My Favourite Outfit: Frances
In this series, I ask the contributor to share an image of their favourite outfit – maybe a pair of pants they wore every day, maybe a special party dress – and write about where they were in their life and why this outfit has such significance. Today we welcome Frances. We became friends at work five years ago and played music together, went shopping together, traveled together, and ate butter chicken poutine together. Now she’s in the midst of her Ph.D. and I try to keep up with her smartness. This is her favourite sweater.
I was so flattered to be asked to write about clothing on the blog of one of my most stylish friends. I am a big fan of fashion and all the different ways we use clothing to express ourselves. I love observing the diversity and beauty of everyday outfits just as I love closely examining the immense craftsmanship and artistry that can go into the designer pieces I can never hope to afford (but will continue to covet… obviously). The outfits I’ve seen on this blog so far strike me as an amazing collection of unique pieces, hand-sewn or discovered in vintage stores and the shops of local clothing sellers, all lovingly curated by their wearers. I’m afraid to say my choice is none of those things really…
You see, as much as I love fashion, I don’t always like getting dressed. As a woman, and perhaps especially as a woman in the arts, there is often pressure to present yourself in a certain way… to wear your creativity (you can read more about this idea here). Some people love doing this and are extremely good at it. Sadly, I am not one of those people.
So, when I find something that feels like “me” I cling to it for dear life and wear the heck out of it. The clothing item I have clung to the very most over the past few years is an oversized white sweater with back stripes. Purchased from Zellers five years ago (for the hefty sale price of nine dollars) my sweater is an extra-large, truly shapeless piece that I have probably worn hundreds of times. At one point it was an at-least-twice-a-week sweater, a poly-blend security blanket of sorts for me. When it was dirty and could not serve as my go-to causal outfit (paired with skinny jeans and sneakers, always) I risked my whole day being thrown off.
My sweater is full of memories. I have been photographed more in it than in any other item of clothing I have ever owned. Weekends away, conferences, countless evenings with friends, even a gig or two (it has been on tour with me twice! Once with Elise! A very well travelled sweater indeed).
Now my sweater is getting old and is slowly being replaced by other sweaters… that is always the way isn’t it? Sometimes when I look for it I find it pushed to the very back of the dresser drawer where it lives and feel a little pang of guilt. But I’m comforted by knowing that thirty years from now when I look back at all of these photographs I will see myself wearing my sweater and will think fondly of all the wonderful memories made in it.