Wednesday 10 May 2023

On "being presentable"

Today I stumbled across an article in WSJ and I can't seem to find the same article again even after looking through a decent number of editorials on fashion, so I'm afraid I can't give you a reference for this but anyway......

Did you know we have moved from the era of "quiet luxury" (from what I can tell it was a 2021/2022 phenomenon) to the era of "un-shouty chic" ?

The article I was reading was talking about well off Ivy League students in the mid 20th century, wearing old, starting to wear out clothes and it said:




I didn't have time to reflect a lot or even finish reading because I had somewhere to be. I put my stripey red linen shirt on (Vinnies)  with my black spotted purple jeans (Salvos Store) and as my imaginative readers will have already figured out, I realised I was channeling a super strong "cat lady" vibe.

For a moment I thought about changing again but it was all becoming a bit complicated so I decided to just go with it, thinking to myself that unless I was dressed in "quiet luxury" it's probably pretty obvious that I'm white but not rich so why should I "be presentable" and if I was to "try" what would I be trying to be?




 

21 comments:

  1. I suspect it speaks loudly about my 'place' in society but I really like your outfit - and it suits you. I love the colours, the colour combination and the quirky style.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it Kylie. You look great and who cares which genre or style it fits into. I never have. My entire wardrobe is made up of Op Shop and Tip Shop clothes. I do buy new shoes though. I was into Op Shops decades before they were fashionable. I am now on a mission to wear as many age-inappropriate t-shirts as I can - which includes Batman logos, superhero themes and mixing stripes with stripes wherever possible. Like you I just don't do beige - in anything! And particularly in 'life'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never used to like op-shopping because I thought I couldn't find what I wanted but that's silly because when we buy new, we aren't buying custom made, we are just getting what someone tells us to like.
      I started op-shopping when I realised that I had been wearing other people's hand me downs and what was the difference?
      I like the idea of age inappropriate t-shirts and stripes on stripes!

      Delete
  3. I bet the ‘un shouts chic’ you mentioned costs the earth though. Whereas Op Shop chic is priceless! Doesn’t cost a lot either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, "un-shouty chic" is not priced for mere mortals. These days there are a lot of people complaining about the prices being too high in op-shops but I find them quite reasonable

      Delete
  4. I could never live in beige! I like color. Back years ago, I never bought one thing since I made outer wear, coats, slips, panties, everything. I made lots of knits that were patterned. One person said she would never leave the house in what she deemed to be pajamas. Another person who dressed in silk and wool said I was the classiest dresser she knew besides her mother. I was shocked since she wore very expensive clothing.
    I cannot figure out what people mean, but I have been told I am eccentric. I don't see it. Your outfit is cute. Why not?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm never quite sure what classifies a person as eccentric but I know this particular outfit is pretty eccentric.
      Sewing your own clothing means you have original designs and properly fitted. When I was a wee girl, my mum used to make my clothes and she still talks about a coat made from scrap but it looked a million dollars

      Delete
  5. The range of women's clothing is so wide and varied where I live that I can't pretend to understand what anything signifies. For a man in Scotland I dress quite formally now that I am in my dotage but I wear bright colourful neckties and scarves with formal shirts when I go out. People frequently comment. No-one has been unpleasant so far. If they were to be then tuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graham,
      Thinking about well dressed elderly men made me remember my grandfather who even in the 70s would wear a hat when he went out.
      I hoped someone would pick up the idea of what story we tell with our clothes. I think you probably know more about the women you see than you credit yourself

      Delete
  6. I am kind of in the "if it works for you it works for me". That said for me personally I tend to "dress" when I will be going anywhere. I do have one minor exception though and I will allow myself to go to the grocery store looking less than my normal dress as long as I will be in and out before 9:30 am. (Also if I am at the beach no rules apply)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne,
      I don't exactly "dress" to go out but I do have a minimum standard I want to meet so some days I need to change and others days not.
      You probably won't see anyone you know before 9.30am , right?

      Delete
  7. That's an interesting article though - reminds me of the aristocracy - they don't seem to buy new either - look at the coronation!!
    I seem to have embraced black, and shades of grey, over the past 4 years. I just feel comfortable with that at the moment.
    Sx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Black and grey seem very appropriate to the times we live in! I wear a lot of black and grey when outrageous stripes aren't appropriate

      Delete
  8. Dress to please yourself, not others, unless you want to . Jenny Joseph's poem 'When I am an old woman' inspires me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jabblog, it's good to have you here!
      I do dress to please myself, I'm also interested in the stories we tell with our clothing.
      I think I have read and enjoyed that poem but I must look it up again

      Delete
  9. It's easy to look presentable but not so easy to be dressed in the current fashionable style, whatever that might be. I daresay my clothes mark me immediately as some out-of-date clueless oldie but too bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think many people dress in current fashion and if you were to dress in the current trend, you would need to pick one from the dozens. What's trendy for clueless old guys? You could go the high trousers route or maybe the trackpants and slippers look is more you?

      Delete
    2. A shirt and jeans is my usual dress, maybe with a jumper or jacket depending on the weather. I don't really notice what other oldies are wearing.

      Delete
  10. Love those who dress in their own style without apology. My clothes are completely casual. I don't have anything girly apart from a huge collection of scarves. One of my faves lately is a brick-red tracksuit with numerous pockets (always pockets on everything) that I scarf up. I love your style.
    XO
    WWW

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks WWW.
      I have a variety of styles but eccentric hippy is probably the one I excell in

      Delete

go on, leave a comment or four.