Patent Juxtaposition
LOCATION: SECHELT, BC
Being unexpected with accessories is not just a sartorial choice – perhaps it's a lifestyle?
As it turns out, wearing something as outlandish as a striped green skirt suit with 4-inch patent-leather boots and leopard faux-fur, in fact, attracts a lot of attention. Especially when wearing it while running back and forth between wet bleachers and your tripod situation. It's an interesting concept to take self-portraits in a public place, and nearly always leads to an internal conversation about vanity and ego, specifically in our digital-centric time. But I digress.
It's nice to see a lady dress like a lady, an older acquaintance of mine told me as I walked into orchestra rehearsal. I presume she was referring to my skirt length and wool blazer-and-bowler combination, though I had to stifle a laugh because one could hardly call these boots "ladylike." But ensembles like this one tend to be a conversation starter, which makes life both easier and more interesting for me. A passionate fifteen-minute group discussion on the virtues of secondhand shopping, begun by a comment on the boots, naturally, was cut short only by our conductor summoning us back to our instruments and our Suppe.
This suit is certainly unique and I often get questions as to where it's from – it's thrifted, of course, and my guess is that it was handmade by some home sewist who secretly always wanted to be a designer but has to fit in her true calling between her 9-to-5 and her chores. Or who knows – I'm in the habit of creating stories for my clothes that could be wildly incorrect but are always entertaining to develop. And these boots, of course, garner a chorus of Are those Fluevogs?? to which I always reply, with both regret and pride, that they are nought but secondhand, poor quality knockoffs that I happen to love despite their cracks and scuffs.
Well, anyway. What I really wanted to talk about is how much of a difference accessories make. And I know this is a highly saturated topic in terms of its astronomical coverage but it's very obvious with an outfit like this one. Subtract the tee, the boots, and the fishnets, and replace them with sheer stockings, kitten heel pumps, and a blouse, and it's a very different effect. I love the juxtaposition of edgy accessories with an otherwise ladylike look. I love the swish of a midi skirt against tall boots, and how you can't see my stockings until a helpful gust of wind comes my way. I love small stripes with wide stripes and dark blue with pale green and a touch of red. Clearly, you can see that unconventional pairings are something that excites me. Juxtaposition always has been, and almost certainly always will be, a key component in how I digest design and aesthetic, be it contrasting textures, complementary colors, or a jarring cross of stereotypes.
And a final piece of juxtaposition: outfit with landscape. The contrast of this location was really an accident, which I probably shouldn't admit to in the interest of creative image. I wandered around with my tripod and camera, looking for a semi-secluded spot (which is harder than one would imagine, even in Sechelt, population barely ten thousand), until I came upon this elementary-school baseball diamond with its beige bleachers and wire fence. Certainly I've been here before, but rain-slicked and deserted, it took on a new personality. Suddenly, the architecture shifted from childhood memory to a bold, angular backdrop full of potential, of course shot wide and low to capture its unapologetic geometricism. The football-jersey vibe of my shirt felt very intentional against the painted wood, especially given how closely its hue matched the stripes. And the moody yet sophisticated feel of the provisionally abandoned children's structure also reflected my somewhat angsty inner dialogue du jour, which revolved around the interesting limbo of societal perception that I, and others somewhere in my generational vicinity, tend to experience. So, a creative coincidence that I took full advantage of – or perhaps my constant search for contrast, honed throughout my entire (admittedly very short) lifetime, was serving me subconsciously.
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The takeaway here: juxtaposition makes for a powerful lens through which to see – and interpret – the world. Not just aesthetically; socially, politically, personally. Oh, and if you look through some of my styling work, you will probably notice contrast as a recurring theme. I'm quite into it, in case you couldn't tell.
And that is all.
Mille tendresses.
And that is all.
Mille tendresses.