Notes from the fashion underground

I am excited because I have finally formed some words together as a style, and it is:

Quotidian Scenes from the Underground

Quotidian meaning a daily ritual--getting dressed intentionally. Clothes that are "everyday" most days, and say something about your time and place--shorts in the hot summer, fuzzy earmuffs in the winter.

Scenes referring to real pictures of real people in a magazine, book or photo album. Like a historical photo, or a birthday photo. Reminding me to not always look perfect, but in a way that takes a good snapshot, or tells a story.

And finally Underground, which refers to the women on the forefront of arts, culture and fashion in the early Sixties. I am interested in 1955-1965, specifically. I was obsessed with Ronnie Spector for the past year or so, and wanted to wear clothes like her. But after seeing that woolen pencil skirts and polyester slim pants would be hot and itchy, I widened my scope.

Her signature is the huge beehive and dramatic eyeliner, which is an attitude, more than anything. It's bad girl, but more bold girl, and you can see that also with the females in A Complete Unknown (Bob Dylan movie), the women of the Beat movement, Tina Turner, Martha Graham...even teenagers around the world were pushing the fashion envelope at that time.

Underground can also include women later in time, like Yoko Ono or Courtney Love. It can be plain, like penny loafers with a camp shirt. It can be big, like a beehive. It can be an A-line mini, or a pencil skirt, or a peasant skirt. Nina Simone's giant earrings, or Sylvia Plath's cupid bow lips. It is flexible!

I am using the word "underground" loosely, as not all people I look at might be considered that.

I don't know if my closet is ready, and I don't know if I will keep up with it. But here is a summer outfit--head scarf, fake glasses, hoop earrings, linen sleeveless blouse, linen shorts. It is not as dramatic as a beehive, but the time period feels right. Shoes were simple canvas slip-ons, which is probably what you would wear in summer 1963, or whatever. But I don't love that part of the outfit.

Followed by Ronnie Spector and the Ronnettes, Nina Simone, Eriko Hatsune as Toshi Seeger and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez in A Complete Uknown.

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4 months ago

Star (Lise)

Veteran

Well Done Carol! I think the most important thing about style words is that they mean something to you in order to direct you and remind you of the style you want to project. Seems like it is happening for you. My vocab is a lot simpler and I would probably call it Edgy 60s but clearly this is more specific to what you are looking for. Cute gingham!

Ket

Ooooo! Carol! I really, really love the heart-diving you have done in finding YOUR style! You have such a great 60s vibe and this just confirms it. I love that you're exploring it more and more.

May I suggest trying Amy Winehouse's style of cat eye liner?? Amy's personal makeup artist shared how she did Amy's eyeliner. It could be fun to try. I might try it in brown for you, (Plenty of liquid brown eyeliners out there -- Rimmel might even make one?) The brown will be softer for your skin tone, style, and just everyday realness.. Of course, I think you look sensational even without! I just love makeup and can't help myself in suggesting some :}

https://youtu.be/T9Lq2RNABTc?s.....#038;t=525

Jenni NZ

It feels fitting for you. Quotidian is a really difficult word though, I was unfamiliar with it. But in this past year or so that you’ve been active on the forum, you’ve so often mentioned past influences, movies etc that have inspired you. So well done I say and you’re clearly having fun with fashion!

Carol

(website)

Lise--thanks so much! It does feel like me. Edgy Sixties is cool, I picture, like....Twiggy.
Ket--Amy Winehouse make-up tutorial--that is priceless already. I used to do a liquid liner, but I have fine motor issues now. I can still do it, if I am flexible about the outcome. I might be able to do that in a different way.
Jenni-I always prefer words that are more concrete, and I remember there used to be a restaurant, "pain quotidien," or daily bread. For me it became a much better word than daily--it is more specific to routines and rituals.
Thank you for your vote of confidence!

Sal

Love this for you! And love your outfit here! Really fun and fresh.

As Lisa said what matters is that this helps you pick clothes and style them. I can see this working.

Olive Green

Happy sigh. I love odd words, so a quotidian day it is.
You nailed 60’s and 70’s cabin or cottage country style. I loved the very punchy colours back then, so that top and kerchief are very representative.

Firecracker (Sharan)

I like the word quotidian. It conjures up a lot of meaning for me, including a sense of ritual, as you describe. (The French version, with an "e" rather than "a," can be a noun meaning daily newspaper.) Your style description is evocative, and you've conjured up a lot of images with your explanation of it. How fun and inspiring!

When you wrote of beehive and eyeliner, I, too (along with Ket) thought of Amy Winehouse.

Your outfit captures the essence. Well done!

Jaime

Super fun and interesting way to use a phrase to evoke an entire mood. Agree that there is no need to pin it down exactly - your interpretation only has to make sense to you. I see where you are going with your outfit - great job!

Lisa

How fun that you have your style words to guide your wardrobe moving forward. As others said your outfit captures this essence well, bravo!

Suz

Fascinating, Carol! I love your thought process here and how you have drawn from your inspirations to come up with something that will allow you to continue to have fun with fashion but in a directed way, if that makes sense -- one geared to your own personal style icons as well as what is available today at retail. Brava! The headscarf is fun!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Carol, I enjoy how you have fun with fashion. It's inspiring and hits the right note. Interesting thoughts to put into practice. Light hearted and focussed. Please carry on!

You are stinking cute in that head scarf!

Bijou

I love how you have clearly demonstrated how this works for you. I didn't know much about Bob Dylan before watching the movie and found it a fascinating era with fabulous style.

Your glasses are a statement and work so well on you!

Carol, you can actually do the same eyeliner look with a creamy pencil! Just tamp a bit of matching deep eyeshadow over the pencil line to set it and make it last longer. I would set the entire eyelid with a good eyeshadow primer, apply a shadow or two (depending on what you like or need), and then proceed with eyeliner.

If the Winehouse style proves to be difficult, you can try this '60s tutorial. Just skip all of the false lashes and such. Use whatever eyeshadow colors you like too. The main takeaway is the eyeliner application. And again, you can use a pencil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1okIEzIFAvI

With that said, I wonder if the Amy style might actually be easier than the 60s one. Amy Winehouse's eyeliner is so thick and heavy you don't have to worry about pinpoint perfection like a finer, thinner line/flick. Don't be afraid to use some q-tips with spit or makeup remover to clean the line up either, as needed or desire. I personally pop the swab in my mouth; it works so much better tbh. Some may be disgusted by that, lol. I would never do that on anyone else. But for myself, I do.

Sal--thank you! Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Olive--thanks so much. Cabin or cottage style...great words. I always just thought of it as "camping" style.
Sharan--quotidian is such a great word. And I am glad you found my description evocative. That is what I was going for!
Jaime--thank you, and thanks for the idea of flexibility!
Lisa--thank you! I hope to have fun.

Suz--good way of putting it--what is available today, and what I like. I guess that's really what style is--we have to work with what is around us!
Angie--thank you! I would like to wear more scarves. "Focus" is another good word.
Bijou--thanks. That was a good movie, although I had learned the entire story in a Time magazine special a few years before that covered the same time period for him. I liked some of the ancillary characters, like Pete Seeger.
Ket--thanks so much for the info. It is promising, as you can change your look a lot for just the cost of eyeliner!

Zaeobi

This is fab Carol, I can totally see the look on you - in fact, your glasses are a fab part of your quotidian routine for achieving that look!

Don't worry if a word may have different connotations for others, so long as it makes sense to YOU. E.g. If it helps, I'm revamping my own style direction and have settled on 'Scout'. That word may conjure up 'boy scouts' for many, but I can concretely visualise the gaming & video game meaning behind it instead.

It's a style direction tool, so all that matters is that you can use it for that!

Zaeobi--thanks! I do love the idea of my words being "objective," but yes, I took a long time to pick personal words, so it's good to know they just need to be right for me. Have to say, I have no idea what a "scout" is in gaming, but it sounds exciting!

lyn67

I was never good on articulating my style monikers or so... but loved yours here with all the science behind and the outfit especially. Wow, hose specs and the headscarf-makes it all so much more special.

lyn67--Thanks so much! It was fun to think about for a while.

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