When I was a little girl, getting dressed was the easiest part of my day. Pants and leggings in the fall; get bundled up in a sweater and a coat in the winter; shorts, T-shirts and dresses in the spring and summer. My comfort was never, ever compromised. If I didn’t want to wear something, off with its head, so to speak. The word “trend” was not in my vocabulary. Even if it was, I didn’t care one bit about them.
Now, of course, it’s the complete opposite. I spend hours and hours researching and collecting photographs from different runway shows to figure out what’s trendy this season, and so on. It’s basically all I do anymore. And often times, these trends are a bit out of my comfort zone. When crop tops made their comeback around a year or two ago, I was never one to jump on that bandwagon. Every other day, girls were being chided for showing their midriffs in school, yet they kept on wearing their forever-getting-more-cropped crop tops. Were they making a fashion statement? Maybe even a political statement? Whatever statement they were making, I wanted no say. I was content to keep myself covered up inside of a regular sized shirt, thank you very much. I was rarely caught breaking dress code, simply because I didn’t feel comfortable when I did. Not physically, and not mentally. The one time I did wear a crop top to school, I almost drove myself insane, thinking that everyone that so much as glanced at me was judging me harshly. That’s when I realized that I’m not willing to compromise comfort for fashion.
As I was looking at the many collections that walked the runways showing next spring’s clothing, I noticed several trends that involved baring more skin than is usually socially acceptable. From wearing bra tops with skirts to booty shorts that resemble sophisticated underwear, I was a little taken aback by how prevalent these trends are, but definitely not shocked. I had witnessed the revolution—women have been making their clothing shorter every year, and now they have finally attained their goal. It is now allowed in society for undergarments to pass as clothing. If you didn’t already guess, I think I’ll be sitting that trend out.
After recognizing my reluctance to jeopardize my comfort to make a fashion statement, I also began to notice people all the time on the street and even in my school wearing sky-high heels to just bop around in. As much as I want to, I can’t bring myself to wear heels or wedges to school because I’m scared that I’ll be uncomfortable in them. I can’t think of anything more difficult than walking up fourteen flights of stairs in high heels. My fear to reach outside my comfort zone has unknowingly inhibited me for years, and after all this time, it’s finally getting to me.
There are those people out there who care chiefly for the statement their clothing makes, and will wear a bedazzled mohair jumpsuit if it tickles their fancy. I’m talking about people like Daphne Guinness and Anna Dello Russo. They’ll wear something fresh off the runway. I don’t think I could ever confidently walk around in the beautiful but crazy get-ups that they do. That’s something I leave to the pros. However, there are those regular women (and men, sometimes) who are crazy cats and wear outrageous clothing, whether they be quite revealing, or so ridiculous…ly cool that you don’t know how in the world they figured out how to match those pieces together. I find each of the previously stated styles to be equally admirable—even though I’m too chicken to try them out.
Our fellow Chictopian, Funkyjadecoloredrack, is a perfect example of a regular woman being confident and comfortable in her cropped clothing. Girlwiththeflower123, also a Chictopian, shows us that it’s possible to mix florals, polka dots and tribal prints all in one outfit and make it work, as Tim Gunn would say. Then there’s the feature that Tommy Ton did for Harper’s Bazaar magazine a few months ago, and of course Anna Dello Russo in Paris during the most recent fashion week (the pictures are to the left). All of the above are prime examples of how women of every shape, size, color, social standing and age are fully prepared to wear over-the-top or risqué ensembles in the name of fashion. When will I be ready? Will I ever be ready?
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The real question is, are you willing to compromise comfort for fashion? Let us know in the comments!
by Odelia
Image via Nirrimi Hakanson
