#4: "productive" making, a few outfit short stories, WDTW pt. 4

Productivity in the Making

Amidst the normal emotional turmoil of a month chock full of Big Life Changes (We bought a condo! I got a new job! We're moving across the country!), another gnawing yet familiar emotion had been circulating: I wasn't sewing enough.

And as I started to pull that thread, I realized how often the language of productivity, of capitalism as self-worth, appears in how we talk about our craft. There are queues, to-make lists and deadlines. Subject lines beg us to sew the new pattern first, to jump the queue, to add another fabric to our stash. 

And on social media, we apologize to our friends & followers if we haven't kept up appearances or had time to sew, to check in. Our IRLs beg us to set up shops, to sell our garments, to make something special for them. 

If we do get around to making something for ourselves, we're inundated with requests to hashtag it for promo, to share construction details and measurements and fabric composition and ... it's exhausting. We're exhausted! It's been a whole-ass year. We're juggling work and families and trying not to get sick and waiting in line for vaccines, and we want to take solace at the end of the day in a craft that's always offered respite, time away from screens, a way to lose ourselves in something that's not *waves around* all of this.

I guess, at least temporarily, I'm suggesting a return to "pick it up, put it down" making. What I mean by that is this: making on your own schedule, and on your own terms. Not producing to meet a deadline or an imposed idea of productivity.

Instead, to sew a few buttonholes when you're feeling inspired, and putting it down when you're no longer having fun. Spending a good six hours deep into a bespoke summer dress, then forgetting about it entirely when warm weather picnics beckon.

To sew in the morning for a few precious minutes, even if you only get one seam finished. To view your projects as not something to check off a to-do list, but spontaneous moments of creative magic.

Me? I spent last weekend cutting out a floppy summer hat, only to put it down just as the sun started show its face. I might pick it up again tomorrow, and I might make do. We'll see where the day takes me. 

Tale as Old As .... Twine? 

How to narrativize your outfits!

Because we live in A Society, it's unavoidable that each garment or accessory has some cultural baggage, some history attached to it, for better or worse. Double denim? Cowgirl or Britney & Justin. Linen set? Day at the spa or co-op farm. Penny loafers? Blair Waldorf or local dad. 

This baggage can be annoying when you just want to wear what you want to wear, but it can also be fun to play with. If each piece has a story, the narrative can play out two ways: you can bring tension to your outfits with a twist ending -  by pairing that first piece, your shoe or your shirt, with something unexpected, that takes it places we couldn't have imagined. Or, you can lean in to the story,  going all in, unpacking this item's historical baggage and really leaning in. 

Let's take a ringer tee for example. Its story starts in the neon-lit skating rinks of the 70s. Pop this on with some bell bottom flares and circular sunglasses and you're a disco dream queen, fluttering hearts and doing rollerskate backflips. It's the ending you'd expect once you start with that tee: it's a great outfit, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with a neat ending like this, but there's not a ton of grit, no gratuitous tension. 

Now let's say you're aching for something a bit different. You pull the ringer tee out of your closet, and you consider its inherent qualities: it has some severe 70s baggage, with adjectives like "chill", "retro" and "colourful". For your big twist, you want to think opposites: a strappy sandal brings a bit of sex appeal to the equation, and a dramatic metallic skirt brings us to a beach bar at dusk, taking us far from where we were expected to go. 

A few more short stories for your perusal: 

Wide-legged Sailor Jeans

What's the story?: 
Big Navy energy, with a dash of Kamm crunch. 

Expected ending: 
Blousy white shirt, with a detachable collar as a tip of the (sailor's) hat. 

Twist ending: 
Keep the look landlocked by french-tucking a well-oversized camo hoodie and throwing on some chunky boots.

Floral Maxi Dress

What's the story?:
Drinks on a Malibu beach with your besties. 

Expected ending: 
Strappy sandals. Slouchy jean jacket. Casual finger bling. Margarita.

Twist ending:
Big sculptural sweater with a chunky single earring, and suddenly you've flown directly from the beach to SoHo. 

Crochet Vest

What's the story?:
Big, bad & 60s all over. 

Expected ending:
High-cut tank, high-waisted jeans, high platforms, .... high. 

Twist ending:
Pop it over a sleek structured cocoon dress, pair with patent leather mules and oop, you're a time traveller.

Faux Fur Coat

What's the story?:
Cigarettes behind a dingy bar while a Blondie cover-band plays on. 

Expected ending: 
Short black bandage dress. Heels for days. Red (like, red red) lipstick. 

Twist ending: 
Overalls & a backwards baseball cap. Neighbourhood babysitter meets chic Prairies art dealer. A lOOk.

WDTW #4

Acielle/Style du Monde

1: Narrativizing these black boots! Skinny jeans tucked into tall black boots would've been expected, but a slightly looser leg tucked into a slouched shaft flips the script. What may have veered equestrian is now Parisian. 
2. The scarf! The scale is what sells this! Instinct may have suggested a more diminutive size to not compete with the oversized jacket, but big on big makes everything seem just a bit more intentional. 
3. The coat! Masterful. Obsessed with how the slouch in the arms picks up on the slouch in the jeans and the boots, and the delicate balance it brings to the outfit. The coat (and the scarf!) elevate this outfit without seeming stuffy, just very, very purposeful. Camel is a great choice and warms it up immediately, where others may have kept it matchy with black or white. 



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