Living in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (aka the South) I often experienced that moment when you walk out the door in something that in the confides of your bedroom you're completely comfortable but once outside realize just how "different" it is due to the handfuls of people looking at you like there MUST be something wrongly wired with-in you. When it comes to getting dressed I have always lived the philosophy of why the hell not? Why not wear a bird on your head or a pair of leather driving gloves in the summer or 5" stilettos to school if you want to? Because of other people? Who gives a flying fuck about other people when at the end of it all all you're going to remember is how you felt, not how they felt. New Yorker's seem to completely understand this based on the fact that I have worn many outfits that in Miami would have been looked at as weird or "artsy" and result in an array of looks, glares, gawks and stares but in New York no one even flinches. It is completely normal here to dress like a circus freak or peacock or hell I'm sure I could even walk around dressed in a full on ballerina tutu made out of metal and pointe shoes and no one would even care. In fact it's encouraged and I LOVE it.
Recently I bought a 100% blush pink silk maxi dress for $10 at local thrift store Beacons Closet and I've been dying to wear it out casually. I did don it to a Grammy's watching party the other week but didn't feel like it got the full adornment experience it truly deserves. So staying true to my sartorial life philosophy of why the hell not I decided to throw my hands in the air and wear it this past weekend to the Lincoln Center for NYFW. The results were just as I had expected: not a flinch and it felt incredible. I know that there are people who read this blog that don't have the opportunity to live in New York and not be judged for dressing exactly how they feel but I hope that this story inspires you to take on a WTHN philosophy and wear that one piece I know is sitting in your closet and you always did love but never had the courage to actually throw on and walk out of the house in. That said I also decided to wear my good friend's traditional garments from Tanzania which she had gifted to me many months ago and I have discussed my appropriation of it here. I find it to be an absolutely gorgeous piece of art that should be shared with the world and apparently so did Humans of New York as my photo along with fashion blogger Au De was featured yesterday!!!
Like I said before at the end of the day all that really matters is how you feel and if you can feel like a queen (or king for my guys out there) just by dressing in something that makes you happy then fuck the people who don't understand that as they will judge you no matter what you do. If something makes you smile than you should never be ashamed or embarrassed to flaunt it.
Why the hell not?
 |
| Photo by Humans of New York |
Like I said before at the end of the day all that really matters is how you feel and if you can feel like a queen (or king for my guys out there) just by dressing in something that makes you happy then fuck the people who don't understand that as they will judge you no matter what you do. If something makes you smile than you should never be ashamed or embarrassed to flaunt it.
Why the hell not?