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fandomhigh2008-05-21 09:42 pm
mistressofblack.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2008-05-21 09:42 pm
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Functional Fashion, Thursday, Period 1
"I'm going to start off today," Lulu said, once the class had arrived, "by discussing a completely non-physical function of clothing. Ms. Waldorf touched briefly, in fact, on this very subject last class: one function of clothing can be to affect the opinions of those who see us. Chad has kindly agreed to be my TA for the class, which means that he will be modelling outfits for me. Chad, if you would come out, please?"
The outfit that Chad was wearing [in center, on AJ] was perhaps best described as 'grunge'. "This is more typical of the late 1990s, but is still the kind of casual, everyday outfit that would be chosen by a certain niche market of disaffected youth," Lulu continued. "Typically referred to as 'grunge'. It is almost explicitly designed to be casual and functional, in that it keeps you warm and isn't something you need to work terribly hard to keep clean. At the same time," she said, nodding to Chad to indicate that he could go and change into the next outfit, "it doesn't give off a terribly professional, or in any way interested, attitude. It shows more that you don't care about your appearance, and while that is perfectly fine in some groups, most especially among friends, in many social situations that kind of attitude would be counter-productive. Unless you wanted people not to like you.
"Which brings us to the next outfit." Lulu smiled. "Chad, if you would, please?" The next outfit was... well. Was this. "The leisure suit was most popular in the 1970s, intended to be suitable for both professional environments and everyday wear. Thankfully," she continued, with a wry smile, waving Chad off to change into his next outfit, "people eventually came to their senses and realised that, in fact, leisure suits were a horrendous fashion choice that led to nothing but horrible things. Attempting to wear one today would make one seem both behind the times, and rather... bumbling, perhaps? Or perhaps simply 'losers'."
The next outfit would likely give the class a little more faith in Lulu's ability to teach fashion. Chad was wearing a nice pair of chinos, and a long-sleeved polo under a black cashmere sweater. "This is much more suitable," Lulu explained, "for casual encounters today, where one wishes to put forward the impression that one is putting forth effort in one's appearance. Especially in situations where one is meeting others for the first time. It's a fairly simple outfit, nothing formal at all; it says about you that you're focused on the situation at hand, and care enough about both yourself and others to look good for them.
"Finally," Lulu said, as Chad went off to change one final time, "there are situations that demand rather something more -- formal attire. There is an array of different forms of formal attire available, ranging from, for men, your typical suits all the way to..." and here Chad came in once more, wearing "... a tuxedo. For women, there is a wide variety of styles of dresses that can be chosen, from slinky cocktail dresses to formal gowns. Chad, here, is wearing a Mandarin collar tuxedo, which is cut slightly differently; I've always been rather more fond of them than your typical tuxedo, but that's mostly a matter of opinion. There are many events that require formal-wear, from parties to weddings, and many things in between; not wearing something sufficiently formal is a sign of disrespect both to the host and to the other attendees at whatever function it is you are attending. There are other options -- one need not wear something traditional and staid, instead opting to do something untraditional, something that plays around with what one might typically wear. However, I caution you not to do any such thing until you have some experience with clothing, and to play around within the formal-wear ouvre typical of the event you are attending.
"Do not," and here her words seemed almost underlined, "do not wear grunge or a leisure suit to a formal event."
[OCDcoming is up! And no, I couldn't resist having Chad in AJ's clothes. I'm around for a little longer tonight, and then I should be around daytime tomorrow, as well, until about 2PM Eastern, after which I've got a meeting at work followed by a date.]
The outfit that Chad was wearing [in center, on AJ] was perhaps best described as 'grunge'. "This is more typical of the late 1990s, but is still the kind of casual, everyday outfit that would be chosen by a certain niche market of disaffected youth," Lulu continued. "Typically referred to as 'grunge'. It is almost explicitly designed to be casual and functional, in that it keeps you warm and isn't something you need to work terribly hard to keep clean. At the same time," she said, nodding to Chad to indicate that he could go and change into the next outfit, "it doesn't give off a terribly professional, or in any way interested, attitude. It shows more that you don't care about your appearance, and while that is perfectly fine in some groups, most especially among friends, in many social situations that kind of attitude would be counter-productive. Unless you wanted people not to like you.
"Which brings us to the next outfit." Lulu smiled. "Chad, if you would, please?" The next outfit was... well. Was this. "The leisure suit was most popular in the 1970s, intended to be suitable for both professional environments and everyday wear. Thankfully," she continued, with a wry smile, waving Chad off to change into his next outfit, "people eventually came to their senses and realised that, in fact, leisure suits were a horrendous fashion choice that led to nothing but horrible things. Attempting to wear one today would make one seem both behind the times, and rather... bumbling, perhaps? Or perhaps simply 'losers'."
The next outfit would likely give the class a little more faith in Lulu's ability to teach fashion. Chad was wearing a nice pair of chinos, and a long-sleeved polo under a black cashmere sweater. "This is much more suitable," Lulu explained, "for casual encounters today, where one wishes to put forward the impression that one is putting forth effort in one's appearance. Especially in situations where one is meeting others for the first time. It's a fairly simple outfit, nothing formal at all; it says about you that you're focused on the situation at hand, and care enough about both yourself and others to look good for them.
"Finally," Lulu said, as Chad went off to change one final time, "there are situations that demand rather something more -- formal attire. There is an array of different forms of formal attire available, ranging from, for men, your typical suits all the way to..." and here Chad came in once more, wearing "... a tuxedo. For women, there is a wide variety of styles of dresses that can be chosen, from slinky cocktail dresses to formal gowns. Chad, here, is wearing a Mandarin collar tuxedo, which is cut slightly differently; I've always been rather more fond of them than your typical tuxedo, but that's mostly a matter of opinion. There are many events that require formal-wear, from parties to weddings, and many things in between; not wearing something sufficiently formal is a sign of disrespect both to the host and to the other attendees at whatever function it is you are attending. There are other options -- one need not wear something traditional and staid, instead opting to do something untraditional, something that plays around with what one might typically wear. However, I caution you not to do any such thing until you have some experience with clothing, and to play around within the formal-wear ouvre typical of the event you are attending.
"Do not," and here her words seemed almost underlined, "do not wear grunge or a leisure suit to a formal event."
[OCD