Maybe you remember my post about not being a movie character? That’s got to be one of the most difficult parts of wardrobe discipline… The “pop up” ad that I’m seeing most often is the beautiful picture at the top… Not that she’s not pretty, and not that the dress (is it a dress?) doesn’t look fabulous, but REALLY???? This is what I most need for fall? In downtown Chicago? I think not…
Just a loving reminder to think for youself…
The picture is just a white square here…
Oh, now I see it.
I wonder what my coworkers would think if I swept down the corridors in that.
(They would probably complain about my cursing, caused by that veil thing getting caught in every door and on every door knob.)
Again, wisdom. Thank you. Sometimes less is more and sometimes not having something is more. Instead of having that fantasy piece your lifestyle never uses, invest in something you'd wear 2-3 times a week for years.
I think that I have the shopping for my fantasy life finally under control, thanks in no small part due to this blog. But I have succumbed to the evil pop-ups occasionally when they showed me something irrestable that I did not need five minutes earlier.
I am taking an online fashion course…and designers are told to sell the dream…but I look at this picture and not sure whose dream it is! It would be interesting to take a target audience and poll them on what their dream fashion really is!
So true! I remember once in a media literacy talk hearing someone say "they're not selling the dress, they're selling the experience," and it's a good phrase to remember when we start to get sucked into the "glamour."
So true – they aren't dressing us to be nice to us – they're trying to dress us to take OUR money.
I see it as inspiration not to dive immediately into heavy winter black just yet: autumn has a lot to offer on the colour palette.
Would I wear this? Probably not. Doesn't fit my lifestyle. But I could wear my hair softer and wavier. And I could wear a similar colour or print as a scarf or a maxiskirt…
I feel I MUST sweep into church next Sunday in this outfit! With a good stiff autumn breeze to really flap that excess chiffon in the face of all. My sister and I LOVED your post on not being a movie character, and it really resonated. There are a lot of voices (no, not in my head) that push fashion rather than style. Developing style is almost counter intuitive to the fashion industry because it means you become very choosy. You might not spend a lot of money to keep feeling secure in your fashion statement.
I saw a comment on une femme d'un certain age of one of her really lovely posts recently titled 24 hours in Paris, what to pack. The comment was that in Paris it was all black and grey, implying that anyone who wore the ensemble that was pictured would feel or be out of place somehow.
When did we get to thinking that we have to copy another style instead of pulling elements that make us happy? I thought for a bit about the ensemble, everything in it was something I'd wear happily, anywhere in the world because it would suit my colouring and personal style. One of the things I appreciate about the Vivienne files is the wide and beautiful assortment of colour accents to choose from. I love the pared down aesthetic that often comes with the French style posts whether Tish Jett, or Ines de la Fressange but to slavishly copy isn't good style. Even if it is what 99% of fashionable Paris is wearing at the moment.
Whether it is colour, print, texture or line, it has to be adapted for personal use. I love the photo of the wild rust print chiffon. I would like a scarf of that, all jokes aside, I might sweep into church or my next trip to Vancouver wearing a scarf like that but the whole ensemble no, not really.
Hmm… I do see your point and I have ocassionally bought for a life that isn't mine, but still… I think it's worth trying to compromise, to find what attracts us to the dream and find ways of incorporating bits of it into real life.
I have had friends who dress in what I call costumes…they are actually not true to their own personality…they are becoming characters they admire. It takes a lot of maturity and confidence to be yourself, instead of slavishly following trends.
This is a great reminder. Thanks.
What ever possesses the advertisers to show us clothing that has no relevance to our daily lives… Ridiculous!!!! Does anyone ever wear any of these costumes, well of course halloween is around the corner…
Annie v.