I had a lot of fun getting dressed this summer, particularly because every outfit that I wore had a purpose and that purpose was singular: not being pregnant when you want to be pregnant sucks, but at least my clothes still fit me. So I really milked the shit out of that cow and wore unique enough things every day that by the time Fashion Week came around, I was knighted as a member of Buzzfeed’s “Week’s Most Drab” list not once, but twice.
I care enough to share that with you, but not enough to rescind how I feel, which is like I haven’t had this much fun getting dressed since I saved up birthday money and got my first pair of high heels when I was like, 15. And when the going gets fun? The fun gets going. Every day in New York was a cool case study in how much further I could push the no-pants envelope, doing that while I tried to reconcile looking like a Martian vacationing in the Far East.
But even more important than that (I know! What’s more important than Martians in Bali?) is how obvious it seems that getting dressed is a unilateral experience but how infrequently it actually is. In previous seasons, I know I have asked myself: will the old guard roll their eyes at me? Have I worn this too many times? Where I usually “road map” outfits in advance (one less decision to make in the earlier hours of one’s morning), I didn’t do anything of the nature this season. I didn’t feel pressure to get dressed, or think too much about how the clothes would be perceived. I kind of just put stuff on. And for the most part it felt great (although I did wear an interesting pair of sunglasses on Wednesday that might make you wonder about my relation to Seth Green). Maybe I looked like a clown (I can’t be the judge of that), but this clown, at least, was really me.
The question I’m still asking, really, is whether I felt more comfortable — like I was getting dressed for a regular day — because fashion week is starting to feel more like a collection of regular days (I would assume this is how it was before the photographers and dramatic spectacles), or if this, like everything else, is just a trend pattern. Are the dressing cues of street style changing? Has the trade evolved? Is it becoming itself again and demanding only honest outfits?
I don’t have an answer but I do have a slideshow of looks and explanations, so enjoy that at your leisure and meet me down south of “You May Also Like” to talk about life, basketball and if you want, Seth Green.
Feature and carousel photograph by Christian Vierig/Getty Images.
