(no subject)

[skygiants]

qian's question for me for the 20th was about my three favorite items of clothing and what they MEAN to me.

This is the sort of question that cannot be answered without gratuitous mirror photos, so:

1.

This is not my favorite skirt qua skirt. I have many skirts I like much better, functionality and tailoring-wise! It's shortish and light flower-printed and has an annoying tendency to ruck up under my coat, which means I probably should not wear it in winter as much as I do.

But this skirt is actually pretty significant to me, because like many of us who were once teenaged girls, there was a time in my life when my body image was not so great! I hovered on the edge of eating disorder for a little while in high school, lots of days of not eating, lots of nights of sit-ups and jumping jacks; I never quite tipped over into the serious danger zone, and I was only really even on the verge for a year or two, but I remained pretty unhappy with the way I looked and my stocky-side-of-average body shape for a while after that. Especially my legs! Shorts were an ABSOLUTE NO-GO. Short skirts, ditto. Knees were SCANDALOUS and MUST BE KEPT COVERED. Marius Pontmercy would have been proud.

Anyway, I got this skirt the summer after I graduated college, while on a trip with my mom -- this skirt and another one, not featured here because it's a bit too short for professional settings and I don't really wear it anymore, but it was even more crucial at the time -- and I remember coming home and wearing them about and being like "hey, the world can see my legs in these skirts! my KNEES are clearly visible! . . . and I'm cool with that? NOT QUITE SURE WHEN THAT HAPPENED, but okay!"

It's a cool feeling, being okay with my body! By now of course I have lost all maiden shyness, I will strip in front of anybody almost; half my friends have sat around with me half-naked and glued me into various costumes. But this skirt is kind of a demarcation point for me, and I appreciate that.

2. So I bought this dress around the time I graduated college, for use as a cocktail/party dress as its maker presumably intended it:



And I do use it that way on occasion! But, I mean, it's not like I go to all that many cocktail parties or other occasions where I need to display cleavage fancy plumage. So after a while of looking sadly at it in my closet, I began to experiment with ways to dress it down:



Under a long sweater, to wear around university settings! (The long sweater was a hand-me-down from wickedtrue and is one of the most amazingly all-purpose things I own.) As an extra bonus, the dress has a built-in bra, which makes it an amazing choice when I'm down to the tail end of a laundry cycle.



With t-shirt, boots and jean jacket! This is a pretty frequent outfit of mine these days. Relatedly, a few years ago -- and shortly after I got this dress -- there was a meme that was going around then-LJ, "what would be your signature outfit if you were the Doctor?" And I described pretty much this outfit exactly, plus a snazzy hat. At that point I still was not bold enough to turn a cocktail dress into something I could just wear every day because I felt like it; the idea, I think, was that I could only do that if I was the Doctor or some other sort of Maverick Hero Not Bound By Society's Rules who wore a Maverick Signature Outfit.

But this is not true! THERE ARE NO RULES. WEAR WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT. This is a truth I have been embracing and so that is what this dress ~symbolizes~ to me. (Yes okay I know wearing a jean jacket casually over a dress is not really all that bold. SHH. BABY STEPS.)

3. Lest you think it is all glamor around here:



This bathrobe signifies to me WARMTH and right now, in the frequently below-freezing weather of this winter, it is my FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING BAR NONE.

Honorable Mention 4:

These tights have no special significance to me, I'm just really delighted by the fact that I now own RED SNAKESKIN TIGHTS and want to show them off. Yes, I am wearing them in this picture on my arm. I was too lazy to put them on for real! I was ALREADY WEARING THE BATHROBE!

Comments

[qian]

Hooray for mirror photos! I cannot think they are gratuitous in this context. Such a post demands mirror photos!

I also like wearing cocktail/party dresses as everyday dresses. NO RULES!!

[thistleingrey]

Repurposing the dress is a great idea and looks great, too. It's a lovely color.

[skygiants]

FREEDOM OF DRESS! Why should we keep the nicest items in our closet and never use them?

[skygiants]

Yes, isn't it great? Red is not my favorite color per se, but I love red clothes! They always look so exciting.

[vivien]

THOSE TIGHTS!

I love dressing down the dress. Gorgeous and wearable.

[skygiants]

AREN'T THEY AMAZING? I am being extremely careful with them because I go through tights like popcorn at a movie theater and I REALLY WANT THESE TO SURVIVE.

[oyceter]

I have to figure out more ways to wear my cocktail dresses out too! I hate having these fancy dresses that just sit around. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION!

[izilen]

I WISH I COULD DO THIS with my favourite dress that I own, except I am not sure it is POSSIBLE to dress down sequins-overlaid-with-sheer-fabric. Also the dress was Expensive Enough that I fear wearing it out! Hahaha. BUT I LOVE IT, and one day the perfect occasion will come.

(this is to say: I AM JEALOUS OF YOUR COCKTAIL DRESS WEARING SKILLS).

[skygiants]

To be fair, I have another dress I love that I have not yet figured out how to dress down enough to wear regularly. I'M COMING FOR YOU, LACY BLUE DRESS. Someday!