December 03, 2009

Can you roll up your own sleeves? Or does ZARA do it for you?

I feel like I’m living in an H&M or Zara catalogue.
Creativity is far to be found, the streets (and the blogs) are filled with shiny sequin or lame leggings + blazer with rolled up sleeves.
Stores are now selling blazers with the sleeves already rolled up for you.
I've counted the current H&M version 8 times at my school(but I bet there are more).
So either you can’t roll up your own sleeves and H&M is making a lot of money doing it for you.
Or, an item has to be seen hanging in the racks of a chain store in order for you to believe it is acceptable to wear.
Either way, most people’s perception of what is and what is not beautiful/ugly/acceptable is controlled by commerce and not by themselves.
It’s something that bothers me a lot and keeps me busy, I believe that what we wear is like a mirror of society, and if we can’t even roll up our own sleeves,
dress ourselves without an approval from a big company or decide for ourselves it would mean that there is no space for individual opinions.
It disturbs me that something as simple as a choosing clothes is done in such a sheep-like way, seemd to be likely that forming opinions in general or even voting will be done with the same sheep behavior but that we will never know because unlike fashion, it isn’t visible.


Please don’t get this post wrong, H&M and Zara have great pieces, which can be even better when a little personality is added.

28 comments:

FELIX NINA said...

hihi dankje voor je reactie! maar ik ben ook nederlands ;) xo

ps: je verhaaltje is echt geweldig! zelf draag ik ook best veel h&m en zara en ik vind het echt vreselijk om bij elke outfit te zeggen, tsja, het jasje is van de zara en de rest allemaal h&m. Ik heb wel heel leuke vintage winkeltjes in de buurt gespot dus als ik geld heb ga ik daar shoppen! :D

Nathalie said...

hey, cool blog. I think your comment is quite interesting. And I soooo love your leggins from the previous post. WOW-Factor
Regards
Nathalie

delina said...

ik kan me helemaal inzien in jouw verhaal. Ik maak zelf veelkleding en lekker langs de kringloop op vintage zaakjes en dan alle geweldige sites buiten NED! leuke blog heb je meid ik zet je even bij mijn rijtje!! xx

///// said...

This is really interesting, but so true the part where you said that it seems only 'okay' to wear something once it has been seen on the racks of the likes of H&M or Zara.

Jülide Erişir said...

This is why Kate Moss is such a formidable fashion force. When it was "fashionable" for everyone to go the PETA way, she refused to bow and kept wearing furs.

Wear what you believe in.

Kristen Leo said...

I agree, its sad that everyone is dressed alike look alike and even have the same style. the problem is that people cant really afford anything else and if you dont have much imagination and you cant personalize your style then youre stuck looking like everyone else.

ilikestuff said...

HAHA, I couldn't have said it better myself. It's like stores are trying to sell styling to you along with the clothing so that getting dressed takes zero effort/forethought. I'm fucking over it.

Anonymous said...

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Kisses

Petitebine said...

Goed geschreven, kan me er zeker in vinden!

esther said...

i agree with you 100%. i can't stand when it's obvious that someone is wearing something just because they were told it was "cool."

esther said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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I'M THAT CHIQ said...

goed geschreven, vooral het laatste zinnetje haha

Bella said...

I'm with you, roll up your own bloody sleeves :p
I like your blog, those leggings from your last post are amazing! xxx

Mohawk Conspiracy said...

You got me thinking. And I think you're very right. Great post.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more. Well put. I think the result of finding a unique blazer and rolling up the sleeves yourself is priceless.

Becca Dudley said...

very true. but i guess it works for us, the fact that people are all buying the same thing, because then WE get to stand out when we buy something different. :) x
http://www.thevestimaniac.blogspot.com/

Tabbifa C R said...

Your Hair Is Like ,Words Fail Me Of Envy Towards You Hair , Sorry About The Randomness. Great Blog :)

M said...

What you wrote reminds me a little of Sydney too. I think most people are self-conscious about what they wear and feel safer adopting the look everyone else is wearing. On the other hand, I do think fashion blogs have injected a bit more personality and individuality into fashion. I see more people wearing things that look handmade.

Lauren Grace said...

I just wanted to say thank you for this post. I've just started my own blog and I feel overwhelmed with all of the other ones out there. It becomes really easy to compromise your individuality or confuse someone else's voice for your own. This post served as a much needed reminder to the contrary. I admire your flare and creativity, keep it up :]

Angie said...

couldn't agree more!We are becoming less and less free and in the same time we think we are free.We are manipulated but in new subtle ways and for those who can see it it feels a bit scary!Hopefully we'll change things around!

Kathmo said...

it's a shame our blog is german, cause you really might like it.

every single time I'm going through a street style blog, I could not tell you if the picture was taken in Sweden or Australia. Due to the brands are global, globally seen fashion became far to similar. But I really think that this is going to change in the next few years, because the really creative people won't let it stay that way. At least, I hope so.

INDIGO WILL BLEED said...

Your blog is a sincere breath of fresh air for me. I literally cannot click away to anything else. I've just moved back to my native California after studying 2 years in France, and I have been feeling completely uninspired because I feel that girls my age all dress the same in the States (they do the same in France, but they're much more aware of what they're wearing and pay attention to the details that make a garment of quality). I was already feeling this anxiety in the "blogging world," because I feel that the majority not only dress alike, but allow other blogs to determine what they buy. It's driving me crazy. I feel as if no one is thinking for themselves anymore, instead succumbing to the fear that what they're wearing won't be considered fashionable.

I won't say that I am this immaculate human being, impervious to trends, but I really do want to take a giant step away from the internet and high-street stores so that I can be sure I'm thinking for myself. I'm afraid that we're all becoming clones, and in doing so are moving further away from innovation. The internet is this amazing tool that can be used to find the obscure, the new, the unusual; and instead we're all using it to make sure we're on par with the next blogger. It's a new breed of laziness and monotony, although, I can't help but wonder if we're just returning to the fear from earlier decades like the '50's. I think retailers are recognizing this insecurity, this need to look "right," and are now successfully capitalizing off it.

hannahalehandra said...

This is bloody fantastic. At risk of sounding like a deranged groupie, God Ivania I love your blog! Kisses from England. http://hannahalehandra.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

I agree with you!! Im so happy i found you via Style Marmalade... I cant believe people is wearing the same clothes as clones ! there is no personality.. People is in need of personality and creativity.

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