I ended up caring more about fashion after moving abroad; in California the incentive to be fashionable was simply not strong enough. And Europeans place more importance on it; integration/assimilation means having to care. But I also liked that in France the brand mattered little, if at all. More important was how an individual could cu…
I ended up caring more about fashion after moving abroad; in California the incentive to be fashionable was simply not strong enough. And Europeans place more importance on it; integration/assimilation means having to care. But I also liked that in France the brand mattered little, if at all. More important was how an individual could customize their fashion accessories in order to produce an individual mix. What made me appreciate fashion more was how, in France at least, it is the last form of artistic expression that is truly individualistic.
I spend more money on books than clothes, like Desiderus Erasmus. But if I was more of a dandy I'd invest in styles that reconnect with cultural uniqueness. Nordic fashion, for instance, has a regional distinctness I like. I don't like the bland sameyness that many call fashion nowadays, and it's bittersweet looking at the old photos and seeing what was lost.
Even so, I maintain that the utility of the t-shirt should not be underestimated. Whether it's love of a band or adherence to a cause, it's the most effective way of communicating certain things that one might otherwise have to be delicate about. :-)
Thanks for this wonderful reflection, Felix. I can relate with this change from the US to Europe. Your ideas about Nordic fashion are especially interesting. I don't know a lot about it, but I could see that. I think there is much more to explore...
I'm off just now to a French bookshop just over the border. Likewise, these spaces take a lot of my cash :)
I ended up caring more about fashion after moving abroad; in California the incentive to be fashionable was simply not strong enough. And Europeans place more importance on it; integration/assimilation means having to care. But I also liked that in France the brand mattered little, if at all. More important was how an individual could customize their fashion accessories in order to produce an individual mix. What made me appreciate fashion more was how, in France at least, it is the last form of artistic expression that is truly individualistic.
I spend more money on books than clothes, like Desiderus Erasmus. But if I was more of a dandy I'd invest in styles that reconnect with cultural uniqueness. Nordic fashion, for instance, has a regional distinctness I like. I don't like the bland sameyness that many call fashion nowadays, and it's bittersweet looking at the old photos and seeing what was lost.
Even so, I maintain that the utility of the t-shirt should not be underestimated. Whether it's love of a band or adherence to a cause, it's the most effective way of communicating certain things that one might otherwise have to be delicate about. :-)
Thanks for this wonderful reflection, Felix. I can relate with this change from the US to Europe. Your ideas about Nordic fashion are especially interesting. I don't know a lot about it, but I could see that. I think there is much more to explore...
I'm off just now to a French bookshop just over the border. Likewise, these spaces take a lot of my cash :)