This evening, I am thrilled to re-introduce, and revive, a beloved feature on Between Laundry Days, called "Fashion is...". Back in spring, I had a series of guest posts from some of my favorite bloggers, discussing various elements of what fashion means to them. These posts reminded me of the absolutely, mind-blowingly incredible women in this community, and inspired me to look at fashion and personal style in new and more creative ways. So I am so happy to introduce Katie, of Interrobangs, Anonymous. Katie is a fabulous blogger and a real-life friend (granted, we only had brunch once, but it was blogger best friendship at first bite), and I'm sure her post will inspire many thoughts, comments, and general fabulousness.
Fashion is…Curation: As a museum curator, I'm very conscious of the ways society uses variations of the word “curate.” It was a buzzword of 2010, and very prevalent in the world of fashion. Designers were described as “curating collections,” makeover shows challenged us to “curate our closets,” and several style bloggers went as far as to call themselves “curators of fashion.” With all that in mind, the assertion that fashion is curation doesn't sound too groundbreaking, does it? Well, it depends on your definition.
On a basic fashion level, most people are curators. Our wardrobes, whether they're made of thirty pieces or three hundred, are collections we build. By choosing our pieces of fashion, we curate a sense of style and identify that, just like paintings in an art gallery or specimens in a natural history diorama, tell specific stories. To borrow a phrase from the museum world, when we curate our closet we choose pieces that support the “mission” of who we are.
Embracing that first level idea of fashion curation and cultivating a closet collection is important. However, the act of curation is much more than just collecting and understanding the historic intent behind “curation” may just redefine the role fashion can play in your life.
The origin of the word “curation” comes from the Medieval Latin “curatus,” which means “spiritual oversight.” The first curates were religious figures entrusted with the care of people's souls. That part of each person considered most precious, most holy, and most in need of safeguarding was under the protection of the curates. Today's curators extend past religious institutions, but the original spirit and intent of the roles they perform remains. Curators are entrusted with protecting, preserving, sustaining and sharing those things that societies have declared invaluable to who we were, who we are, and who we will be. This is the true meaning of curation - to protect, nourish and sustain what is most important.
When I claim that fashion is curation, I think there are two steps to that process. In the first step, fashion is the object of the verb, and curation is something we do. We chose what we wear; we curate fashion. In the second step, the object of the verb is reversed, and fashion has the power of curation: fashion curates us. This is an abstract idea, but an important one.
When fashion curates us, clothing and accessories take on the role of the original curates: protecting, nourishing and sustaining. This idea is common within religious mandates of dressing - habits, crucifixes, hijabs, kippahs and even WWJD bracelets function not just as clothing, but also as supporting and connecting pieces between the wearer and their faith. However, the application does not have to be religious. It's remarkable to think that fashion can care for and heal us mentally, emotionally and even subconsciously, but it can. The psychologically transformative ability of a favorite pair of shoes or perfect dress is a powerful thing, and the more intention we take to incorporate fashion objects into our lives that care for our psyches and sustains our souls, the better. Fashion that curates you compounds to become more than the sum of the individual shoes and dresses, it becomes a positive extension of who you are. When fashion is curation, the result is a celebration of you.
Note: The perspective I present in this piece comes my own, privileged experiences when it comes to access to fashion as a luxury. In the words of my amazing co-blogger Sarah, fashion “can actually be a negative, be a demise, be a repression. It's an elitist luxury since not all people can actually use fashion for anything other than function.” With that in mind, I'd like to encourage everyone to support charities that work to connect people to fashion and the transformative and curatorial power it has. My favorites are:
Little Dresses for Africa: http://www.
Dress for Success: http://www.dressforsuccess.
Career Gear: http://careergear.org/
Donate My Dress: http://www.donatemydress.org/
So we put it to you, readers: what photos, outfits, or moments of daily style embody that abstract idea of curation that Katie is discussing in this post. It's such a deeply personal issue, so we'd love it for you to provide links or descriptions in the comments of outfits or pieces that mentally, emotionally, or curatorially affect you in some way.
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