Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Clothed in Imagination


If clothes make the (wo)man, does that mean that what you wear is a visible representation of your life, your story? Last year I paged through a J. Peterman catalog (they call it an Owner’s Manual) for the first time and saw that each item of clothing had a mini-story associated with it. Perhaps to add an additional layer of fantasy, most of the items are illustrated instead of photographed. I understand that they use this long copy technique to sell clothes, but honestly it made me look at my wardrobe and wonder what tales my clothes are telling.

Here are some sample stories from the catalog for your reading pleasure:

Trouble.

               An indiscretion here, some questionable assets there, and next thing you know a little ad in the back of that fashion magazine catches your eye:
               “Legally obtain a second passport…become a Perpetual Traveler, avoid taxes, governments and hassles.”
               You could head for Luxembourg or Turks and Caicos, but I suggest Quito, Ecuador. You can’t beat the year-round climate or the expat bars, and the dollars to sucres exchange rate is still favorable.
               In preparation for departure, I suggest you pack this soft cotton corset and matching skirt, with its blossoming skirt panels with pintucks.
               I can see you now, the soul of innocence, sitting in a café on the Avenida Amazonas, sipping a Trago spiced with cinnamon and reading about your mysterious disappearance in the International Herald Tribune.


Italian Colors of Vernazza.
 
Are intoxicating, like this dress, like Maya.
We first met as she sauntered across the cobblestone wearing it (I would later describe it to her as mosey, but she said that was too American).
It’s when I discovered I had synesthesia. Frank Lloyd Wright claimed to hear music when he designed buildings; Nabokov saw the letter o as an “ivory-backed hand mirror.”
Me?
Upon seeing Maya mosey (sorry) in her cheery linen dress, I heard an ebullient tambourine and smelled freshly cut nasturtiums. When she got close, with the soft linen clinging and contrast trim hitting her tanned legs, I had the sensation of tasting the most exquisite carambola.
Interesting, I know. N.B. Wine is not an antidote for synesthesia.

“My will to win.”

It was almost a confession, really.
He buttoned his slicker, his hands still shaking from being underwater for three minutes. Hair still smeared in sand. Skinned forehead still bleeding in a way you can only do pinned on the soft sea floor 30 feet down, 100 yards out.
I’d of course heard that statement before—haven’t we all? But this was different. It wasn’t a claim, a boast, nothing artificial like those words usually come wrapped in. It was a personal weight. Not quite a burden because he loved it. But something deep he carried with him that often tortured him, like his father’s expectations.
Salty ocean air can be an elixir (and breezy).


Apparently, you can also tell your story using jewelry. For instance, some jewelry companies like Origami Owl sell clear lockets in which the wearer can display meaningful charms that capture her story.

But who has time to shop for the perfect shirt or accessory when there are so many stories to tell? Or, am I too absorbed in my characters’ lives and fail to tell my own story?

As an aside, I don’t completely agree with Mark Twain. For instance, Lady Godiva is still remembered for riding naked through the streets in the 11th century to protest a tax imposed by her husband. Today, she has delightful chocolates named in her honor.

Do you wear your story? Or, do you throw on whatever is handy and spend your time telling your characters’ story?

5 comments:

  1. I am a comfort slob – unless I need to dress for a part, in which case I have closets full of customs: fine wool suits, shirts with French-cuffed shirts, cufflinks and ties to create the business ensemble (now worn for weddings and funerals); business or social casualwear; hunter orange so I don’t get shot during bird or deer season; compression tights to hold my muscles more or less in place to try to prevent injuries when I run; and on and on it goes.

    Given no obligations I'm a jeans (or shorts) and a tee shirt (with a flannel shirt if necessary) kind of guy.

    ~ Jim

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  2. That clothing catalog looks interesting, but I know I wouldn't have gotten through the first page before before it ended up in the recycling bin.

    I give a little thought to what I'm wearing, but not much. Mostly jeans & a comfy shirt.

    When I was working, I did think about it more--and dressed to make the people with whom I was working (or, when I was teaching special education, their parents) comfortable. Since I never cared about promotions, I didn't worry about looking "professional."

    Jim, I've got a blaze orange hoodie I wear, esp. during deer season. In general I don't wear orange. I had an orange shirt I really liked. I wore it one day when I was teaching GED classes in a jail. It was an intense class--the test was going to be given in the next week. We all sat around a table, working on math. All of a sudden the door burst open and the "rat patrol" stormed in. The corrections officer monitoring the video couldn't pick me out from the orange jumpsuits the inmates wore, & came to the conclusion that they had "done something" to me.

    I know first impressions are supposed to be important, and I would never dress in a way that would be disrespectful of someone's important occasion like a wedding, funeral, graduation, ordination, etc, but it's really not a major concern for me.

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  3. Jim, that's so interesting that you wear orange during hunting season. I hadn't even considered that possibility since I have been a city/suburban dweller for many years. Although when I was very young and we lived in Arizona, I had to make sure to stay out of the way of people with guns in the desert. But I'm not sure if they were hunting or target practicing.

    KM, what a shock to have corrections officer burst in your class to make sure you were okay. I guess that was the last time you wore your orange shirt to class.

    I don't usually look through catalogs either, but I couldn't stop reading the stories. They appealed to my sense of humor.

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  4. I used to care more about clothes when I was teaching, but not a whole lot. For me comfort is the most important thing. I wear jeans or shorts and T-shirts mostly - sweatshirts in the winter. Yes, I put on something decent for church on Sundays or weddings or funerals, but I almost never shop for clothes wearing only what I already have. It's good enough. My son sometimes chastises me when he sees me walk by his place in the winter on my morning walk in the woods because my winter coats for everyday are ancient and look it. But I figure if they're warm and comfortable and no one is in the woods to see me, why fuss about it.

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  5. I like your sensible views on clothing, Gloria! Comfort is key especially while writing or doing chores. Most people in my area wear casual or work clothes. Occasionally I see people wearing pajamas while they're shopping or shoveling snow while other people are always dressed in the latest fashion. It's an interesting mix.

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