This weekend I took a short trip to Savannah, Georgia with my boyfriend. As both lovers of vintage and a good coffee shop, this was the ideal weekend getaway to just relax and explore the town. Meandering around Saturday afternoon, we walked among lively crowds of people dressed up for Halloween parties. We stopped somewhere to get a snack when the lady helping us asked me, “What are you dressed up as?” In my “normal clothes”, I just laughed and said back to her, “I’m not dressed up as anything.” While I took no offense to it at all, the girl was immediately mortified and my boyfriend burst out laughing. Given the amount of people that dressed up, I assumed she thought that I was maybe dressed up as a movie character using my “normal” clothes. I assured her that it was fine and I tend to dress a little weird, even though I thought I was wearing a pretty casual outfit, for me. As we took a long walk through Forsyth Park, my mind began to wander, as it usually does, wondering if the way that I dress really is a costume. This question can go both ways. If you think about it, clothing is the easiest way that we can change ourselves without commitment. One day you can look like a badass in shredded jeans and a leather jacket, then the next you could wear a short flared skirt with a crewneck sweatshirt and look like a toddler. On the other hand, if it is based on a true feeling, then what you wear can be a visual extension of that, which could change each day. Some people are very consistent and organized, which would explain a minimalist, uniform-like wardrobe. I am a busy body that likes change, which is why I may be attracted to so many different styles of clothing.
Whenever I get dressed, I always like to add contrasts. It is something I have mentioned before and my boyfriend just noticed this about me (he’s getting to be more observant of fashion I’m proud to say). Sticking to my usual formula of contrasts when dressing myself on Saturday, I wore a long 90’s lavender vintage dress with a lace collar, an oatmeal colored v-neck pullover, pink marbled clay earrings to go with my pink fishnet socks peeking out from my dad sneakers, a pearl necklace, my beloved Fendi baguette, and a recently thrifted baseball cap. A minimalist outfit, right? Yeah, I know it is not, but this mismatch look felt very intentional to me. Inspired by season six Carrie Bradshaw (see last picture), I liked the idea of pairing a pretty vintage necklace with a plain t-shirt or sweater. I don’t like looking too much of one look, in this instance too girly, so I wore the baseball cap and dad sneakers for the comfort of sportiness. The pink earrings and socks added a pop of color on top of the lavender color I was already wearing. So for me, this outfit was carefully thought out based on how I was feeling that day. Does that still make it a costume?
To sum up my short analysis, I have come up with the answer that nobody likes: it depends. For some people, what they wear is a costume. Whether it be a mask to hide their feelings or if they are still figuring out which costume fits best. For others, getting dressed is just an extension of their personality, so it is not really a costume. I think there is good to come from each. For me, what I wear does not feel like a costume because I crave the creativity of experimenting with my clothes. Alternatively, I think a uniform wardrobe can unconsciously be a costume for some in an attempt to try and control chaotic surroundings. As I am confusing myself just writing this, I think I can simplify it by saying that whatever does not ~feel~ right to wear that certain moment, then it probably is a costume. If it is something you have to force yourself to wear, you are forcing yourself to play a part that you are not wanting to play. While it seems bad to force yourself into a daily costume, maybe it is what you need to keep yourself going. If you only feel like wearing black, but you know that yellow will make you look happy, put it on. Sometimes a costume may be your unconscious dose of caffieine to get you where you didn't think you were able to go. Or maybe it is just fun to dress up as someone other than yourself once in a while. We still need that sense of whimsy in life, even after Halloween.
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