Clothes and costumes have always played a huge part of my life. Growing up with 2 sisters, clothes were always the topic of discussion, "WHERE THE HELL ARE MY BETINA LIANOS?!", "WHO WORE MY CREAM SILK TOP AND DIDN'T WASH IT?!?!", "WTF, WHY ARE MY SHOES IN YOUR ROOM YOU LITTLE SHIT?!" (a house of only women - who all wore the same size shoe, and same size tops and bottoms ... a recipe for disaster).
I used to spend hours thrift shopping when I was younger, finding the thrill of the hunt and the interactions with the people who made and sold the clothes as important as the piece of clothing itself. I'd be just as happy if I didn't find anything - feeling revitalised through my interactions with all the textures, colours, and the fabrics of the clothes I had seen on my travels; through chats with other people in the stores, and engaging with the interesting store owners and how it is they had found pieces.
I dislike the connotations of the phrase 'going shopping' when it comes it clothes. I'd calling buying food 'shopping', buying and looking for clothes I feel for me, is like getting inspiration - I'm exploring, and gathering and building a mental catalogue. I almost always go 'shopping' alone - it's way too stressful going with someone; the pressure to make conversation and time constraints are dreadful. This process of gathering visual inspiration, interactions with other collectors and happy moments where I am comfortable with my own thoughts it is absolute bliss to me - a form of mindfulness. It is in these moments I feel most myself.
SO - I shall be sharing the headpieces, outfits and crazy things I make - and committing to taking better pictures of them - because - they're pretty epic - and the journey getting there was too. If I can explore my own process, and focus on capturing how it is I got there, hopefully I can work out the method in my own madness and learn to recreate it for others.
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