Style a la Mode
Part Five of the FAQ concerns styles, and if anyone would
like to
contribute a piece on gothic style, please email it to me. I will
combine the ones I get if I receive more than one. I am aware that
there is information regarding gothic style in the alt.gothic.fashion
FAQ and alt.gothic FAQ, but I wanted something original for the
alt.fashion STYLE FAQ.
Thanks in advance for your effort and please feel free to send me any
information.
I am including a piece I have archived for the style FAQ that I thought
this newsgroup might appreciate. (Forwarded to me from regular alt.fashion
contributer "just julia"...)
Dressing Hip
by moonchild
One eyed Mistress of Hip.
the thing about dressing Hip is that it's really difficult.
Why? because you've got to decide what reflects your essential STYLE.
dressing hip is dressing ultimately with expression in mind, and what you
are expressing is: your flamboyance, your eccentricity, your
sophistication, your sense of humour, your artistic talent, your
philosophy, and your favorite haloween dress up costume, all at the same
time. Hip does pay attention to trends, but only at a nodding distance.
the point of Hip is to do your own style, to stick out a little further
than anyone else in the crowd.
Guidelines for shopping Hip
SHOES RULE. no good Hip dresser wanders around in conservative shoes.
where the style is the chunky heeled loafer, the hip will take a mock
crocodile pair or an old pair of chunkies from the thrift store. the
first thing you should say about hip shoes is, "That's just crazy." when
in doubt, wear your 12 lace hole doctor marten boots - to the hip, they
go with everything, and have gone with everything since the middle 80's.
<in "what are your personal trademarks, i talked about my "best friend
boots". that is a shining example of Hip. eccentric, different, and
daring.>
BLACK IS THE DEFAULT. A hip wardrobe is based on black. why? because
when you haven't got a clue WHAT to wear you can concentrate on picking
shapes rather than go crazy trying to find colors that coordinate. make
sure you have a strong element of black in your collection - black pants,
black leggings, black shoes, black short skirt, black long skirt, black
short dress, black long dress, black jacket, and a few black shirts. if
you just don't feel like being brilliant you can just throw on all black
and be done with the whole stupid business of getting dressed.
KNOW VINTAGE STORES. know them all. Every time you see a vintage store,
go in. check it out. see if they've got anything you like, if they've
got anything crazy, if it comes in your size. vintage stores totally
depend on the owner - you have to have a pretty shrewd eye to be able to
tell what people are going to buy when it comes down to old clothes.
a bonus of vintage - they just don't make clothes like they used to.
you'll find excellent construction quality, really fantastic shoes <i
really like buy the late 50's earrly 60's pointy toed high heels with the
curved louis heel. they're really made well - i bought a pair in 1984, i
still have them, i still wear them, and i haven't seen heels that sexy or
made that well.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO TAKE A RISK. dressing Hip is not about dressing
safe. getting approval on dressing Hip has more to do with your
creativity, expression, and resourcefulness than anything else. it
centers on drama, and attention getting.
the other thing about dressing hip is that you can dress to suit your
body. i wear a lot of skinny short things, but then i'm tall and thin.
if you describe yourself as a Marilyn monroe type, then go out and get
yourself a marilyn monroe dress! it's perfectly acceptable. make sure
that whatever you buy fits these criteria:
1. you would wear it out of the store
2. it FITS <a bargain is not a bargain if it doesn't fit
3. you can think of more than two or three ways to wear it with things
you have already.
for an idea of how to dress hip, start watching people. find out where
the freakzones are, like that strange coffee place where you find people
reading baudelaire, playing chess, and hugging everyone in sight. take
special note of outfits that you like.
and dont be afraid to ask the vintage store owner for advice - especially
if they look hip in whatever they are wearing.
remember though that the key is expression. the outfit you described for
your interview is a good start, but don't be afraid to get a little wild.