I have to admit, reading Joanne Rock’s post from yesterday really made me think, (and, btw, Joanne you can write anything you want and I’ll read it) what IS style exactly? I love that line in When Harry Met Sally when Carrie Fisher says to Bruno Kirby after she insists he get rid of his wagon wheel coffee table, “Having good taste is like having a sense of humor, everyone thinks they have one, but not everyone does.” I’m going from memory, so I might have the wording slightly wrong, but that’s the gist of it. Of course, Bruno immediately tells her in no uncertain terms that he has a sense of humor. It’s a great moment in the film and I always laugh. As I was reading Joanne’s post about style, and from viewing a few painful episodes of What Not to Wear, most people think they have a fashion sense and sometimes it’s so bad their friends have to stage an intervention. When I think about my style, I think I have different styles for different days. Different times of the month. Different moods. Okay, different versions of me. Which is what I love about fashion.
As I always point out when I teach writing classes, the way we dress announces to the world a great deal of what we want to say about ourselves and often a lot of what we don’t intend to broadcast. Clothing can say: I’m a rebel, I’m rich, I’m so trendy I always have the latest look, I’m so eco-friendly I only wear rumpled hemp, I’m a conformist, I’m on a team, in a club, a cult etc. Or the wearer can unknowingly announce themselves as a wanabe, like the kid in school who copies the cool kids but never quite gets it right. I know I’ve mentioned Glee here before, but one of the things I love about that show is the clothing. The cheerleaders ALWAYS wear their uniform, because they are the it girls of the school and that uniform is like a constant brag. Sue Sylvester, the coach, ALWAYS wears a track suit because being head coach is so obviously her whole world. Kurt, the gay gleek always dresses with glamour in mind, except on this last week’s show he tried on a new look — I won’t spoil the episode if you haven’t seen it, but it’s worth viewing just as a reminder of how much our clothing choices say about how we feel about ourselves.
I bet we all have truly embarrassing moment stories around fashion. I remember one day in Grade 6 a few girls all decided to wear skirts the next day. This was a school where the uniform was jeans, jeans, jeans. So, I turned up the next day in my skirt — and the others had all chickened out. I felt like my naked legs were two blazing beacons of nerdiness. Even writing about it now I remember how awful that day was.
How about you? Do you have a clothing story you want to share? Or a favorite character who is defined by their style?
I think it’s fun when reading novels or watching TV and movies to pay attention to clothing and realize how much we assume about a character based on their clothing.
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I have noticed that the characters on “GLEE” do that (I haven’t seen this week’s episode, so I am eager to watch it). It’s funny, when the “GLEE” cast was on “Oprah”, the actress who plays Sue said, “you can tell my wardrobe by all of the track suits” and there were rows of them! My clothes announce, “I am too busy”. Jeans and a t-shirt…that’s my staple. LOL. I totally get what you are saying though.
Oh, I wish I’d seen them on Oprah. I remember the wardrobe people on Seinfeld being interviewed once and explaining how the wardrobe’s revealed character. My fave was George, who often wore big plaid shirts, the designer said, because it reminded us that he was scattered and all over the place.
Honestly? I think Sue Sylvester sleeps in those track suits!
I meant wardrobes. Sheesh, where did that rogue apostrophe come from??
I remember Happy Days… the Fonz and his leather jacket, Ritchie with his HS letter jacket. Clark Kent (Superman) nerdy, thick, black glasses.
Hi Laurie,
Good point. I always love how the Superhero costume compares with the ‘dude in real life’ clothing.
Nancy
Every cycle on America’s Next Top Model there’s a style challenge. And every cycle there’s a girl who goes too far or tries too hard and ends up being told she looks like she should be working a corner somewhere.
I feel this way sometimes when reading books or watching TV shows where a character dresses in a way that doesn’t entirely mesh with his/her character. It’s almost as though the writer/wardrobe coordinator/character is trying to portray something the character isn’t, and it always makes me wonder why. But then, I have an overactive imagination.
By the way, I’m convinced track suits are to Sue Sylvester what the venom symbiote was to Peter Parker.
ROFLMAO Jinky. You are so right re: SS and PP. What an interesting and thoughtful post. I think again, you are right with regard to writers (and reality show contestants) sometimes trying too hard. Unless you are a writer — and the sad truth of being a working writer is that you never read the same way again — you shouldn’t even actively notice wardrobe. It should simply be part of the character the way their accent or mannerisms contribute to the overall impression — unless, of course, it’s done deliberately as in my example above where Kurt drastically changing his look is part of an overall crisis. At least, that’s the way I ‘C’ it