'Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses', Paul Cézanne (ca. 1890)
-- at some point in my late teens/early 20s (speaking as if I left those years behind long ago and I'm not only about to turn 26 at the end of this year) my Catholic mother introduced my newly-awakened Catholic self to 'modest dressing'. The fad lasted about a year between us before we gave up on the pretence of everyday elegance we claimed the midi skirts afforded us - we soon returned to our old faithful jeans and t-shirts, and I to my shorter hemlines as I went through university. The minis I tend to gravitate towards now, while not impractically short, do allow me to show off my best assets. I'm still debating what the point is in dressing to 'show off' and whether it's morally 'okay' (does it lowkey/highkey fuel negative body image issues etc), but that's another faith-flavoured kettle of fish. . .
While I fight that inner battle, here are a few short shift dresses for a variety of occasions, which I think reflect an element of the elegance I once feverishly pursued. There really isn't much to say about them other than I will forever love fairly modest (eyyy) pops of colour and lines. Lots of lines.
'Bashi-Bazouk', Jean-Léon Gérôme (1868–69)
--two days into the new year and I’d already planned my three piece wardrobe for the first quarter, inspiration boards for which have been suitably Pinned and links to each potential item safely bookmarked. Is this the sort of dedicated consumer of fashion I have always been? Probably. But I will rest easier in the knowledge that my consumption has drastically slowed and been refined over the last few years, especially compared to how starving young seunny continuously lusted after, eventually bought, wore once and then promptly tossed her fast fashion buys.
The shame.
Now, though, I like to think of the slow fashion lifestyle I’m trying to adopt in terms of gradually decelerating over the years. In case you were wondering what the three piece wardrobe has to do with this, it is derived from something French women apparently invented (originally as the five piece wardrobe), likely to ensure they consumed wisely: in terms of quality rather than quantity. The idea is that you pick three (or five if you're French) new pieces that complement your existing wardrobe built on sturdy basics, while adding an element of uniqueness & novelty, obviously not in the throwaway trend sense. At the moment, I’m seeking out a light grey pair of joggers, a pair of chunky loafers and a leather miniskirt - something I’ve been looking for for a couple of years now.
An important caveat to this list is that all items are always subject to change, but I do still like to take my sweet time thinking about why I want each piece, how and when I would wear them etc. Funnily enough, the more disposable income I have thanks to this ravenous capitalist world whose ladders I'm bent on scaling for my ultimate comfort, the less I'm keen to throw it at highly transitory and ultimately unnecessary things that don’t give me a little bit of everyday joy. This must be how the rich get & stay rich...
My keenest friends will notice below that I've included items from sustainability-focussed brands as well as my beloved Beyond Retro. They're not the cheapest, but I guess neither is being a bit more eco-friendly towards the planet when it comes to producing brand new products.
'Seated Peasant', Paul Cézanne (ca. 1892–96) -- since every basic b*tch and her dog now has a 'trusty blazer' in her closet these days, I naturally jumped on the bandwagon and stole one from my dad so that I too could feel like part of the fashionable In Crowd. For those who do not happen to have a sartorially impeccable and generous parent, I've found some vintage blazers I'd readily part my dolla with if I wasn't trying to stop overspending on things I really don't need. And I've even included a couple of 'affordable' (read: sub £150 - I'll let you decide if that's affordable or not) designer finds in there for you. You're very welcome. In other news, I think this whole 'letting go' via the blog thing might be working...
'Oleanders', Vincent van Gogh (1888)
--I don't know why I've been posting so many dresses on here, as if I ever live in anything other than knitwear and jeans through winter. I will, however, undoubtedly go back to dresses in the near future because they are pretty and a girl can dream (but definitely not buy). For now though, here are some pretty cardigans I recently found on a vintage platform that is not Beyond Retro (it's a French website called Imparfaite Paris). Naturally, I want to buy all of them, but I've managed to stifle that near maddening desire. For now:
'Navagunjara, a Universal Form of Krishna', India (ca. 1835)
—another thing I have come to know about myself in relation to my style: I’m really a person of extremes and contradictions. I like to half-jokingly call myself a ‘midaximalist’, one who is both in the middle and at either end of the scale all at once. It’s not that I don’t want or like my tastes to be pinned down to one overarching theme - believe me, I’ve tried to do the pinning myself but none of the labels stay put for long. I like everything and nothing at one moment or another, and it can be exciting but it can also be frustrating given I'm trying to keep my wardrobe relatively small. . . here are a few very different dresses that all nod to these very different & fluid versions of myself:
'Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn (1825–1860), Princesse de Broglie', Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1851–53)
––the problem with finding things that you love for the sole purpose of letting them go is that, you guessed it, it is incredibly hard to then let them go once found. Hark, a strange metaphor for my new blogging endeavour: let's consider this space a personal gym in which I can begin to exercise the muscles that are supposed to unclench my fists.
And so since I seem to be obsessed with dresses at the moment, and with Christmas fast approaching, here are some quirky Christmassy dresses I'm using as dumbbells & trying desperately to let go of:
'Irises', Vincent van Gogh (1890)
––winter is here. It's been here for a while now actually - too long if you ask me. I'm trying to bury my blues in my blankets & escape in all manner of ways. Turning up the thermostat when Sam isn't looking has become less of a thrilling outlet now that he's fiddled directly with the boiler settings (I have never known how to change it, consider this cold-blooded creature thwarted). I've now taken up my escapism in the form of floral dresses - a theme reminiscent of springtimes past, but you could definitely wear these ones on a bleak UK midwinter with a pair of tights and some thermals beneath, I think.
'The Siesta', Paul Gauguin (ca. 1892–94)
––hello, welcome. Take a seat. Here will do. I should tell you a little bit about myself and this hopeful endeavour before I begin, shouldn’t I.
Well. Over this lockdown period— who am I kidding-– over the course of my 25 years and 2 months of existence, I have fallen madly in love with fashion. In spite of my husband's & bank account’s vain entreaties, I refuse to be parted from my sartorial sweetheart. But, hear me out, I believe I may have found a compromise, a middle ground that can comfortably carer to our entire merry & stylishly clad party:
Perhaps, instead of wasting hours on end scrolling through the ether to find my next victim purchase so that I can feel that deeply rooted & probably (definitely) misplaced sense of fulfilment I get after finding something so ‘to my taste’, perhaps I could simply show you here, and by doing so let it go. What do you think? I think it could work.
let’s see shall we?
