I feel the same way about wearing clothes the way the designer intended! I've tried using Tibi's trick of the elastic at the cuff so you never have to hem, but it obviously changes the whole look of the leg. All of the "hacks" just get on my nerves.
Oh yeah, the old Tibi elastic band trick! I remember trying it a long time ago and it just didn't work for me at all. The material of the trousers or the volume of the leg was always an issue. I don't need hacks. I just want nice clothes!
Yes! I found I wasn't wearing the pants I couldn't just throw on - I knew I'd either have to wear a heel or use the elastic band. These pants cannot be rolled at the cuff. Rightly or wrongly, I've taken a number of pairs in to be hemmed using my every day shoes so I actually wear them. Time will tell if I've blown it by not having "options."
One of the most freeing things was accepting that I'm just not a creative dresser, and I don't need to become one. I love beautiful clothes, but I live a very practical life and don't enjoy "styling" my pieces/outfits. If something doesn't (a) feel comfortable and (b) look good when worn as intended (save a *very* simple adjustment like cuffing a sleeve or having something hemmed/taken in) – it just isn't going to work. I think I assumed a social media-influenced pressure to dress "creatively" when in reality there was no reason to stress myself out over being accepted by people I'll never meet (and who likely will never know I exist tbh) and a lifestyle I'll never live. Another plus is that it's now easier to cut my losses with some trickier pieces that were causing me grief.
A few of your other realizations resonated as well, but the one about styling was a big one for me this year.
Super interesting re: your thought about not being a creative dresser! That's a fascinating observation, because it goes beyond what I was thinking this must be about. I've always thought of myself as a creative dresser because I like to have a lot of clothes and I'm interested in fashion, but it's a different thing to like creative-looking clothes than it is to engage in a creative process while getting dressed. I like clothes that are subversive, different, textured, voluminous, even complicated, but I just want them as they are. The process of getting dressed has to be simple. I don't particularly enjoy 'playing in my closet' either.
I do agree with all your observations. Thanks so much for the great content and have a very Merry Christmas. And as much as I agree with your commitment to buying in person I would love for you to have an on line store 😱
Who knows, maybe one day! Brick-and-mortar shops are really struggling, mine included, so it's possible that I'll have to go online at some point. We'll see! Merry Christmas, and thank you for reading!
So grateful for this, Tiia, and for you in general. Getting to all our “emperor has no clothes” clothing moments 😂 and always an aha. Although I do believe in 12 season clothes ... you just have to come to Miami and stay put 😘
Thank you, Rachel! <3 And yes, you're totally right that '12 months out of the year' clothes are possible in certain types of climates. Not here though; it's way too challenging to try to fight the madness of the climate here in the Nordics!
I read Status and Culture on your recommendation and it also made a big impact on how I see clothing, status and consumption, thanks for that, and all the food for thought you’ve shared on this newsletter over this year :)
Loved reading your reflections and you’ve put into words so much of what I’m feeling, especially the idea of wearing clothes as intended; if something requires that much mental gymnastics and physical manipulation to make it work, just let it go! There will always be other clothes.
I keep going back to Status and Culture constantly. It's such a fascinating book, and I'm glad you enjoyed it, too!
And yeah, if clothes are too complicated to wear, it's better for me to move on. There's a sense of freedom in not needing one's clothes to come with too many options.
That's such an insirpring read. Thanks for the link to your show piece. I find shoes so hard. I have fairly wide feet at the toes and bunions so it's a real real struggle and Amy's style thoughts did me no favours. She loves a pointed toe and it's not acheiveable for me. Vintage shoes tend to be too narrow and small for me.
I feel your pain, quite literally. I have difficult feet, too: one is almost a whole size bigger than the other, and I have bunions as well. I have a pair of pointed toe mules that are more like slippers that I have been able to wear at work. I admit that I bought them because of being influenced by Style Class. These days I mostly just wear Birkenstocks at work though. Life's too short to wear shoes that someone else says are cooler than the ones that are comfortable.
Which Birkenstock styles do you tend to wear? I have the Arizona 2 straps plus a pair with an additional strap (Milano). I’ve never tried the covered foot ones.
I have two pairs of Arizona 2 straps, and a pair of Boston clogs. I find that the Bostons are not quite as comfy as the Arizonas because they can't be adjusted, but they're good enough, and in heavy rotation anyway.
Great post and happy to read you feel as I do that clothes should be worn with the intended fit! Especially when you take into consideration how the fabric moves when WE move! After while, over sized is just that, over sized.
Congrats on the IG social media break. I'm getting to that point and have found that unfollowing people, muting certain people has been very helpful to my overall inner peace!
And hell yes to shopping IRL, feeling the clothing, shoes, etc as opposed to buying on-line. It's one things to have your toilet paper and laundry detergent shipped from an on-line retailer. And a completely different feeling, experience to have a gorgeous designer piece dropped off by your favorite FedEx delivery person.
Hear, hear, to everything! I'm so glad you're here!
The social media break was really important to me this year. I am noticing that I am scrolling again, more and more. I probably need to take regular breaks from IG in particular. It's too easy to get stuck on it and spend hours doing essentially nothing.
Love all what you are saying! A piece of clothes should stand on it's own. When I am trying something and I think the color doesn't suit me, and salesperson comes with a scarf. I hate this. It should be good on it's own. Of course I like playing with my clothes, with/without belt, layers, cuffs. All the other tricks hardly work.
I also don't need 12 mo-ers. I love seasons. After summer I crave for my sweaters, after winter a long for my sandals.
I learned to wear socks in my sandals and pumps, but sandals in winter or rain, even with socks, no way. All day wet and cold feet. My pragmatic side wins.
I'm still not convinced about socks in sandals myself. I mostly like how it looks (except with thong sandals -- the scrunched up sock between the big and the second toe is god-awful) but I don't know how my shoes would stay on! And I most definitely wouldn't wear socks and sandals in the rain or in the winter, it would be impossible! I do like an ankle sock with lace-up shoes.
I’m a little more flexible on wearing clothes how they’re made vs small tricks but I agree a lot of “hacks” end up making me feel silly due to constantly adjusting things. There’s something there about dressing for social media/ pictures vs dressing for one’s life. Great read as always. Enjoy the holidays Tiia!
I'm no stranger to pulling out the occasional safety pin to temporarily replace a missing button, but when getting dressed is too complicated or time consuming because 'hacks' are needed, I'll pass! I think dressing for pictures vs dressing for one's life is a real thing, and it affects us more than we realize.
I feel the same way about wearing clothes the way the designer intended! I've tried using Tibi's trick of the elastic at the cuff so you never have to hem, but it obviously changes the whole look of the leg. All of the "hacks" just get on my nerves.
Oh yeah, the old Tibi elastic band trick! I remember trying it a long time ago and it just didn't work for me at all. The material of the trousers or the volume of the leg was always an issue. I don't need hacks. I just want nice clothes!
Yes! I found I wasn't wearing the pants I couldn't just throw on - I knew I'd either have to wear a heel or use the elastic band. These pants cannot be rolled at the cuff. Rightly or wrongly, I've taken a number of pairs in to be hemmed using my every day shoes so I actually wear them. Time will tell if I've blown it by not having "options."
I've done the same, and I find myself actually wearing them a lot more often. Sometimes having too many potential options is just confusing!
It also wrinkles the hell out of one’s clothes!
Yes, this too! My wide-leg Dries poplin pants looked so bad after I tried the rubberband trick on them.
One of the most freeing things was accepting that I'm just not a creative dresser, and I don't need to become one. I love beautiful clothes, but I live a very practical life and don't enjoy "styling" my pieces/outfits. If something doesn't (a) feel comfortable and (b) look good when worn as intended (save a *very* simple adjustment like cuffing a sleeve or having something hemmed/taken in) – it just isn't going to work. I think I assumed a social media-influenced pressure to dress "creatively" when in reality there was no reason to stress myself out over being accepted by people I'll never meet (and who likely will never know I exist tbh) and a lifestyle I'll never live. Another plus is that it's now easier to cut my losses with some trickier pieces that were causing me grief.
A few of your other realizations resonated as well, but the one about styling was a big one for me this year.
Super interesting re: your thought about not being a creative dresser! That's a fascinating observation, because it goes beyond what I was thinking this must be about. I've always thought of myself as a creative dresser because I like to have a lot of clothes and I'm interested in fashion, but it's a different thing to like creative-looking clothes than it is to engage in a creative process while getting dressed. I like clothes that are subversive, different, textured, voluminous, even complicated, but I just want them as they are. The process of getting dressed has to be simple. I don't particularly enjoy 'playing in my closet' either.
I do agree with all your observations. Thanks so much for the great content and have a very Merry Christmas. And as much as I agree with your commitment to buying in person I would love for you to have an on line store 😱
Who knows, maybe one day! Brick-and-mortar shops are really struggling, mine included, so it's possible that I'll have to go online at some point. We'll see! Merry Christmas, and thank you for reading!
A joy to read. ❤️
Thank you, Irene! <3
So grateful for this, Tiia, and for you in general. Getting to all our “emperor has no clothes” clothing moments 😂 and always an aha. Although I do believe in 12 season clothes ... you just have to come to Miami and stay put 😘
Thank you, Rachel! <3 And yes, you're totally right that '12 months out of the year' clothes are possible in certain types of climates. Not here though; it's way too challenging to try to fight the madness of the climate here in the Nordics!
Nor in Utah! We can have a low of 7 in the winter and a high of 107 in the summer!
Yeah, that's going to be challenging!
I read Status and Culture on your recommendation and it also made a big impact on how I see clothing, status and consumption, thanks for that, and all the food for thought you’ve shared on this newsletter over this year :)
Loved reading your reflections and you’ve put into words so much of what I’m feeling, especially the idea of wearing clothes as intended; if something requires that much mental gymnastics and physical manipulation to make it work, just let it go! There will always be other clothes.
Happy holidays!
I keep going back to Status and Culture constantly. It's such a fascinating book, and I'm glad you enjoyed it, too!
And yeah, if clothes are too complicated to wear, it's better for me to move on. There's a sense of freedom in not needing one's clothes to come with too many options.
Happy holidays, Lin!
That's such an insirpring read. Thanks for the link to your show piece. I find shoes so hard. I have fairly wide feet at the toes and bunions so it's a real real struggle and Amy's style thoughts did me no favours. She loves a pointed toe and it's not acheiveable for me. Vintage shoes tend to be too narrow and small for me.
I feel your pain, quite literally. I have difficult feet, too: one is almost a whole size bigger than the other, and I have bunions as well. I have a pair of pointed toe mules that are more like slippers that I have been able to wear at work. I admit that I bought them because of being influenced by Style Class. These days I mostly just wear Birkenstocks at work though. Life's too short to wear shoes that someone else says are cooler than the ones that are comfortable.
Which Birkenstock styles do you tend to wear? I have the Arizona 2 straps plus a pair with an additional strap (Milano). I’ve never tried the covered foot ones.
I have two pairs of Arizona 2 straps, and a pair of Boston clogs. I find that the Bostons are not quite as comfy as the Arizonas because they can't be adjusted, but they're good enough, and in heavy rotation anyway.
Hi Tiia
Great post and happy to read you feel as I do that clothes should be worn with the intended fit! Especially when you take into consideration how the fabric moves when WE move! After while, over sized is just that, over sized.
Congrats on the IG social media break. I'm getting to that point and have found that unfollowing people, muting certain people has been very helpful to my overall inner peace!
And hell yes to shopping IRL, feeling the clothing, shoes, etc as opposed to buying on-line. It's one things to have your toilet paper and laundry detergent shipped from an on-line retailer. And a completely different feeling, experience to have a gorgeous designer piece dropped off by your favorite FedEx delivery person.
Happy to have found you thanks to Rachel Solomon!
DJ
Hear, hear, to everything! I'm so glad you're here!
The social media break was really important to me this year. I am noticing that I am scrolling again, more and more. I probably need to take regular breaks from IG in particular. It's too easy to get stuck on it and spend hours doing essentially nothing.
Love all what you are saying! A piece of clothes should stand on it's own. When I am trying something and I think the color doesn't suit me, and salesperson comes with a scarf. I hate this. It should be good on it's own. Of course I like playing with my clothes, with/without belt, layers, cuffs. All the other tricks hardly work.
I also don't need 12 mo-ers. I love seasons. After summer I crave for my sweaters, after winter a long for my sandals.
I learned to wear socks in my sandals and pumps, but sandals in winter or rain, even with socks, no way. All day wet and cold feet. My pragmatic side wins.
Yes, yes!
I'm still not convinced about socks in sandals myself. I mostly like how it looks (except with thong sandals -- the scrunched up sock between the big and the second toe is god-awful) but I don't know how my shoes would stay on! And I most definitely wouldn't wear socks and sandals in the rain or in the winter, it would be impossible! I do like an ankle sock with lace-up shoes.
Yes, socks with thong sandals I don't understand. I couldn't wear it.
I love reading your reflections! Thank you for sharing. I was listening to this podcast yesterday and was compelled to share it because there is so much resonance. Culture Study: Why Do Clothes Suck Now? https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MRAVlZALF9G3Dkw0UFq1G?si=sT2YL-IoQGqF3jIUlNRPmA.
Thank you for the link! Such an interesting topic!
I’m a little more flexible on wearing clothes how they’re made vs small tricks but I agree a lot of “hacks” end up making me feel silly due to constantly adjusting things. There’s something there about dressing for social media/ pictures vs dressing for one’s life. Great read as always. Enjoy the holidays Tiia!
Thank you, you too! <3
I'm no stranger to pulling out the occasional safety pin to temporarily replace a missing button, but when getting dressed is too complicated or time consuming because 'hacks' are needed, I'll pass! I think dressing for pictures vs dressing for one's life is a real thing, and it affects us more than we realize.