Monday, October 19, 2009

SARTORIALISM


I am no fashionista.

I wear suits to work every day because they are easy and help me take myself seriously.

On the weekends, I dig up a pair of jeans and a blousey top with flats in the winter and flat sandals in the spring, summer, and fall. If I have a pedicure during sandal season it means some important aspect of my life is going neglected, or I'd not otherwise have remembered to have the nice Vietnamese man paint my toes.

It's all pretty ordinary.

My most noticeable deviations might be in color. I have a penchant for out-of-the-ordinary colors. If I meet a deep mustard sweater, it comes home with me. If I come across a vomit green shirt, I make it mine. And I don't like to match. A chartreuse shirt over a pale pink camisole with jeans and royal blue flats?

Whatever.

I don't dress for color, very often looking like I grabbed my clothes in the dark. I find a shirt I like, yank the nearest cardigan of its hanger, and latch onto the first pair of shoes I can locate two of. Color isn't important.

And I've already mentioned before that I suck at accessorizing. Either I don't wear extras or they're just plain boring.

My most vampy add-ons are definitely earrings. I like 'em huge. sometimes as big as my fist. I wear necklaces from time to time, but not more than twice a week, because again, if I managed to get the neckwear situation right, it means something more important is awry.

When it comes to clothes, shoes, and accessories, I don't care enough to throw myself into it. If I can leave the house without fretting what I look like: okay then. If you have to look at me and fret: your problem, not mine.

These days, I just don't seem to care.

However, The Sartorialist enchants me. I have no fashion sense of my own, so I relish the voyeuristic look at other ordinaries' unique conglomerations that just work.

Whenever a new post from said blog pops up in the ole Reader, I never skip over it. A sort of see-and-sigh. If you're not already a subscriber, it's a blog I recommend. Not because you need to be more fashionable or even have the potential to be, but because not every blog needs to be read to be enlightening and not every chic thing falls out of Vogue.

5 comments:

whitneyingram said...

Ahh yes, your suits. Kind of like a little missionary. Someday, like for my birthday, would you please where one of your little suits with a tie? It would make me so happy.

Natalie said...

I have no fashion sense either apparently because I buy a ton of cute things (which you can do when you haven't grown since you were 11 and have zero kids) and then it all languishes in my closet because I have no idea how to put it together. Then I end up wearing the same thing day in, day out. My uniform lately: jeans, gray or white t-shirt, cardigan or chunky sweater, usually gray or white also. Blah.

I vote for The Purge because coming here to vent gives me a nice cleansing feeling with a bitter aftertaste. Yum.

Natalie said...

P.S. I am the same person as Nat The Rat only I found out yesterday that you can change your blogger username and so I'm running around confusing everyone today.

Jessica said...

i do love the sartorialist. amazing photographic skills, and he captures the most interesting people on film (or SD card, whatever).

i always wonder "if the sartorialist ever saw me on the street, would he want to take my picture?" The answer is generally a resounding "NO", but it's nice to dream.

Anonymous said...

i, too, have a sartorialist obsession. i would be happy being either of these dudes http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/10/on-streetsomerset-house-london.html

i'm also a fan of hel-looks, not because the fashion is the greatest, but because i like to think that my bad fashion choices are genetic. plus, oftentimes it makes me feel very attractive.