Week 51

Well almost there and what have I learnt from this year? I’ve confirmed my view that clothes tell our story. They are our lifelong journey of acquiring our identity. A visual diary of our lives. On a grander scale they are a visual history. Clothes reflect the politics , history and cultures influenced and dictated by religions and regimes.

On a personal note, it’s not just the dress itself, it’s the occasion when it was bought, with who and where. It then means much more than just the purchase alone. (As I did when I erred this Summer. )If I get to Spain with my sister in law in summer 2021 I’ll be reminiscing on my purchase in the cotswolds in the year of COVID with her, as I wear that dress.

I also talked about the importance of colour ,especially now when our world is so dismal. I reflected on how clothes and appearance reflect our mental health and how I hid away in tracky bottoms etc in a tough period of my life. And how I make sure that everyday I try to enjoy what I wear, reflect the time of year and add a splash of colour, even in these strange times.

I thought about our environment and the landfills of clothes rotting away for hundreds of years. I looked at environmentally friendly clothing and reflected that it is still a privilege of the rich to have a moral conscience and that a seismic change in how we view fashion is the only way that will change. Because it can only change when our celebrity culture changes and we loose the desire to attain the physical looks and clothing of those in the limelight. That change can only happen when we return to the ethos of quality over quantity and that does not just mean buying from high end fashion alone after saving up. Some of the big name designers are morally no better than the high street brands, they still use sweat shops and pay a pittance . They just make less and charge a fortune .

I didn’t know I would be writing my blog in the year of COVID ! What a year! A cheats year for not buying clothes I know. Lots of friends have managed to do the same without the conscious effort. What will happen next year? How will COVID change the fashion industry. I guess the young will continue to buy online as they always have but I know I will really miss the occasion of shopping . I know I won’t be rushing back to the high street till I feel safer out there and that’s not going to be for quite awhile yet. Will there be a high street left then? What else will have changed? Will fashion be reflecting the history and politics of a post COVID world.

In the meantime Happy Christmas.