Before the New Yorkers get all huffy on me, I know you are out there, and I love you too. Let’s be fashionable internet friends. However, we must admit there exists a spandex and leisure-wear fueled epidemic afflicting our streets. The problem isn’t bad taste. The problem is the complete absence of taste. No longer do we actively craft how we want to present ourselves to the world with clothing. The emphasis has instead been placed on efficiency and simplicity over personality and emotion. We have endless style inspiration at our fingertips, and yet leveraging none of it to brighten our day-to-day lives. Has there been another time in history where we have given such little thought to self-presentation? There is nothing more intoxicating than to walk into a room knowing you are looking your best. What have we lost as a culture by so willingly tossing this part of ourselves out with the trash?
Only a few decades ago, there were certain events where dressing up was non-negotiable: weddings, church, the symphony. Today, wearing jeans or even shorts to a wedding reception is no longer an ejectable offense. When brides and grooms include a strict dress code with their invitations, it is seen as uptight, when in reality they are merely trying to reinforce a standard we should never have let slip. When I choose to dress-up for church every Sunday, it elevates the day. It makes it memorable. We inherently understand that dressing thoughtfully for an event naturally makes it noteworthy. It is also why a bride looks her most beautiful on her wedding day. She has taken time and effort to choose just the right dress, hair and makeup for the day, and it shows.
We live in a unique time where we have access to more style inspiration than any human in history, and yet, instead of inspiring us, it seems to have hamstrung our ability to express ourselves through clothing. I blame the Tech Bros… for many things, but for this one thing in particular: once billionaires decided dressing well was pulling them away from their coding consoles, style took a backseat. Over the past two decades, evidence of high-status became wearing the same black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers every day. This obsession with removing wardrobe choices from one’s life implied they were above it all. Unlike them, us plebeians were wasting time standing in front of our closets wondering what to wear when we could have been creating the next billion dollar tech start-up. How silly of us. Tech Bros effectively downgraded dressing well to a superfluous cognitive expenditure.
Steve Jobs in his black turtleneck, blue jeans and white sneakers unwittingly kicked off the capsule wardrobe craze. Capsules systematized our closets to remove the mental burden of deciding which tops went with which bottoms. It streamlined our mornings so we could get back to what really matters: work… I guess. While I believe curating your closet is a requirement for dressing well, the pendulum has swung so far as to have bleached all individuality and joy from our closets.
Capsules began innocently enough, as a reaction to the newly minted problem of owning more clothing than we could ever wear. As the cost of clothing production took a nose dive, closet sizes exploded, and we were forced to realize the timeless maxim that more is not always better. While we spent time deciding how to put a cohesive outfit together out of twenty separates, the internet was solving the problem for us. In came the capsule wardrobes gurus, with their strict rules for the number of pieces you are allowed to own and adamant adherence to defined color palettes so every piece could mix and match with every other piece seamlessly. They gave us a much needed framework on which to build our shopping habits.
But, a capsule was only ever meant to streamline, not sterilize. While I commend the original ethos of the capsule wardrobe to buy less but better, I grieve how it has washed away all sense of imagination and artistry in what we wear. The strict guidelines meant the colorful embroidered skirt you bought on that trip a few years ago no longer had a home amongst your beige cashmere sweaters and navy striped tees.
So then, how do we dig ourselves out of this bland, mindless mess?
The answer is simple: the change begins with us. We must know how to dress well, and then do it, and yes, it is going to be awkward. There are going to be comments of “Why are you so dressed up all the time?” There will be days where all we want to do is put on those old black leggings and a sweatshirt. But, the comments will fade as the people around you realize you are leveling up your style game. As you gain confidence and build a wardrobe you love, the days of reaching only for leisure-wear will become fewer and farther between. The best part is, you will unintentionally inspire others to do the same. Your style choices will create a tidal wave of expressiveness in those around you.
I have often been told, “I dressed up because I knew I would be seeing you.” What a gift to give someone! Imagine if we all loved each other enough to dress well? This year, I’m voting for MAFA: Make America Fashionable Again. Join me.
Until next time,
Elise
