I’M WEARING TO GO
I RECEIVED a photo message from a friend this week with the caption: “If I was 21 and going to Ibiza I would wear this”.
I didn’t turn a hair, it’s standard practice for us to show appreciation for an outfit we will probably never get the chance to wear (unless we invent a time machine) especially after the last few months, when there hasn’t been much “real life” to plan for.
But it did remind me how many times I have found myself coveting an entirely inappropriate outfit. I have been known to give in and purchase said unsuitable look and been forced to share laughable bedroom mirror selfies with friends so they can appreciate just how awful these clothes meant for taller/ slimmer/curvier women look on me.
A memorable one was a paisley mini dress with puff sleeves that made me look like Henry the VIII, a definite ‘Insta vs Reality’ moment.
More recently some Birkenstock suede mules in my head made me look like an off-duty yogi, but in real life made my feet resemble the cartoon Moomins.
A very quick superscientific friend group survey tells me that I’m not the only person who gets sucked into lusting after clothes that are entirely unsuitable for my lifestyle, the climate I live in or the body I was born with.
I wasn’t blessed with the 5ft 9” I feel I deserve, and that alone means some clothes I love will never work on me. Flares and long coats among them.
How many of you have wardrobes that reflect the lifestyle you live?
Not me. I own far too many long evening dresses for a girl who never gets invited to balls or galas.
This is a subject that fashion people take seriously. There is even an equation – apparently most of us wear 80% of our wardrobe, 20% of the time.
I can attest to that being true in my own case. I plan to correct the balance going forward, to buy clothes I will actually wear more frequently, even if that means admitting I wear gym leggings when exercise is not on the horizon.
It’s the new normal.