The themes that came in through this dress practice interview were contemporary and modernism, tradition, and trend.
I noticed that Yogita follows trends, wears everything that is in style, and also things that remind her of her Indian culture. She mixes up a lot of Indian wear with western, to make the look more contemporary.
I knew before the interview that she wears a lot of tops with embroidery, peasant sleeves, florals, etc. She had a lot of versatility in her clothes, and at first I thought this was a result of following trends. After the interview I noticed that this practice was a result of Yogita having a contemporary style, where she mixed up clothes from different cultures to make them look modern, fresh, and more simple.
My way of dressing is very different from my interviewee’s. Firstly, I don’t follow trends, nor do I wear a lot of traditional Indian clothes. My style is more dependent on an aesthetic in my mind. An aesthetic of simple, classic, but fun and fresh clothes. Even though Yogita and I are from the same country, we still think about clothes very differently.
In ‘The Dressed Body’ from Social Bodies – A Sociological Introduction, Joanne Entwistle says “Our ways of being in the body are crucially shaped by the social practices of our culture.” I think even though society has become more open minded about what people wear and body types, people still care about how they look, and how their body looks. And through the interview, I think that Yogita also dressed according to her body type, and what would look flattering on her.
Bibliography
Entwistle, Joanne. 2002. “The Dressed Body.” In Real Bodies – A Sociological Introduction, by Mary Evans and Ellie Lee. New York: PALGRAVE.
