Over the past 17 years, through this blog and all of you I have come to understand personal style as a form of speech. One hundred percent, what we wear speaks to the world, to our environments and our communities. I doubt this is news to anyone, but if you feel like a little reminder tour through mores, dress codes, and fast fashion, I suggest this Reddit forum on Wedding Attire where it appears social media has taken over from Mean Girls, Disapproving Aunts and High WASP Noses in the Air. I also once wrote a post on the difference between Protocol and Common Human Courtesy, called, What Matters About Manners, if you have the interest and time for further folderol.
But another hundred percent of style, because our internal landscapes are multi-dimensional and we add up to one thousand or more, speaks to ourselves.
What do we want to wear when we have absolutely nobody and nothing we’re answering to? In my case, turns out, sweatpants, tees and sweatshirts. I don’t like to worry that my crosslegged sitting will stretch out fabric knees. I don’t have the patience to button up anything. And I am surely not wearing shoes on my sofa.
However. Sitting around in ugliness–old tees that pill, the Bruce Springsteen concert muscle t-shirt from the early 1980s (went to my son), baggy-sweated pants and every non-aligned color under the sun-sounfeelsds like I’m speaking to myself disdainful.
So, the past couple of weeks involved lots of culling. Then, a couple of new items. First, those white tees from Petit Bateau. Decided against black. I wear it rarely. And then, well, here’s a funny photo for an erstwhile style blog–
my regular ol’ clothes. I even leave the house in these sometimes. Brown Eileen Fisher pants and a burnt orange turtleneck with big clunky Church oxfords looks just fine, and no part of me suffers. Neither my lower back, nor the wincing shadows of my old culture.
These are colors that I feel right in and like to look at. Most recently I added the dark teal and ochre tees on the left, from L.L. Bean and Everlane. I might hunt down a few more patterns going forward, but for now flowers, mariner stripes, and a brick and beige-striped knit from my son will do. The mauve shirt on top of that tobacco-mustard pants in the lower right corner? Hiking shirt and pants.
No matter what your environment, what I used to call here “use cases,” you can still see yourself in your mirror and nod your head. “Yes.”
Which brings us to today.
The pants are Vuori, couple of years old but still wearable. The sweatshirt, from the ACLU website shop.
Yes, that ACLU.
They have a whole range of gear, and these sweatshirts come in multiple cool colors with contrasting embroidered logo. Look, Kelly Green!
Also Navy, Red, Peach, all with different embroidery colors – too good. If we’re vast, internally, this feels like a good way to map that terrain. Also is comfy and makes me smile. Win-win! I had a brief flash of anticipatory embarrassment, imagining someone asking me if I worked for the ACLU, which would be an enormous honor, but then I realized I could simply answer, “No, but I’m a supporter,” and that would be excellent.
Finally, I have intentionally not referenced our current events but that doesn’t mean, it never means, I’ve forgotten. I hope you all have a good weekend, whether speaking to your comfy fleece or to power.
24 Responses
I’ve been adjusting my hanging at home wardrobe because the view from my windows changed from a tapestry of green in a bucolic part of PA to a glittering city and bay seen from the 22nd floor of a Seattle tower. Ironic to get more pulled-together for this remarkably casual city, but “the wincing shadows of my old culture” compel me to step it up slightly. Hadn’t really thought about what I was doing on this front. I love your Saturday morning posts!
Thank you so much! And I can actually imagine that moving to Seattle might make one want to step it up. It is an actual city! And, you are in casual clothes so much, and weather-appropriate clothes, it makes real sense to me that you want to dress for the possibility of stepping outside, and for watching the city and water both:)
Loving that the ACLU sweatshirt actually looks nice enough to wear!
Amazing, isn’t it! The power of branding, put to good use!
Even relaxing my uniform is jeans (but with some stretch so they feel like sweats thankyouverymuch) and my ever-present year-round black knit top. Always. It’s my needleworker thing; wearing black or the very rare white tee makes space for any possible project without distraction. That’s where my colorful is.
Love your cozy selection. Very soothing and happy. Your post strikes me as so very relevant to current events. Comfort clothes are a balm during heartbreaking times.
I LOVE that you wear black and white to protect your creative mindscape. It makes so much sense. And someone said to me today, comfort can be armor in its own way. So, armor and a balm, both. Thank you.
How is the thickness of the white tees? Hopefully still excellent?
I absolutely need an ACLU sweatshirt — I like the color you’re wearing the best. I love your response for many causes (verbal use cases!): “I’m a supporter.”
Comfort is so important when life itself is so frightening and painful. We take solace in little things like softness on our skin. I think this was a timely post — taking care of ourselves so that we can fight the battles that really matter. Have a very comfy and lovely weekend!
The white tee is still good, but, I’m gonna say, not quite as good:(. So I’m not disappointed per se, but I am a little wistful for the Petit Bateau of yore. Thank you, I agree, softness on our skin, whether from a sweatshirt, a good moisturizer, or the head of a pet that you’re scritiching, all so comforting.
Aww, pets are the best softness of all. ❤
As Jess says, in these days of turmoil and sadness, something soft against our skin is important. I’m partial to the very soft striped long sleeved t-shirts from Frances Valentine. They come in the many colors and I have four of them now. They are my uniform along with comfortable jeans and lace up shoes. I seldom have a need for dress up clothes these days.
If I wore sweatshirts ever, the ACLU sweatshirts would be my choice. And I knew you had not forgotten this week’s events.
Ah, I think you’ve mentioned Frances Valentine before, Kate Spade’s brand before she left us, and I will check them out. Thank you. I’ll also trust going forward that you know I do not forget.
Now expecting: green sweatshirt and orange VOTE cap. Friends seem uneasy when I wear my 8647 t-shirt in public.
You just made me laugh out loud. Yes, the orange and green sounds very attractive, as my mother would have said, and effective and safer to boot. Solidarity!
i love that we land on some of the same basics by chance. latest example: vuori joggers. one year in and not looking back. so comfy and stylish enough. ;)
I love it too. Not sure like minds count as chance per se;). Never looking back!
Elastic waist Bryn Walker pants and a sweater!Always Birdies flat velvets.
Perfect for you and your elegant height.
Is “Speaking Color To Identity” a good time to say how much I love that your white/gray hair is moving into the foreground again? [After reading your linked prior post re Manners, I might have crossed a line with a remark like that. I hope not.]
Ah, it’s a perfect time. Thank you. Me too. The experiment with darker hair has been concluded. Now I just have to figure out the path from here to some kind of salt and white pepper look for the longer term.
Around town… Palo Alto, Menlo.,, Winter uniform: grey warm sweats, various layers of two long sleeve tshirts. A choice of two oversized winter coats, both subtle plaid.. wool or cashmere scarf… various felt hats… as incognito as possible for errand running. Oversized sunglasses. Twelve years of Catholic girls school made me very comfortable with ‘ ‘winter uniform and summer shorts and linen blouse uniform…
Sweats with plaid coats? Very cool girl! So fun, especially with those big sunglasses. Uniforms can be wonderful.
I have some cozy cashmere sweaters that sat for a few years while I worked from home and then retired. Now I wear them with a long sleeve tee or turtleneck and jeans. They keep me warm during long rambling walks with an audiobook. Swap jeans for much loved gap yoga pants for lounging. I would rather wear my cashmere now than find them moth eaten and unworn in the future!
That’s a great strategy. If you are comfortable lounging in cashmere, I salute you and encourage you to continue your iconic ways;)
I thought along these lines today as I watched dozens of my neighbors drifting away from the morning’s protest. What are we wearing? In my corner the Pacific Northwest, nearly everything is comfortable and pragmatic. We joke about our “dress” overalls vs. our “work” overalls, but we’re also checking the fraying at the hem to see if these overalls are still good to wear to the lecture about local salmon ecology. Nope. Those overalls have now been relegated to the wading in the ocean and pulling of the nets when helping out with said salmon research.
Comfort, and style, here are mostly jeans, boot, t-shirts and flannel shirts. It takes time to read the flavors and subtleties, but they are there. Everywhere has a dress code.