BREAKING NEWS: i bought a dress (and other reflections on fashion)
28 May 2025
after literally months of scouring the internet for a dress to wear to this year’s upcoming . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁wedding szn. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖, i have finally found The One.
it's been incredibly difficult these days to buy clothes, and i think the problem boils down to the following:
- i am 5 inches shorter than the fabled “Average Woman” (who is she???) in Europe, where i now live, and it requires a seemingly endless series of trial and error to find clothes that actually fit
- at my big age, i still don’t feel like i have a very solid grasp on my personal style, even though i’m very opinionated about fashion. i think i’m too easily influenced — not by influencers, but by like, random stylish people i see at the supermarket and my alternative coworker (everyone has one)… you know how it goes
- i have never in my life enjoyed shopping. fluorescent lighting, corporate-friendly retail playlists, being on my feet all day, maneuvering through crowds and shop fixtures, rummaging through racks and rails, getting scrutinized by shopkeepers, and undressing in a fitting room? literally my idea of torture
then, on top of all that, as someone who cares deeply about sustainability and living ethically under these Dire Circumstances, there’s also the matter of the environment to take into account.
i already consume less than the average person living in the West (i rarely buy brand-new clothing, opting instead for secondhand in most situations), but it’s not just about quantity, it’s about quality as well. recently, i resolved to reduce the amount of polyester in my closet because i found out clothing made from synthetic materials contributes to microplastic pollution each time they're washed. since then, i have made it a habit to check product descriptions and care lables, and have been frequently disappointed!
having taken up sewing as a hobby this year, i also recognize the immense labour and skill that goes into making a wearable item of clothing and my heart goes out to the underpaid garment workers the world over. i self-drafted and constructed a total flop of a skirt last month and now believe all clothes should cost well over £100. I’M NOT JOKING.
when i moved to the UK, my first job was as a shop assistant at a mid-tier retailer that specialized in middle-of-the-road designs for middle class, middle-aged women. there were a lot of ditsy floral prints. colourways were named after foliage from the english countryside. a plain t-shirt that cost them pennies to make overseas would set you back £29.95. you know, that kind of place.
because i've never been one to buy new clothes very often or keep tabs on new collections from brands i like (or even find brands to "like" in the first place), the items the shop alloted me each month for free as part of my uniform slowly began to colonize my wardrobe in the 2 years i worked there. any discernment i possessed was rendered void due to the fact that i had little else to compare their designs to. many of the pieces i thought i liked at the time are just straight up ghastly to me now. how could i have been so out of touch with my own tastes?
working there took a serious toll on my Identity and i’m only just beginning to recover!!!
so what exactly is my ~style ethos~ now that i’m free from the shackles of my retail-job-from-hell?
i suppose my "fashion do's" are something along the lines of:
- DO reject conservatism and consumerism
- DO DIY and tailor/mend as much as possible
- DO try to convey some level of alt-ness but not at the expense of the first two DO's
and the "don'ts":
- old maiden type shoes?
- mermaid silhouettes?
- tunics? (at least not until i’m 60)
i'm fine with probably never becoming a super avant-garde dresser or someone who pushes boundaries. as much as i like aesthetics, it's ultimately not my calling in life. i'm sure styling myself will get easier as i learn more about my likes and dislikes, but at the moment, i'm pretty pleased with my new dress and that's that... (๑>•̀๑)