CHAIRLIFT - "AMANAEMONESIA"
OP SHOP turtleneck :: DOTTI top :: GORMAN pants
KAMRT socks :: GORMAN shoes :: VINTAGE hat
27 Aug 2015
20 Aug 2015
Creative Whizz Kid:
FRANCES CANNON
How would your
outfits change if you were to choose them at opposite ends of the day? Night vs
morning / tired vs fresh etc.
Most of the clothes that I wear are comfy and slightly
oversized, so honestly most of my outfits could almost be worn as pajamas! My
clothing choices would stay fairly consistent depending on what I’m feeling,
but if I’m feeling fresh and energised I would opt for more funky makeup and
hair with dangly earrings, whereas when I’m tired I don’t want anything on my
face or any heavy jewellery weighing me down (although my rings stay on my
fingers constantly).
Have you observed any
changes to your style as you age?
The thing that has changed, as I’ve gotten older, is that I
would choose a comfortable outfit over a sexy one. I’d much rather wear a cute,
flowing onesie, rather than a tight dress… but if an outfit just happens to be
sexy as well as comfy then kudos to me! I also have stopped caring about
wearing bras! Who cares if my boobs are a bit saggy, they’re so comfortable!
My taste in jewellery has also developed; as I would much
rather spend a lot of money on one well-made piece of jewellery, rather than
buy lots of cheap pieces for the same amount. Quality over quantity!
Do you think young
adults would benefit from stronger role models or better resources to
understand, develop, and create their own style/identity?
As a teenager I had many role models, whether celebrities,
family members, or older friends at school who I looked up to. As I have gotten
older, I’ve come to realise that having role models can sometimes be harmful.
If we idolise other people too much, we are only going to be thoroughly
disappointed if they let us down (which they probably will since they are human
too). I believe a much healthier option is to see every person (including
oneself) as beautifully flawed, and to honour their accomplishments but also be
understanding of their faults, instead of trying to ignore their imperfections
as we so often are taught to do. We are all human and we are all stumbling our
way through life.
On the topic of style/identity, I think it is much more
beneficial to choose for yourself who or what inspires you, whether art, music,
historical figures, other cultures, or your imagination! Don’t let anyone else
speak for who you want to be or how you want to dress.
What wardrobe staples
make you feel most secure? To what extent would it affect you to live without
them?
I love my Dr. Martens (cliché I know)! When I feel like my
outfit is a bit average but I put on my boots it makes everything else look
stylish and funky! I would be pretty sad to have to go without my boots as I
have trouble finding shoes that I like the look of and are also comfortable.
Shoe shopping is a nightmare and I get so stressed out, so once I have a pair
that I love it is a big accomplishment and I wear them until they wear out (or
a better pair comes along)!
I also love my rings. I’ve been collecting silver rings for
a long time, and if I were to ever have to give them up I would be so sad as I
feel more like myself when my fingers are bedazzled with sparkly jewellery. As
an artist, I use my hands a lot, so feeling like I have beautiful hands makes
working fun!
Have you ever
overthought an important outfit to the point of backing out? What insecurities
come into play and where do you think they stem from?
When I feel like there is pressure on me to look good,
whether it’s a fancy event or visiting family, I spend ages figuring out what
to wear. I care way too much about what people think of me… ‘Do I look artsy
enough?’… ‘Am I too formal/not formal enough?’… ‘What if <insert
conservative relative’s name> sees my new tattoo?’… I’m definitely trying to
grown out of this habit, and I’m learning to dress for ME and not for anyone
else. It’s certainly a hard learning process, as I’ve had many years of
experiences of feeling what I wear is inadequate, but being at art school and
surrounded by and supported by other creative people has definitely helped me
feel more confident about what I wear (and who I am).
Instagram: @frances_cannon
6 Aug 2015
5 Aug 2015
4 Aug 2015
Creative Whizz Kid:
MARTHA BROWN aka BANOFFEE
MARTHA BROWN aka BANOFFEE
How would negative comments towards
your self-formed style affect you now compared to 10 years ago?
I have always had comments about how
I dress, even as a child. But I’ve rarely taken them on board.
When I was younger I had an
irrational and sometimes cruel obsession with wearing clothes that no one else
had.
I think because I grew up with 2
sisters who looked identical to me, I had a complex about looking like someone
else.
Now days I don’t care as much about
what people say or think. I like to find things that are interesting but not as
an attempt to be individual, as I know that that has nothing to do with how I
look.
That is the main thing that has
changed clothes for me are now about having fun not about a deeper meaning. If
I put that much pressure on something so materialistic then I’ll never be happy
and I’d always be broke.
Is your style a product of organic
development or conscious construction?
Both evenly. Just like everything else – nature
vs nurture is an impossible riddle!
It’s in my nature to be jumbled, erratic and
emotional. These things definitely impact the way I dress, but the way I am is a
result of my experiences and so I couldn’t tell you which parts of me I’ve had
since birth and which parts of me are conscious construction.
One thing I do know is that I have to feel comfortable in my clothes and that is
the corner stone of why I dress the way I do.
I think it’s interesting to examine this though,
especially as a woman. A lot of what we believe is organic development has only
been became that way because of how women adapted to their projected role in
society.
Who’s to say the feminine instincts about style
aren’t all at the core conscious construction?
Women were made to dress so impractically as a
way to suppress them and continue their reliance on
Men.
The way both genders dress has to have budded
from something: dresses that impair mobility, pocket-less clothing, a lot of
clothing that I’ve been given as a child has come from a constructed ideal
about what a woman should wear. So I get confused about what is organic and
what isn’t – welcome to my head!
Fashion is important to me though, not in a way
that I couldn’t live without it but in the way a hobby is important.
I could quit and wear country road for the rest
of my life, sure – but it wouldn’t be as fun.
I draw inspiration from Japanese blogs, children’s
books, other people, other era’s etc, so there’s a lot of conscious
construction going on, but at the end of the day if my gut tells me “hey I
don’t feel comfortable in this” I’ll take it off.
I’m a chicken and an egg.
Do you think young adults would
benefit from stronger role models, or better resources to understand, develop
and create their own style/identity?
It took me a long time to realise the
things I hated about my appearance or style were things that other people had
told me they hated about themselves.
I am so tired of seeing gender roles
take such a huge part in the messages we convey to young adults about what is
“acceptable” to wear.
Women are told to be impractical, men
are told to look careless and rugged. Who gives a shiiiiiiiiiiit.
Personally I think people who are
passionate about fashion often mislead people by talking about how fashion is a
symbol of who you are.
I think there should be a stronger
emphasis in fashion advertising about the fun of fabric, texture colour and
just playing dress-ups.
I know who I am it doesn’t change
daily like my outfits, I would encourage people to communicate this attitude to
kids and young adults in more areas of there lives including fashion.
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