Venturing outside I bought the April Harper’s Bazaar. There are great articles peppered throughout this book.
A feature on rock innovator Patti Smith stated:
“For Smith fashion has always been about freedom.”
In the singer’s own words:
“Even as a kid, what I was wearing was always very important to me. I very much identified with my clothing.”
Decades Later I too remember the clothes I wore that were imprinted on my mind about who I was and what I wanted to tell people.
In the 1980s and 1990s I dressed in an Avant Garde fashion precisely to rebel the strictures and sanctions imposed on women where I lived.
On Staten Island the standard fashion fare was a pink sweater and the original Guess jeans.
I shopped in Unique Clothing Warehouse in Manhattan. My goal was to make a statement via how I dressed–it was how I wanted others to perceive me.
The photos of Patti Smith in Bazaar I tore out to insert in my fashion binder. Once a week I view the photos in the binder to get ideas on how to style outfits.
What I know:
It’s always right to dress in your own style even if it differs from what is popular or has become a trend.
I’m glad the 1980s and 1990s are gone and with them the bizarre outfits I wore then.
In the 1990s I bought a blouse with this quote on a hang tag:
You say much more when creativity speaks for itself.
Today I’ve learned that my outfits don’t need to scream for me to command attention.
I say: do your own thing with fashion. Speak your truth through your clothes.
The April Bazaar also features fashion designer Marc Jacobs wearing clothes that women traditionally wear.
His quotes are a must-read as well.
In the next blog entry I’ll talk more about the Patti Smith article which to me was so empowering as a woman.
Left of the Dial 