10+1 Steps In Positive Thinking

I'm trying to rant a little less.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for some time, you’re familiar with my tendency to overthink just about everything. Overthinking often leads to nitpicking various topics and engaging in critical rants. Critical rants might make me seem like someone who doesn’t focus on the little things in life that are precious, so today’s newsletter is about some of the things and experiences I’ve enjoyed in the past month.

1. I painted my toenails red and wore these happy Dries Van Noten A/W 2017 trousers the day after Dries showed his final collection at the men’s fashion week. I’m sad to see Dries go, but happy for him that he gets to retire on his own terms.

2. I went to an art exhibition with a friend. The exhibit featured the works of Helene Schjerfbeck (1862 - 1946) and her contemporaries and focused in the way the artists’ work mirrored the world of fashion. Art was displayed next to antique and vintage garments. I was in heaven.

3. I’ve worn a lot of linen and continued to reject the notion of friction while getting dressed. I’ve worn mostly black (#ravensummer) or black and white. The limited color story has allowed me to experiment with shapes and volume. Yohji Yamamoto once said that color is a sentiment, and I think I know what that means now.

3. (cont.) I bought two antique work shirts recently and I’ve found them really fascinating to wear. The shirts are from the early 1900s. They’re made of the sturdiest linen I’ve ever encountered, or of a linen and cotton mix, but I can’t tell. Fabrics have changed so much in the last 100+ years. The shirts are very heavy, slubby, and beautifully imperfect. One shirt weighs about a kilo, or over 2 lbs.

4. I have loved the 11 PM sunsets. You haven’t lived if you haven’t tasted Finnish strawberries.

   

   5. I finally read Sofi Thanhauser’s Worn — A People’s History of Clothing (2022). It’s extensively researched, captivating and thought-provoking. The book convincingly argues that clothes are not just “stuff” or “things”, but they are imbedded in power politics and the history of human beings. (Look at me not ranting about this!) I also read Claire McCardell’s classic style book What Shall I Wear? (1956). It’s obviously quite dated (those who feel triggered by body size and body shape discussion should most definitely steer clear) but there are many nuggets of wisdom in it, such as:

   • “Texture affects color. Turquoise in satin and turquoise in jersey are two entirely different stories.”

   • “fit can make a look — or ruin it.”

   • “Don’t buy a basic coat — collect.”

6. Speaking of ‘worn’, this is the back of the neck of one of my favorite t-shirts that I like to sleep in. I love seeing things this worn. The t-shirt is threadbare in several places, but I’m going to patch it up and keep wearing it until I no longer can.

7. I dyed some clothes. I had an old Christophe Lemaire linen shirt in a weird shade of greenish gray and a vintage linen knit in what could only be described as a swamp color. I never wore them because of the colors, so I threw them in the washer with black dye. I’ve worn the Lemaire shirt in its new iteration more times in the last month than in the 6-7 years I’ve had it. (Yes, color is a sentiment.)

8. My Chinese hibiscus plant has flower buds for the first time. My grandmother had a giant hibiscus tree in her living room. I’m hoping that mine will grow tall and bloom, just like my grandmother’s did.

   

   9. One of the rabbit holes that I’ve enjoyed recently is the fashion that came out of Wiener Werkstätte in the early 1900s. I took out a book from the library that had some photos and sketches of the WW clothes. The fashion is miles ahead of its time.

10. Sometimes clouds are like a painting.

Bubbling under:

11. I’ve thought very little about shopping. I’ve bought some things (like the antique shirts) but I can feel that something is shifting in my process. I might write about that next, once I get my thoughts assembled.

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