda you would be if you were a be...

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We're Allowed To Like The Same Things

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/60732_10151371034378025_257023073_n.jpg" width="530" /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Audrey Hepburn is confused by her phone and your stereotyping</span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Being female means living in a world where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. This statement applies to many instances across the board, but on my mind today is being "a cliche." If you act as if your interests are unique and so different from all of your friends you are diagnosed as suffering from "special snowflake syndrome" (which I do believe exists to a degree). However, if you happen to engage in more popular interests then you've become a cliche. Do you enjoy Audrey Hepburn films? <i>Of course</i>. Apparently all of your interests must be run through a machine that sorts out the too obscure from too well known and hands you the nice middling interests at the end that places you in a safe camp where no one can complain that you're trying too hard to be different or one of the mindless drones.<br /><br />The definitions are a cliche are: a trite or overused expression, or a person or character whose behavior is predictable or superficial. Being predictable isn't necessarily an insult, but treating an interest because it is common as if is automatically superficial, is an insult. Treating shared interests between women as "cliches" encourages competition between women instead of friendship and makes young women think it's somehow <i>better</i> to be unlike other young women. While we have stereotypes for jocks I've never heard someone called a cliche for liking baseball or football; I've never heard it's a cliche to love fried food or going to the beach during the summer. Can you imagine if we turned every popular activity or interest into a cliche? Yet, young women who enjoy posters of the eiffel tower, Starbucks, and selfies with fall leaves are just so <i>typical</i>. It's not wrong to be different--to have more male friends than female ones or find black and white films boring, and to hate pumpkin spice lattes or generally feel many of your peers "don't get you." The last thing is merely part of life and perhaps and indication you need to expand your friend group. However, it is wrong to think that your different interests somehow render you <i>superior</i>.<br /><br />I get the pull to align yourself with the different; as a fashion blogger I don't really want to wear the same dress ten other bloggers are wearing. But while trends annoy me I feel it is sillier to dislike something merely because it is popular than to admit to enjoying something others also like. A lot of people being fond of something can be an indication of quality--I'm more likely to stop at an unfamiliar restaurant if the parking lot outside of it is full or if I can see people at the tables inside, if the locals eat there it's pretty trustworthy. Why can't we apply this same reasoning to fashion trends, movie stars, or anything else? People get tired of hearing college girls hanging up a poster of Audrey Hepbrun from <i>Breakfast At Tiffany's</i> on their walls, but they overlook the other admirable qualities of that past starlet which make her a good role model--someone who worked tirelessly as a humanitarian and is quoted as saying "for beautiful eyes look for the good in others" is hardly an icon to be ashamed of.<br /><br />This all reminds me of a quote by Ira Glass, "I don’t believe in guilty pleasures, I only believe in pleasures. People who call reading detective fiction or eating dessert a guilty pleasure make me want to puke. Pedophilia is a pleasure a person should have guilt about. Not chocolate." I try to think of that quote when I see judging eyes rolls at my admiration for Sofia Coppola films or even fashion--it's wonderful that other women enjoy what I also enjoy and their participation with my hobby or interest doesn't diminish my relationship with those things. I want us to like the same things. Good things are worth sharing.</div></div>

We're Allowed To Like The Same Things

*Audrey Hepburn is confused by her phone and your stereotyping Being female means living in a world where you're damned if you do and da...

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The Trouble With Fashion Advice

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8240/8618164210_a74e8773ea_b.jpg" width="530" /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenewclotheshorse/8618164210/in/set-72157627112481281" target="_blank">*collage by me</a></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">If you blog long enough no matter how misguided your fashion sense might seem to your friends and family, people will eventually contact you because of your blog and ask advice. I'm always surprised when people see me as some sort of fashion expert since I consider my knowledge limited and my actual interactions with fashion being more of the fan perspective. I enjoy clothes, I like looking at editorials, and I share the things I like on my blog. An editor shouldn't share things they like in a magazine, they cover news, analyze collections, and predict trends. I'm not an editor and I get to be driven by personal preference, so fashion advice from me would also just be driven by my personal preference. Still, for awhile I did write articles for a couple of different sites and while I mostly enjoyed curating street style from around the world or showing micro-trends from bloggers, I also occasionally was asked to give fashion advice in areas I had personal experience. So, I would give tips on how to look taller and slimmer when you're short or how to de-emphasize your bust and ultimately you realize that every question is seeking the same thing--how to look taller, slimmer, <i>more like the model who was wearing this trend/style/dress when I saw it</i>. It's not always blatantly said outright, but that's what is being communicated. I have never read an article on how to look shorter or emphasize your thighs, but magazines predicting the popularity of crop-tops to continue in Spring 2014 add "don't forget your crunches this winter!"<br /><br />There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to look taller or slimmer or more model-like. I'm a slave to it as well and while I experimented with style more a few years ago recently I've settled into clothes that I feel comfortable in and am less likely to try out trends or styles that might add bulk to my figure. Even the way I pose in pictures is affected; I analyze my posture because a funny outtake where I'm slouching on Instagram almost immediately receives comments about the size of my belly and questions of how much weight have I gained recently. A larger waistline is not a fashion ideal and ironically the same day I can receive an e-mail asking how to "wear a fitted dress while still looking slim, because you pull it off so well." The thing is: why do we buy into this idea that looking good means looking lanky? In person, I enjoy being petite; even when I think about how I'd like to be taller it's usually one or two inches that would make reaching the top shelf in a grocery store more feasible but keep me on the petite side of things. Yet, in a picture for the blog, I know I can only look petite if I still look proportionately long; i.e. can't make my legs look short but can can look dwarfed by a forest. So, fashion advice becomes catered to a very specific set of rules and it stops being about having fun with personal style.<br /><br />And the edict "real women have curves" sounds good until we realize we're being sold another message of how women <i>should</i> look. It isn't just that thin or so-called tube-shaped women are excluded from the message (which is problematic enough), but that once again to be a "real" woman you have to look a certain way. If we buy into that saying we are only buying into another form of body policing; we've traded one set of rules for another. Then it's about what dresses will give me curves, while maintaining a tiny waist..."Pulling off a look" means fitting into a mould of looking conventionally attractive/how society says we should look; it never means looks as if she feels very comfortable in her own skin or is having a good time.<br /><br />But back to my foremost point: fashion advice. Obviously when I receive an e-mail or ask I want to be helpful; I try to answer the question with my personal thoughts on "how to look slim in _____" but I think it's important to either preface or end the message with a disclaimer. Something along the lines of "these rules might help you look a certain way, but rules restrict your creativity and fashion shouldn't be about rules, but about fun and personal style starts to happen when you figure out what clothes make you <i>feel</i> good."</div></div>

The Trouble With Fashion Advice

*collage by me If you blog long enough no matter how misguided your fashion sense might seem to your friends and family, people will eventua...

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Thoughts On Selfies

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6482284321_642d996fa2_b.jpg" width="530" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*my favorite selfie</span><br />Lately there's been a lot about selfies online; selfie being the term for a casual self portrait often snapped with a camera phone. How will we be remembered as a "selfie generation" and then a defense of selfies from various artistic perspectives; ie self portraits have always existed only now there is greater availability to the production of said portraits via computer and camera phones. In a way, we are removing portraits from an elitist position--instead of way back in the day needing the funds to commission a portrait or paint one, or the financial means to pay for a session with a photographer or invest in a nice camera, literally anyone can document themselves with electronics they already possess. The urge for a portrait has always existed, it's just so much easier now.<br />My biggest questions for those anti-selfie is "why does someone else taking your picture making it a valid?" and "since when did self portraits deserve a bad reputation?" Now, let's first acknowledge there's a huge range of quality in self portraits. Nearly every picture I've posted on the blog in the past six years is a self portrait, but since they are outdoors and I use a self-timer few people call them "selfies." Yet, essentially they are. When we talk about self portraits by Van Gogh or Frida Khalo we are once again talking about a different level of quality than someone snapped their own picture in a dressing room with "duck face." In some ways it is hard to compare a time-consuming painting that takes days, not to mention prior sketches to decide on angle, color, and composition, and a mediocre picture snapped without more sensitive consideration that takes seconds.<br />However, I find the critique often goes back to the inherent narcissism in self-portraits rather than a question of quality. People aren't writing articles about how today's selfies lack all appreciation of the 'rule of thirds' and how the subjects often fail to "capture the light" but instead focus on how self-absorbed the subject must be. Even though I like the creative aspects of composing a shot and finding a beautiful location to feature in a post, apparently it's vain to take a picture of yourself on a regular basis. Even though this is a huge source of income for me and I essentially do the same job of a photographer, stylist, and model for a lookbook or magazine (by myself), my images are less valid than those of a professional model who isn't accused of vanity to do her job. (This isn't a defensive post because I've been accused of being vain, I merely find it easiest to discuss a subject when I can put it on a personal level and use "I" and "me" terms rather than hypotheticals.) I find that concept slightly baffling when I actually prefer the creative control of shooting myself over modeling for someone else--I find the whole experience less satisfying when I'm just posing for a friend or even on rare occasions a professional, because I don't get to engage my artistic side. I've also seen a number of personal style bloggers transition into photographers or stylists, shooting weddings or even being hired in the fashion industry for projects and editorials.<br />Sometimes the drive for self-portraits is a drive for practice. How many selfies show off new DIY nails or makeup techniques; how many fashion bloggers snap pictures of themselves because they don't have access to models to style or photograph? Self portraits are easier in terms of the fact your body is always available to you; this is also a common practice dating back to early paintings--even in the 1400s you see inserted self-portraits, or the artists hidden as "extras" in large scenes, like Piero della Francesca in <i>Resurrection</i> or Masaccio in frescoes of a chapel. This could be because you are limited by your region or your finances or your skill set and sometimes the best practice (and means of getting your passions and name "out there") is through trying those styles on your own body and photographing it either through the complicated method of a camera, tripod, and remote/timer or simplistic style of a mirror shot with your iPhone.<br />I suppose in many ways I belong to the "in defense of selfies" camp, hardly surprising considering my blog, but my biggest crux with the naysayers isn't that I think selfies are inherently worthwhile and "it's our camera phone we can do what we want," but the lack of nuanced critique for this generation and selfies. People might stereotype models, but no one claims they're vain for waking up and getting photographed for a living. No one seems interested in the fact that self portraits have always existed and the fact it's more commonplace today might be as much about accessibility rather than a shift in priorities. And there is no attention paid to the valid use of selfies as a creative outlet or form of practice for various skill sets. So while not every selfie is a work of art, the act of self portraiture is completely valid.</div><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1x/se_zps4a08d670.jpg" width="530" /></div>

Thoughts On Selfies

*my favorite selfie Lately there's been a lot about selfies online; selfie being the term for a casual self portrait often snapped with ...

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A Tip For Developing Personal Style: One Thing At A Time

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1x/or1_zps32bd8b01.jpg" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*trying out pastel tights in 2008</span><br />While in New York I had the opportunity to chat with a lot of friends and bloggers with fantastic personal style. With our shared interest in fashion it was natural that conversation often turned to clothes, style influences and development and so on. Often I was struck by how smartly dressed girls were in high school--from vintage prom dresses to a general self-confident and careless chic I've always admired and rarely been able to emulate. I'm a bit envious of women who knew themselves and their style early on. I didn't. I still feel as if I don't know myself most days. Much of my style progress has been documented on this blog as I only started to grow in confidence in college.<br />I discussed before how a wardrobe isn't built overnight and that it takes time to fill your closet with pieces you love, but how do you figure out what you love and what you've just been too afraid to try? I knew I had a desire to wear skirts and dresses, but was self-conscious of my legs for many years. When I started wearing skirts I still had to figure out what styles worked for me--would I be comfortable in a pencil skirt on a daily basis, or was a-line more my style? Even figuring out how to style my hair was something new to tackle and when I compared myself in jeans and a tee shirt to a vintage style blogger I admired who looked head-to-toe as if she had stepped out of the 1950s I was overwhelmed with the gap between who I admired and what I looked like. How did I find the right skirt, shoes, lipstick, style my hair--and still get to class on time? Perhaps other people can naturally make a leap from one style (or no style) to another, but it seemed overwhelming for me.<br />In the process of figuring things out I developed a little system: one thing at a time. More specifically, I challenged myself to try one new thing a week. I only had to wear the style for a single day that week if the project went poorly, but at the end of the week I still had to figure out a new "thing" to do. This also means developing a list of styles you enjoy or creating mood boards for inspiration. For example, one week I bought a pencil skirt and wore it for a full day without switching back to my comfort zone of jeans. That went rather well and the next week I made myself a thick headband ala Bardot in <i>Les Mepris</i> and winged my eyeliner. That went less well as I made the headband too small and had a headache by the end of the day, but the winged eyeliner became a signature for my style. I still wear my eyeliner like this every day. A week later I had to try out a different style I was afraid of. Over time I experimented with red lipstick, high heels, milkmaid braids, and through trial and error figured out what was "me" and what I admired more on others but didn't like on myself.<br />Everyone has their own style to developing a style (haha). Some people get to skip the "developing" part entirely either from disinterest or a lack of self-consciousness that means they make intuitive and bold choices from day one. Additionally, this system might be too formal or formulaic for some people, but it helped me. I find a complete overnight change frightening and I like structure; limiting myself to one thing a week kept me from being overwhelmed and motivated me to actively try new things. Like with food: we don't know what we like until we try it.</div></div>

A Tip For Developing Personal Style: One Thing At A Time

*trying out pastel tights in 2008 While in New York I had the opportunity to chat with a lot of friends and bloggers with fantastic personal...

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Suspension Of Disbelief

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/Faves/how1.jpg" width="530" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">My number one film style inspiration is Audrey Hepburn in <i>How To Steal A Million</i>. I've talked about how I enjoy the film <a href="http://theclothes.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-national-crime-prevention-week-take.html" target="_blank">before</a> but I've been going back to it recently and being inspired all over again. It stars Audrey Hepburn in super mod Givenchy designs and while that could be enough visual stimulation, what I really enjoy is Audrey's character in the film and her motivations for dressing in increasingly theatrical ways. Not to delve too much in the film, but Audrey plays a rather wealthy young woman who thinks she is becoming involved with an art thief and starts to plan a heist. In the process of her supposed future as a criminal she begins dressing as if she is in a spy film--she wears dramatic black lace complete with facial mask and attempts to speak in code. Essentially, she's dressing as she images someone involved in international intrigue and danger will dress, but she's not really involved in anything quite so serious or scandalous. In reality, she's a young woman who is perceiving things as much more exciting than they are and dressing accordingly and it's wonderful. I mean, she's playing a girl after my own heart who's life is not quite interesting but wants to dress as if every day is the plot to a thriller.<br />I love that feeling when you walk out of a theater or finish a good book and you're still engrossed in the world of the book or movie. Perhaps it changes your stride, makes you look over your shoulder in suspicion every few feet or wish that your friends would spontaneously burst into a musical routine in the middle of the street. Part of that fictional world is still clinging to you and although life is completely normal, you can see this phantasmal image of what could be hovering just outside of reality. In <i>How To Steal A Million</i>, Audrey manages to live as if she's in that fictional world and while it bewilders some of the people around her, she's often so delusional and self-satistified she doesn't notice a thing wrong with her behavior. I'd love to live in that world.<br />When packing for New York it was such a struggle between practical shoes and interesting dresses and not wanting to accused of "peacocking" but wanting to dress your most interestingly because you're finally surrounded by people who are dressed just as passionately as you. One of my outfits in particular felt so outside of my typical style while sharing the silhouette I feel comfortable in and featuring sandals I've worn quite often this summer. Putting it on I felt squeamish for a minute, wondering "is this really me?" But the greater part of me when back to that idea of theatrical dressing and wondered "does it have to be you?" Can't fashion sometimes also just be dress-up? A chance to walk down the street in an outfit that makes you feel as if you're a few blocks away from international intrigue and you're smuggling a million dollars in diamonds in your purse instead of a granola bar and some chapstick...Sometimes you just want to reject reality.</div></div><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/Faves/how3.jpg" width="530" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/Faves/how2.jpg" width="530" /></div>

Suspension Of Disbelief

My number one film style inspiration is Audrey Hepburn in How To Steal A Million . I've talked about how I enjoy the film before but I...

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Thoughts on Fashion vs Style

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1x/ps_zpseb186a1a.jpg" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Even while I'm currently preparing to head to New York for the purpose of fashion week and looking forward to seeing new collections and photographing what I can, much of my inspiration in dressing for fall pre-dates this "fashion" season. Such is the constant battle between fashion and style. Fashion tells you what is hot and constantly presses for the newest of everything--we've even jumped from our traditional fall and spring collections to designers working around the clock with limited downtime to find inspiration in order to produce pre-fall and resort, not to mention limited edition collections and collaborations with other brands or celebrities or superstores. It's hardly the only industry that is interested in what is new (or from another perspective what could be termed: progress). Technology similarly is constantly moving forward and it seems like every six months your phone is more out of date and if you manage to hang on to a model for more than a year your friends will soon be teasing you about the dinosaur you use to call your parents on.<br />However, one major difference between technology and fashion is you don't wear the former. I might be very attached to my computer and it might even boast personalization in the form of a vinyl sticker, but it doesn't alter my appearance. My relationship with clothes is much more personal than with my gadgets (no matter how attached to my camera I might sometimes seem), because clothes accentuate my body, my person. The way I dress says something about how I see myself and how I want the world to see me. The clothes on my back go with me every where from the coffee shop to the grocery store and dates with my boyfriend. The right clothes alter my mood, give me confidence, and the wrong shoes make me nervous to walk authoritatively for fear of twisting an ankle.<br />So, here I am preparing for "new new new," but still thinking back about how good Proezna Schouler Pre-Fall 2009 was. I mean, how many "fashion seasons" ago was that? Yet nearly every fall when it comes time to transition my wardrobe I remember those metallics and layers and get inspired. Of course, that's only inspiration from a runway collection--I'm just as easily inspired by actresses in films; like the prim dressing of Catherine Deneuve in Umbrellas of Cherbourg. That is one essential difference between fashion and style: fashion tells you if 60s silhouettes are on trend this year and style says if you like 60s silhouettes then wear them. It is necessary for fashion as an industry to adapt and change and create new pieces by the season, but it isn't necessary for an individual abide by those confines. For myself, I enjoy fashion from shows to editorials and several other illustrations between, but my relationship with how I dress will always be too personal to be a true fashionista--instead I fall into the category of a focus on style. And isn't it often stylish women who buck the trends by setting their own that end up influencing fashion anyway..?</div><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1x/um2_zps928ec044.jpg" /></div>

Thoughts on Fashion vs Style

Even while I'm currently preparing to head to New York for the purpose of fashion week and looking forward to seeing new collections and...

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