The poll I recently ran on the blog implied that most people dress to flatter their body figure. I wonder though if the way clothes make us feel is not as important? I'd love to hear what you think in response to these questions which will help in my research.
1. Is there an outfit or an item of clothing you “love” dearly?
a. If so, why do you love it?
b. Can you describe the outfit or items?
2. Did you have an outfit you used to love, and now don’t feel that way about it anymore?
a. Can you say more about that? Why?
3. Can you describe when it feels “right” to wear something?
a. What is the outfit, can you describe it? Or send a photo?
4. Have you experienced wearing something that feels “wrong” to wear?
a. What is the outfit, can you describe it? Or send a photo?
5. Do you recall a time when you felt you were dressed inappropriately?
a. What happened for you to feel that?
b. Did it affect your social experience?
6. Is there an item of clothing that you feel “matches” how you feel about yourself and how you look?
7. Could you expand on how you look and feel about your self-image/body image/identity?
a. Do you ever see an item of clothing or dress and think it could transform your emotional state?
b. Perhaps make you feel better about yourself?
c. Can you give me an example of the item and the emotion it could have transformed?
8. Can you recall any time when you may have used clothes to appear as a somewhat different person than who you “really” are?
Thanks again for your kind participation...
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The posting on first impressions has had a lovely response. Thank you! These questions are about how people respond to your appearance or ...
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So the thing is...this blog is part of my research into how we use clothes or jewellery or in my case, shoes to represent who we are to the ... -
The poll I recently ran on the blog implied that most people dress to flatter their body figure. I wonder though if the way clothes make us ...
I'm going to answer these questions and e-mail them to you at the above address...
ReplyDeleteQ. Is there an item of clothing that you feel “matches” how you feel about yourself and how you look?
ReplyDeleteA. I have this one Jacket by Episode, I bought it in Hong Kong about 20 years ago for a job interview, and when I wear it, I feel like the fit, the design and the person all are in harmony. I really love it, and when I wear it, I feel great.
Q Can you describe when it feels “right” to wear something?
ReplyDeleteWhen the item fits like a glove and hugs you in all the right places in such a way so as to make you feel like you’re wearing nothing at all but getting all the coverage/protection you need from the world.
Yes, that's a great feeling, it makes me feel more confident. I love when your out and don't have to think about what you're wearing...you know that it is appropriate and serving it's purpose well.
ReplyDelete1. Is there an outfit or an item of clothing you “love” dearly? Yes, but it's actually not one that I wear. It belonged to my mother, and she made it when she was in her early 20s. It's a sleeves dress, with a fitting bodice and full pleated skirt. The whole dress is made from the most beautiful dusty pink chantilly lace. I used to wear it myself when I was in my 20s. Now, it's a bit too short for me to feel comfortable in, but I love it because it was made by my mum.
ReplyDelete2. Did you have an outfit you used to love, and now don’t feel that way about it anymore? Probably the only time I decide I don't like my clothes is when I have put on weight! But there isn't any one particular item I can think of that stands out as something I have 'fallen out of love with'. I tend to hang onto my favourites until there is no fabric left in them to repair, or I give them away to family / friends before the love truly goes...
... am going to have to get back to you later on the other questions as reality is intervening!
A dress made of dusty pink Chantilly lace would be a divine thing for sure...but when it is old, when it belonged to your mother, when it is bespoke, and when it was made by your mum, that packs a whole lot of beautiful, sentimentality and nostalgia in one punch. I totally honour that it is hard to give away special things, it's a bit like a photo, a moment captured in time in this fabric, this smell, this flow of a skirt as we spin in circles...Ahhh, even when they no longer fits us, they can still help make up our identity I think. What's hanging in a closet tells a lot about us!
ReplyDeleteNow I will get back to answering your remaining questions...
Delete3. Can you describe when it feels “right” to wear something? When I'm comfortable... whatever 'comfortable' may mean to me that particular day / occasion etc. Eg a tracksuit may be the most 'comfortable' thing in the world, but if I wear it to a blacktie event, then I will be feeling distinctly UN-comfortable. But on a day to day basis, I think anything that makes you smile and/or feel good about yourself is the "right" thing to wear.
4. Have you experienced wearing something that feels “wrong” to wear? Anyone who has ever had to be a bridesmaid has probably experienced this!! Trying to get different shapes & sizes into similar outfits it going to end up as a compromise for pretty much everyone. The feeling of 'wrongness' would come more from not feeling 'comfortable' (see previous answer) than because the outfit was inappropriate. Having said that, there are always fashion 'trends' which I find (rightly or wrongly) would be "wrong" for me. The current fascination with 'jeggings' is completely lost on me. There are very few women who actually look 'good' in these.... but then, they are obviously 'comfortable' wearing them...
5. Do you recall a time when you felt you were dressed inappropriately? Ummm... no, not really. Hindsight may always give us 20/20 vision (like, "What on earth was I thinking when I wore THAT?") but at the time, I would have thought I looked pretty darned OK.
6. Is there an item of clothing that you feel “matches” how you feel about yourself and how you look? A dress I made ... it's tailored without being too clinging, so is ok to wear to the office. The fabrics are lush but understated. The skirt & most of the bodice is black boucle, the bib is black crocheted lace and it has a white Peter Pan style collar. It's "old faithful" in that I can put it on when I am feeling great, or when I am having the inevitable "Fat&Ugly" and leave the house knowing I won't be shunned by society. If I am feeling extra dangerous, I will wear plastic toy dinosaurs in my hair.
7. Could you expand on how you look and feel about your self-image/body image/identity? I can't say that I am particularly fashionable, but I would like to think of myself as relatively stylish. I think that I have an individual style (helped by the fact that I make most of my own clothes) which I don't spend time TRYING to make individual, but rather try to dress to what I think suits me. Having said all that... I can do all my makeup without the use of a mirror, as I don't like looking at my reflection.
a. Do you ever see an item of clothing or dress and think it could transform your emotional state? No. They are just clothes.
b. Perhaps make you feel better about yourself? No. They are just clothes.
c. Can you give me an example of the item and the emotion it could have transformed? I can't really say that I find any particular item of clothing or accessory transformative... rather I will dress / accessorise to suit my mood. If I am feeling down, not even my "Green Shoes of Happiness" will make me suddenly feel great. But if I am already IN a happy mood... those green shoes are gonna go walkin'.
8. Can you recall any time when you may have used clothes to appear as a somewhat different person than who you “really” are? Probably when I was younger, and still trying to figure out who I was etc etc (note that I still don't necessarily have that answer yet!). I was more easily influenced by my peers and tended to steer towards their style of dressing. Now, I am quite happy to go out with female friends who I know will be wearing an immaculate Chanel suit, while I will be in a knock-off 50s tea dress design... both I and my friends respect that that is who we are (though I might tone down the dinosaur accessories for their sake!)
Thanks you so much for your wonderful responses...they are incredibly helpful. I have posted some more questions in a recent post and would love to hear from you. I love the statement about when you feel dangerous, you wear dinosaurs in your hair...love it! I really appreciate your honesty to these questions...thanks heaps!
Delete. Is there an outfit or an item of clothing you “love” dearly?
ReplyDeleteYes. I have only worn it once since I found it at a Caboolture op-shop in 2004, but "love" is the right word for it. It is a vintage Cue design dress, electric blue with black "splashes" on it. I didn't even try it on, or look at the size or the brand initially. I saw the little black clasps and the cinched-in waist and colour, held it up roughly to make sure I could squeeze into it and knew I had to have it. It was marked at $5 and in the "retro/dress-ups" section, but when I got to the counter, the lady announced that the, "dress-ups are half price!"... She didn't know I would have paid much more at this point! I just pictured it on me and knew it was perfect for my shape and colouring, but two years passed and I didn't have anything to wear it to. It was dressy and classy but so fun too. Eventually, I met a boy and we went on a date together. I just went straight to the closet and KNEW it was perfect for it. It was such a big event, and now the dress has the memories of the first dance and goodnight kiss shared with that boy, and how awesome I looked that night in my special dress. It hugged everywhere I needed it to to feel pretty and womanly, but was classy enough to represent my ladylike side ;) I remember my Mum helped me curl my hair and my best friend lent me her black peep-toe shoes for the occasion. It was such a special event for me, but writing it down doesn't express how much that dress means to me! I have a picture of me wearing it at the party we went to that night on our date and it reminds me of everything I felt that night: Young, healthy, beautiful and carefree. The dress showed all of that, and for $2.50 it was worth a million!
What a fantastic story, thanks so much for your response. If I were you I would forward this onto Cue and who knows they might send you a gift certificate or something...what a good plug for their label. The interesting thing I find is that intuitive response you had that it was the RIGHT dress, you say you "KNEW", it was perfect...I wonder how we know those things?
Delete5. Do you recall a time when you felt you were dressed inappropriately?
ReplyDeleteyes, It makes me cringe when I remember! I was invited to a "Semi-formal" with an older boy when I was in high school. Because my parents knew his parents, it was ok to go, but I had no idea what semi-formal meant. I had a black scoop-neck top, a black and white knee-length pinstripe pencil skirt on and black flats. To me, even now, I like the sound of that outfit, but I also had a mesh handbag that I was obsessed with and did not go with this outfit at all, and of course I thought it looked awesome. I had done my own makeup poorly, and my hair was curled but had mostly fallen out by the time we arrived. I was so upset when I saw the other girls from his school in actual formal dresses. ACTUAL formal dresses... floor length satin gowns, mostly! They had gone to so much effort with hair, makeup and accessories, and some had their gowns made especially for them. It was hell all night, I didn't even want to get up and dance because I felt so underdressed!! I remember feeling really young and while people talked to me and made me feel comfortable I wanted to just go home!!
Ouch! Yes I can see how you would have felt out of place...I remember being in grade 11 and accompanying a friend to his graduation from the Police Academy. Little did I know he was the Dux of that year, and we would be sitting at the main table with the Premier of the time, the police commissioner etc...while I spent my time thanking my mother for those years of being forced to practice table manners, I was so conscious of the metallic grey shift dress I was wearing with an aubergine bolero style jacket, which was more suited to a job interview than a formal dinner function. I do remember though that I had bought a beautiful pair of handmade Mr Christian shoes, which were grey and aubergine, and I was hell bent to wear them, so I found anything I could that matched them...haha, in shoes I trust!
ReplyDelete