I interviewed Antonella Cruzalegui for my dress practice interview. Antonella is a 21 year old girl from Peru. Her style is a blend of western and local Peruvian trends. She leans towards pastel and nude colors. Her dressing style is very minimalistic yet classy. “Dress is the way in which individuals learn to live in their bodies and feel at home in them. Wearing the right clothes and looking our best, we feel at ease with our body.”1 Antonella feels most comfortable in clothes that are simple. She likes to stay in her comfort zone and is very particular about being dressing appropriately for the occasion – neither underdressed not overdressed. The interview was a learning experience not only for me, but for Antonella about herself and her dressing. I learnt that Antonella was very particular about the quality of her clothes. This was observed not only through her favorite brands which include Scotch and Soda, Aritzia and Free People, but also the background checks she runs of the stores that she orders from online. Antonella likes designer clothes and accessories and invests in them. Her wardrobe also shows mid-range brands which seem to have been inspired by high end clothing, a reflection of the trickle down theory where trends make their way down from expensive designer wear to the general public, making them more accessible. However, Antonella and I have very different styles. While her styles of dress is inspired by chic and classy looks, mine leans towards streetwear. I prefer wearing athleisure and clothes that are more gender neutral in terms of style and color. While I keep up with the hyped up brands like off-white, Iamgia, Supreme and Bape, Antonella follows the iconic brands like Chanel, Saint Laurent and Valentino. Our color palettes too are contradictory because I prefer black or bright colors that pop like red and blue. In terms of subject position while Antonella is inspired by her Peruvian culture, I am influenced by my Indian cultures. Over the course of the interview, my perception of the relationship between dress and body has changed drastically from getting a first hand experience. Understanding another’s, in this case Antonella’s, relationship between dress and body, and comparing her habits to mine, made me realize how every individual has a different and unique dressing habit and relation. The relationship between the two has a deeper meaning than just a sole purpose of shelter. An individual’s choice in clothing depicts their feelings and emotions. Clothing is like a physical portrayal of one’s own personality.
- Entwistle, Joanne. The Fashioned Body: Fashion, Dress, and Modern Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2017, 139.
