Today’s delightful prompt from Kat McNally’s August Moon challenge is: What’s hiding in your closet?
Too many shoes, lots of hats, some never-exactly-perfect bags, all crammed into an awkwardly designed closet in my eccentric old house. And then there are the clothes. And as Kat also asks “If all clothing is a costume, what sorts of personas can you see?”
I’ve worked from the sanctity of my home for a number of years now, and I have no need for a professional wardrobe. And I’m so big-group phobic that I hardly need any party clothes because I’d rather poke my eye with a stick than mingle at gatherings that cause me to hyperventilate with anxiety.
Truth is I almost never wear anything except jeans or leggings and tunic tops. Plus my armful of bangles with poetry written on them, and whatever other pieces of talismanic jewelry that calls me in the moment.
One of my favorite clothing treasures is an ancient piece by designer Jennifer Barclay when she was doing her Bluefish clothing line. It’s what I consider to be the perfect artist smock top with a number of huge and oh-so-handy pockets. All the clothing in this line was hand printed so it’s covered with now-faded but once glorious artistic renderings along with one of their infamous inspirational quotation patches. I could literally live in this piece of clothing for the rest of my life as it delights me so much.
What I’d really like is to find a seamstress who could make a pattern from my worn-to-bare threads piece and then create an entire new collection for me out of various wonderful textiles. I can as easily see this done in silk as I can in some fabulous Spoonflower fabrics. The thought of this makes me dance in delight.
Given that I can’t wear my fave piece 24/7 particularly since it’s truly past its prime by about a zillion years, I wear a lot of Indian and Swedish clothing – bright colors and patterns. As much as possible I’m interested in having the things I wear be fair trade, created under fair labor practices, with ecological awareness, and have an artist connection. Given that I’m a woman of substance this isn’t as easy as one might wish and so I tend to shop from particular lines/companies.
While no one could with a straight face label me a fashionista, there IS something utterly fascinating to me about the way we each choose to adorn ourselves. It makes me a bit sad that some of the things I really love aren’t available to me because of my size, especially because I think we all should be able to dress exactly how we please without exception. I feel such curiosity about how we reached a place in our cultures where clothing rules and beauty ideals place such rigid restrictions and limitations on how we feel about ourselves and how willing we are to self-express through one of the most logical ways available to us.
The one thing I regret not having in my closet is a selection of actual costumes. Because really, how fabulous would that be?! I’d most certainly have a bee costume, an elephant costume, various birds; along with a tree costume and who knows what else. There would likely be cat’s pajamas as well.
But while we’re poking around in our closets, tell me about yours. What does your closet say about you? Do you have a favorite piece of clothing? Are you a fashionista? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
My closet has business suits and winter coats. Oh, and my pressure stcckings.
I’m not ready to even think about winter coats. It feels like just yesterday I was wearing mine.
Our house is tiny, and we (me and hubby) have to make do with one small wardrobe each in the bedroom – so I move my winter clothes up into the attic at the start of summer and vice versa – admittedly the summer ones spend much more time up there – But – when I go back up to retrieve last year’s clothes it’s like getting new stuff all over again. I go through the suitcases and remember loved pieces that may or may not ever see the light of day again.
I love buying clothes in charity shops and vintage shops …. There are never two items the same and sometimes you hit on a treasure trove. I’ve found some gems that way and nothing that looks like what anyone else is wearing.
So my cupboard at the minute has lots of nice loud colours in it – some from fashion brands, some picked up on my travels and some from vintage or charity shops. My favourite dress hides in the back all year round – Goodness knows when or if I’ll ever fit into it again but it’s from the Irish design shop Avoca, cost me a fortune and is all wispy and fairytaley … a grey-lilac gossamer creation with beading and embroidery. I can’t bear to pass it on it – I just love to look at it and touch it every now and then. And second favourite is a woollen patchwork cardigan coat that I found in a vintage shop several years ago – in various shades of very loud greens – a lovely shape – and again lies in wait for me!!!
Oh Fil – your wardrobe arrangement sounds wonderful. Rediscovering treasures is such a delight! And finding them in the first place as well. Your treasure dress sounds fabulous – and I totally get hanging on to it. And that coat sounds amazing as well. Here’s to always having things we love!
Ohhh… Scandinavian fabrics! Swoon! Your wardrobe sounds like sheer fabulousness.
I’m a huge fan of talismans too.
PS I think I may know a seamstress who would be up to the task! I’ve tweeted your post and asked her to take a look. 🙂
Oh Kat – have I mentioned how fabulous you are? Well you are!
You’ve mentioned the costume desire a time or two haven’t you? I am thinking so. Go for it. Anyone who can happily and confidently sit on their porch and blow bubbles first thing is the morning is more than equal to the job. I vote for the bee costume. Seriously. I’m a huge fan of costumes. Yes, go for it.
My clothes tend to change according to the season – although perhaps not along the lines that you might be thinking. I gain weight each summer so by fall I’m wearing comfy sweats a lot of the time. Fall sends me scuttling for healthier food and more sleep. This means I’m back in jeans and “nicer” pants. Winter with the yummy onset of Christmas finds me skittering towards the comfy pants again so it’s up to Spring to put some spring in my step and get me moving again. Every year I vow to change things up and have me being a tad more sensible and every year I fall back into the same pattern. Ah well. Maybe next year?
I SO love your encouragement Kelly – you’re the bees knees! No, wait, maybe that will be me. 🙂
Had to laugh at your seasonal wardrobes and your good intentions that somehow move into “maybe next year” – I know those well.
I haven’t been able to write on this prompt yet, but I look forward to it because I love, love, LOVE fashion AND costumes!! Actually, I’m more interested in STYLE over trendy fashions and it sounds like you have style to spare!
I just love what you’ve written here and I know how one can become attached to a favorite garment…BTW, I’m the seamstress Kat mentioned and I have the pattern drafting skills to make a pattern from your existing garment! Feel free to touch base to discuss having a pattern made from your garment to make many, many more like it for future wearings! You can find my email on my blog if you’re interested =)
Oh what a wonderful skill Monica! And I will SO be in touch. Just thinking this is possible is giving me shivers of delight. 🙂
I look forward to your post on this prompt. Style, fashion, costumes, FUN!
On an intermittent basis, my closet contains:
1. A nosed-open door
2. A kitty
3. Many wool sweaters
4. Much kitty fur on those wool sweaters
5. A dead thing left behind by a kitty
6. Scarves
7. Kitty-proofed items (on hangers)
I wear wool sweaters (and cats) year-round here, though in the summertime my wool-sweater wearage is limited to the early mornings and late evenings.
I, too, have kept beloved, threadbare clothing until the day comes when it can be cryogenically preserved and, someday far in the future, resurrected in some lab somewhere. Possibly by kitties.
I fall in love with lush textures and vibrant colors when I see clothing in stores. But my lifestyle — living in the country surrounded by clawsome cats and frolicking, mudsome dogs — renders me a jeans and tee-shirt gal.
But there’s a bonus to that. For instance, my tee-shirt today has kitties on it. This is a very good thing.
Your world with your clawsome kitties and mudsome dogs sounds so marvelous Harmony. And kitty fur is such an attractive natural fiber you can’t go wrong wearing it. 🙂
hi deborah
do you remember the movie Doc Hollywood? The auto mechanic made a bee costume and was wearing it in one of the scenes. Hilarious!
Oh good heavens – no I didn’t know. You are the source of such delights! You can bet I’ll be checking this one out.
This is so interesting. The first thing that comes to my mind in my closet is the thing I love and wear the least because it is so foreign to our current clothing culture. A wool jacket made by indigenous women in the mountains of Southern Mexico/Guatemala. I find I reach for it when I am closest to trying to abide by my true nature, vagabond, artist, traveler. Sometimes it supports me, sometimes it makes me feel farther outside of the nation I live in.
Native from another country.
That’s fascinating. It sounds like a wonderful piece! And may you always shine your true nature and feel love, supported and seen! Thanks for finding your way here – I appreciate it.