OMG CLOTHES!
Jul. 29th, 2010 12:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sorcyressI went thrift-storing today!
I didn't get all that much --a really nice vest though, that I think will match my light striped steampunk pants quite well. It occurred to me as I was looking through things that there is a principle of fashion that I've never really cemented in my head before now.
Namely, if everything in your wardrobe matches everything else, you're set for life.
Figuring this out (which I'm honestly sure I'd known before, but this was the first time I really "got" it) is probably one of those painfully obvious things that everyone else knows, but it's nice to have it as an actual rule. And it's not like I wasn't aware of it, at least on a subconscious level --if you look at my steampunk stuff, you'll find that it's all earth tones --brown and khaki and army green, mostly, with a couple Soviet-red or rust-red pieces thrown in. My garb follows similar patterns --three green corsets, one red, two black1.
Now, extending this idea, I can start to create patterns for certain looks. For instance, thus far my Regency/gentleman's formalwear has a lot of blue in it. Dark blue tailcoat2, which means I wear it with dark blue hose and a navy blue vest3. While I don't have blue ribbons for my hair, or blue laces for my shoes, they're on the list --as is a blue feather to put in my tricorn4.
The only other costuming I've got where I'm trying to accumulate considerable amounts of pieces for --not just one outfit's worth, but maybe someday enough to wear something different to every event in that genre-- is my pirate stuff I suppose, which is all black and red. Or, if I'm dipping into the steampunk stuff and garb, green and brown. I'm okay with that.
But that does lead itself to a conclusion, namely, should I keep doing this when I find other genres worth costuming for. Among other things, Jane Austen's Fight Club may actually be enough to make me interested in procuring some amount of Regency ladieswear sometime. Now, I could go with pale blue, which would be partly to properly cosplay Fanny from JAFC but mostly to see if it can go properly with my gentleman's wear. But there's a certain amount to which I consider Regency era clothes to be partly the province of my denizens --my tailcoat is almost perfectly Gabriel's shade of blue, which means that the feminine Regency garments should be shaded in Alis's particular red.
(of course, that leads itself too easily to pastel pink, and while I'm very secure in both my masculinity and my femininity, I just don't particularly care for pink, especially light shades, and especially *anything* which could be called "dusty rose".
Unless we're talking this Caddy, at which point I am completely secure enough in both my masculinity and my femininity to say I WANT. I have no idea where I'd put it, and I suspect that a car, like virtually everything else I own, should be built to withstand an awful lot of dirt and damage, but it's so pretty.)
So yes. I suppose if I was really good at this, I'd go and figure out what colour(s) I look good in, as opposed to just picking my wardrobe based on the cute cheap things at the thrift store that fall into the categories of "colours I like"5. For the meantime though, I'm enjoying the fact that, even though I'm not actively looking for anything at the thrift stores I visit6, I now have categories of things that should catch my eye more than others.
Or I can continue to just find every vest in the store and curse the fates for making me too small for any of them.
~Sor
MOOP!
1: I have three garb corsets, all reversible.
2: This is practically my favourite thing I own, I *swear*.
3: Okay, sometimes I wear it with a salmon pink vest. Since I have a salmon pink vest that's exactly the same as my navy blue vest except for colour. I love both of them more than is reasonable. I almost obsessively love vests, shh, don't tell anyone.
4: If I'm going to be not period, I want to be not period in *style*.
5: For instance, I could look *gorgeous* in deep dark purple. But I hardly ever wear it, which is disappointing, really, as it's a great colour. I should find out somehow! Also, I'm pretty sure I don't actually look all that great in straight up goth girl black, which is why I've been trying to add colour to my Rocky wardrobe.
6: In terms of both cosplay and just generic stuff. I finished my Daria outfit last spring, and it's totally throwing me for a loop --I don't know what to look for anymore.
I didn't get all that much --a really nice vest though, that I think will match my light striped steampunk pants quite well. It occurred to me as I was looking through things that there is a principle of fashion that I've never really cemented in my head before now.
Namely, if everything in your wardrobe matches everything else, you're set for life.
Figuring this out (which I'm honestly sure I'd known before, but this was the first time I really "got" it) is probably one of those painfully obvious things that everyone else knows, but it's nice to have it as an actual rule. And it's not like I wasn't aware of it, at least on a subconscious level --if you look at my steampunk stuff, you'll find that it's all earth tones --brown and khaki and army green, mostly, with a couple Soviet-red or rust-red pieces thrown in. My garb follows similar patterns --three green corsets, one red, two black1.
Now, extending this idea, I can start to create patterns for certain looks. For instance, thus far my Regency/gentleman's formalwear has a lot of blue in it. Dark blue tailcoat2, which means I wear it with dark blue hose and a navy blue vest3. While I don't have blue ribbons for my hair, or blue laces for my shoes, they're on the list --as is a blue feather to put in my tricorn4.
The only other costuming I've got where I'm trying to accumulate considerable amounts of pieces for --not just one outfit's worth, but maybe someday enough to wear something different to every event in that genre-- is my pirate stuff I suppose, which is all black and red. Or, if I'm dipping into the steampunk stuff and garb, green and brown. I'm okay with that.
But that does lead itself to a conclusion, namely, should I keep doing this when I find other genres worth costuming for. Among other things, Jane Austen's Fight Club may actually be enough to make me interested in procuring some amount of Regency ladieswear sometime. Now, I could go with pale blue, which would be partly to properly cosplay Fanny from JAFC but mostly to see if it can go properly with my gentleman's wear. But there's a certain amount to which I consider Regency era clothes to be partly the province of my denizens --my tailcoat is almost perfectly Gabriel's shade of blue, which means that the feminine Regency garments should be shaded in Alis's particular red.
(of course, that leads itself too easily to pastel pink, and while I'm very secure in both my masculinity and my femininity, I just don't particularly care for pink, especially light shades, and especially *anything* which could be called "dusty rose".
Unless we're talking this Caddy, at which point I am completely secure enough in both my masculinity and my femininity to say I WANT. I have no idea where I'd put it, and I suspect that a car, like virtually everything else I own, should be built to withstand an awful lot of dirt and damage, but it's so pretty.)
So yes. I suppose if I was really good at this, I'd go and figure out what colour(s) I look good in, as opposed to just picking my wardrobe based on the cute cheap things at the thrift store that fall into the categories of "colours I like"5. For the meantime though, I'm enjoying the fact that, even though I'm not actively looking for anything at the thrift stores I visit6, I now have categories of things that should catch my eye more than others.
Or I can continue to just find every vest in the store and curse the fates for making me too small for any of them.
~Sor
MOOP!
1: I have three garb corsets, all reversible.
2: This is practically my favourite thing I own, I *swear*.
3: Okay, sometimes I wear it with a salmon pink vest. Since I have a salmon pink vest that's exactly the same as my navy blue vest except for colour. I love both of them more than is reasonable. I almost obsessively love vests, shh, don't tell anyone.
4: If I'm going to be not period, I want to be not period in *style*.
5: For instance, I could look *gorgeous* in deep dark purple. But I hardly ever wear it, which is disappointing, really, as it's a great colour. I should find out somehow! Also, I'm pretty sure I don't actually look all that great in straight up goth girl black, which is why I've been trying to add colour to my Rocky wardrobe.
6: In terms of both cosplay and just generic stuff. I finished my Daria outfit last spring, and it's totally throwing me for a loop --I don't know what to look for anymore.
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no subject
on 2010-07-29 07:11 am (UTC)That's also what I tend to do with my wardrobe in general. Of course, in my case that's largely accomplished by a large quantity of black. You do look good in black, though; it's probably just that you don't do it often enough to be used to it. And, of course, wearing all black is much more challenging than wearing partial black, since the blacks have to match, or be different enough in texture that it's ok, which is why I have about 20 black shirts and still sometimes have trouble finding one to go with a pair of black trousers. But since black goes with everything else, as long as I don't need to be wearing all black, it's usually pretty easy to put things together.
Good purple is hard to find. It's not that common a colour, and not every shade of it is as good as any other, at least if you're like me and very particular about your purples.
I'm with you on not caring for pink, too, though I really just can't wear reds at all, except for very dark ones.
And my thrift store find yesterday was a trenchcoat! Lovely dark grey, in excellent condition, and looks like it is probably actually waterproof, unlike my old trenchcoat (which will shortly be heading back to the thrift store to make room).
no subject
on 2010-07-29 07:39 am (UTC)You know, on a hypothetical where we're both in Chicago or something, which, considering I don't honestly expect to spend too much time up here is unlikely, but wevs.
Atanyrate.
Vests are so awesome. I love every single one I have, at least in part because they more or less actually really truly fit me.
I'm glad I look good in black or at least partial. I agree on the all black being harder than one black --again, definitely trying to add colour to my gothing out. You look good in black too, although it probably helps the vampire thing.
Oh sure, there are less and more good purples. But I run into very nice deep ones every second or third thrift store trip, usually in shirts that I otherwise can't justify. I have made it a point to own a dark purple silk shirt for several years now though --they pair beautifully with my grey flannel.
I feel you do or ought to look good in army red, or at least spots of it. Boy scout sock red? Does that make sense to you? Fah.
Yay trenchcoats! Almost bought an army jacket today, but it was 40 bucks, and for too big, I couldn't justify it.
(Now, a blue Eisenhower jacket that fit almost perfectly, and was only two dollars? So mine. Instantly.)
~Sor