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Interesting article -emotional connections to clothes

Sally

Veteran

I would have said that I was having a hiatus from clothing at the moment but I'm not really because after reading this article I realised that I am always attached to the clothes I'm wearing. I really enjoyed this article because it reminded me of the memories associated with clothes..usually very unstylish and to others unmemorable. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-s.....f-clothing
I have a deep fondness for my new swimming ensemble which are a pair of orange nike shorts and an olive bra top just because this summer I have rediscovered a joy for sea swimming and this has been all I wore in the sea.
I also have several pairs of olive shorts which I slip into after work as a home/relaxing uniform and a black slip that I wear to sleep in. I would be pretty distressed if I went away and forgot any of these things. I always have to have my slip on sandals /jandals at hand.
Which clothes are you most attached to and would be distressed to find you had left them somewhere else out of reach for a while.

20 replies

Latest reply was from Zaeobi

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Oh yes, the items that are so ingrained in our lives they are like a second skin, this would be my olive green dog walking jacket, my sage green yoga trousers, and a black tooled leather handbag which is now sadly beyond repair.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Thank you for this. It expresses my attachment to my clothes much better than I’ve ever been able to do. When we moved a few years ago, I came across a box buried in the garage that held several pieces I’d thought were lost. I was happier to get them back than I would have been with any new purchase. I completely agree with the author that it’s about personal connections much more than “style”.

Part of it experience: This paisley top works wonderfully well with a huge portion of my things, but only began to become “real” in the Velveteen Rabbit sense of the word, when I wore it for my mom’s birthday last year. Every outfit I’ve posted with the mattress ticking shirt has gotten great comments, but I don’t really care about it; my best memory of it is wearing it, cheekily, with a maternity dress last fall.

But there is also just a “click” that sometimes happens, and other people’s opinions count too. I loved my new boots even before I had them. The fact that my friend likes them probably gave him points, rather than the boots. The red pants I enjoy just as much as I thought I would. I can’t say why that is. I’ve never worn them for anything special.

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S.Oliver BLACK LABEL ÄRMELLOS - Bluse

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Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for sharing this article! I can particularly identify DH in that last paragraph - since he wears cargo pants, he thinks of himself as not being 'into' fashion, but he still won't wear particular types of clothes I buy for him (he *tells* me he'll just wear whatever, but that's not actually the case lol!)

As for myself, I still have the scarf & jacket I wore the first time I met him (unfortunately had to get rid of the boots after the soles broke, but I still remember them too!) Whenever I try to get rid of/ donate clothes, he'll urge me to hold onto them for the memories - even for a 'non-fashion' guy

Sally

Veteran

@RoseandJoan - good point about the second skin. That would be my black slip ...so comfortable i have to have two in case one is in the wash.
@Stagiaire fash - interesting that you associate clothes to some extent with people. I guess people can change how you feel about a certain item. I have had people say if I am wearing something frilly that I don't look like me...probably why i am so attached to jeans and shorts as people keep saying that it seems so authentically me.
@Zaeobi - yes he says that he doesn't care but in some way everybody makes a choice and is making a statement by what they wear...even if the statement is that they don't care about dressing up.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Our clothes and style are the faces we choose to present and I have a long bafflement bordering on resentment why style is considered a trivial pursuit by many. I do not know any humans, however accomplished in every way, whose style is not enmeshed with their image. Anyway, rant over, I have a lot of associations with my clothing .

rachylou

Veteran

27 years ago I lost my purple fleece ear flap hat from Barney’s in NYC. I owned it for three days. The trauma remains fresh.

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Bijou

Veteran

My main attachment is to jewellery which has been gifted to me (such as engagement ring and wedding ring which I feel lost without) or has been inherited from my mother and nana. Wearing these pieces reminds me of the giver.

In terms of clothing, I have an attachment to my pink coat. I bought it for a fun trip to Japan when my son was 5 years old and I was worried that I would lose him in the crowds of Tokyo. With this coat, he just needed to look for the pink in a sea of neutrals, it worked a treat. We had a wonderful holiday and my coat reminds me of a fabulous time in my life.

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Hm, about the people? Not to split hairs, but I really do think it’s about the event, although “events” generally involve people. I have plenty of clothing items I’ve worn around my mom; it’s the birthday celebration that made the top begin to feel a tiny bit special.

kkards

Veteran

This one paragraph….
It’s not about clothing. It’s about the memories we create with it, the stories we choose to tell through it and the capturing of time and place that makes it so special, and universal. People may think they don’t care about fashion, but that in and of itself is a fashion statement

thank you for sharing this article. The author says what I’ve felt but never been able to articulate Quite so well

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I do so agree that especially for women l think,clothes are a very emotional subject which is why it can be hard to be objective about them.

Sal

Veteran

Really good article - I agree- memories associated with clothing are powerful. I suspect my sons do this too although I haven’t asked them.

When you find a swimsuit that feels good that’s a sentimental piece that you never want to wear out. Some loungewear can be like that too.

Sally

Veteran

I get you Jaime...people who think clothes are trivial when clothes express so much. I remember someone saying that a person's playlist can tell you a lot about a person...how someone chooses to dress tells you a lot about them too.
I wonder how you would feel if you found your ear flap hat Rachylou...would it be how i when I found my long lost Calvin Klein dress and realised I'd grown out of my love for it or would you treasure it even more. Bijou that is a fun story and a great way for your son to recognise you...I can understand the attachment you have to that.
Stagiaire fash- Yes in cases like that events do cement the attachment to particular clothes.
kkards - yes I think you are right when people say they are not interested in fashion, that is a statement in itself.
Cardiff girl - yes clothes are an emotional subject ...I guess it is because it defines our relationships to ourselves our bodies and how we choose to present ourselves.
Sal = yes I think men or boys can be quite attached to clothes. I suspect my son has a special attachment to certain training gear because of the association with an event.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Sally that reminds me of Sir Peter Blake’s lucky red socks! ( For non-NZers he was one of our most famous sailors who captained us to our first ever America’s Cup victory in 1995- the campaign when we held the Cup here in 2000 had us all wearing red socks- branded ones helped raise money for the defence in 2000. We won again so maybe it helped! ) That was certainly gear that was special!
I had read the article you posted also, perhaps in Ensemble magazine which has been purchased by Stuff. I enjoyed the article except for the name dropping. Did she have to name-drop the designers and say that she went to the Chateau Marmot in LA where most of us couldn’t go in a million years? (I later found that her husband is a film-maker so that makes it more likely I suppose. Maybe I am just jealous…)

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

Aww @Bijou your coat story reminded me of when I used to wear hijab as part of my school uniform - we had it specially dyed to match the blue of our shirts, so people told me they could immediately tell if I was around, even in the packed school corridors, if they saw that particular shade of blue around locker height. Useful if I wanted to be found, not so useful if I just wanted to grab some books from my locker & bounce, lol!

More evidence that clothing can spark memories - thanks for that one

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Exactly what Cardiff Girl and RoseandJoan said.

I find MUSIC and SMELL more emotive though. So very, very nostalgic

Sally

Veteran

@ Jenni Yes I remember the red socks and how lucky they were. Its interesting how clothes can be a reminder of our good times or when we have good fortune.
@Zaeobi - another great story about the emotive power of clothes.
@Angie...yes Songs and smells are so powerful. Thats why I like to listen to certain songs...takes me back. And when I smell jasmine reminds me of my childhood.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I think I am much more attached to jewelry. If I lost clothing I’d mostly just be annoyed (subbed for less polite word) that I had to start from scratch to find clothes. I think if I was easier to fit it might be fun but …
As I ponder, I am recalling favorite outfits from my past and most have memories attached. Sweet to remember and I kept a few in my garage closet. Time to think about them more and see if there are aspects to add to my current wardrobe. All of the outfits are from the first half of my life. Hum, I need to ponder that also.
Thanks for the topic.

Anto Manson

I totally agree with this topic. I'm really not sure if men do share this kind of emotional connections to dress. But for me, I do always tend to have some sort of emotional connection to most of my dresses. From remembering about dress I got gifted, dress I wore for my wedding to carrying the dress of my died father and remembering his scent, dress do evoke a special kind of emotions in me.
Thank you for the topic.

Sally

Veteran

Amazing Anto Manson how clothes evoke such memories. My best friend died about 9 years ago and she got married about 6 days before she died in this beautiful blue tunic. I remember shortly after she died seeing the exact top in the shop (it was a well-known brand and shop) as it had been a recent purchase and standing there holding it remembering her. That and music and scent can be send me off to nostalgia.

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, @Sally, but how sweet that she was able to linger a little while longer in your memory through that top.

@Anton if it helps, my husband won't let me get rid of certain clothing because he can remember when I last wore it, & it therefore evokes a certain mood for him - the blazer jacket that I wore the first time we met still hangs on my desk chair... It can be annoying sometimes (I have to do furtive closet edits now, lol) but it's also sweet!