During my interview with Kelly, I asked her simple, fun questions about her wardrobe. I didn’t specifically incorporate Intro to Fashion themes into my questions because I wanted Kelly to feel comfortable and not under interrogation. I knew I didn’t need to ask complicated questions to uncover some truths about Kelly. One of the biggest themes/take aways is that Kelly doesn’t try to impress anyone when she dresses, including herself. She wears the same, simple, conservative combination almost every day. I think it’s easy for her to do this. She would rather have someone be interested in her based on what she thinks, rather than how she looks. She covers up so that she can avoid being catcalled or receiving any other attention from strangers.
For the most part I knew Kelly’s style from living with her but I didn’t expect her to dress in the same order every day. She always chooses her top first, then pants, jacket, and shoes last. The order in which I dress changes everyday based on the weather, how I’m feeling, and what I’m doing that day. If I’m going to be on my feet all day, then I will build my look around my footwear. However, if I just bought a new pair of trousers then I might build my days outfit around that. I’m not sure if the reason why she dresses in the same way is a reflection of a specific subject position, but their were definitely other things that I saw in her wardrobe that reflected, potentially, her age and economic standing.
We both like to be comfortable however I wear what I feel confident in which is often edgy and eye catching, while Kelly wears more practical, nondescript outfits. Kelly might dress this way because she’s older and likes a more mature look, however that could also just be her style and have nothing to do with her age. Nothing, that I could see, in her wardrobe reflects her Taiwanese origins. For the most part she wears well known brands from around the world. Kelly has some more pricy pieces such as her Max Mara jacket, Moncler jacket, and Goyard bag which reflects her family’s economic standing. However she definitely doesn’t try to show off her wealth. Even with her nicer pieces, they are pretty classic and not obviously from more expensive brands.
This interview made me realize you can still learn about someone through their clothing even if they just throw it on without putting much thought into it.
As Tulloch suggests through her concept of “style narratives,” fashioning the body is one of the ways individuals can represent their momentary sense of who they are becoming. These representations through style allow individuals to combine, or move across, their subject positions with a sense of self-awareness and self-expression: processes of subjectivity – the ongoing, changing sense of exploring “who I am” and “who I am becoming.”
What someone owns, how often they shop and what their daily outfit is can reflect certain subject positions and mentalities.
Kaiser, Susan. “Fashion and Cultural Studies.” 21. New York: Berg, 2012.
