This Season's Ugly For The Sheep Who Follow Fashion
I march to my own fashion beat and pretty much always have. When I was about 12, liking ground-length skirts and not having one, I made a tiered skirt out of an old pink bedsheet.
These days, I wear evening dress skirts as daywear. I had just gotten to SPSP in Long Beach -- the big annual psych conference -- and another science journo I know came into the press room and exclaimed, "Why, you're wearing a ballgown."
Yep.
Well, I'm always a little amazed by people who feel compelled to follow whatever magazines or somebody or some collective of somebodies says is in style -- and never mind if it's ugly as fucking fuck. An example from some fashion magazine. And a link to more of this same ugly.
My take?
Socks in sandals are the short-sleeve leather jackets of foot fashion.
Eekers, huh?
There are only two reasons to wear anything, other than not getting arrested for public indecency.
The first is because you like it, and the second because it is comfortable.
Fashion is an affectation for people (mostly women and gay men) who live on the coasts, or watch too much TV.
I think the Hunger Games parodied it pretty well.
Isab at March 16, 2015 6:31 AM
Which magazine is this from? Most fashion spreads in Vogue and the like (as well as "styles" featured in runway shows) never actually make it to the streets in a big way.
Fashion magazines across the board used a lot of ink to herald "the return of the scrunchie" a couple years back. Never happened in the U.S., and I admit I was a little disappointed.
sofar at March 16, 2015 7:39 AM
What Isab said. Lots of what passes for fashion is clearly just made up. Lots more is some designer hoping to start a trend that doesn't exist.
There are some basic concepts that anyone can follow - basically, avoid looking unnecessarily ugly. Beyond that? Wear what you want, as long as it is at least vaguely appropriate to the occasion.
I still wear some stuff from 20-30 years ago. Is it out of fashion? I have no idea. I like the clothes, they're still in decent shape, so I wear them.
Just as an example: I hate shorts that flap around your knees. I still have and wear shorts that are cut well above the knee. They haven't been "in fashion" for ages. I'm sure some designer will "rediscover" this style in a year or five. Meanwhile, I couldn't care less...
a_random_guy at March 16, 2015 8:07 AM
Ah the old comments of I'm not into fashion because it's silly and uncomfortable.
Nobody actually follows high fashion trends as they are presented. Sure maybe if you're Daphne Guiness.
Ppen at March 16, 2015 8:25 AM
I was wearing socks and sandals before it was cool. And since I am still going to do it it will probably never be cool. I just don't like my sandals stinking.
Ben at March 16, 2015 9:33 AM
And sometimes those sandals that fit fine at the store will rub the wrong way and raise blisters the first day you wear them - unless you wear socks. I've had to do that, often.
lenona at March 16, 2015 2:05 PM
And sometimes those sandals that fit fine at the store will rub the wrong way and raise blisters the first day you wear them - unless you wear socks. I've had to do that, often.
Posted by: lenona at March 16, 2015 2:05 PM
Me too, and for those of us older people, sandals don't press on our toes like some shoes do, but we don't want to get a pedicure so we can wear them without socks.
I personally think sandals with socks are the epitome of late Roman Empire fashion.
Only the wealthy could afford socks.
Isab at March 16, 2015 2:59 PM
hah.. I've never cared about fashion. Hell, most days at work I'm wearing shorts and a T-Shirt.
But those short sleeved leather jackets.. what was someone thinking? I don't think I've ever seen one. Why bother with a "jacket" without sleeves? Especially in places like CA, you're usually going jacket/sweater to help cover arms.
Anytime I ever see people link to or show fashion stuff, it's always goofy looking stuff nobody would wear in public.
Miguelitosd at March 16, 2015 5:56 PM
If it's cold enough that you need to be wearing socks, why would you be wearing sandals in the first place? Kind of the same thing with the jacket. If it's cold enough to be wearing a jacket at all, short sleeves defeat the purpose.
Pirate Jo at March 17, 2015 7:19 AM
Forgive me for citing Jeff Foxworthy, but he has some fashion sense in this matter:
"If your toenails are three different colors and none of them is nail polish, SAY NO TO SANDALS!"
Yeech.
You're welcome!
Radwaste at March 17, 2015 9:09 AM
If it's cold enough that you need to be wearing socks, why would you be wearing sandals in the first place? Kind of the same thing with the jacket. If it's cold enough to be wearing a jacket at all, short sleeves defeat the purpose.
Posted by: Pirate Jo at March 17, 2015 7:19 AM
Because, as I said before, they are comfortable, and don't scrunch your toes?
Next question, why do you *care* why people chose to wear what they wear?
Isab at March 17, 2015 10:05 AM
I DON'T care why people choose to wear what they wear, but I can still think it's ugly.
Pirate Jo at March 17, 2015 1:18 PM
Sure you can, but why bother, once you are past the age of 16 or so?
You used to be able to pretty reliably tell someone's social class by what they wore, but anymore, it is their speech patterns that is a dead give away.
Fashion is an upper class amusement that has been co-opted by the lower middle class without any understanding of what it was signaling to begin with.
Kind of like destination weddings.
Read enough 19th century literature, and you will start to understand that to be a successful Con man, you had to dress the part.
Isab at March 18, 2015 1:16 PM
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