So this month’s theme at my ATC group is “Fool”. I bounced around a lot of ideas but finally bought a few high end fashion mags and set out to find the perfect “foolish” fashion shot. Let me just say there were a lot to choose from. I ended up with this one because of the incongruity of a stick thin model gorging on a doughnut (bulimia much?) – so odd! Did the photographer feel the irony as he was shooting it?
Here’s the weird thing, I haven’t bought a fashion mag in at least eight years. I must be getting old because it was like looking into an alien world. Can things have changed so much? I used to be a dedicated reader of W, Vogue, and the special fashion mags inserted into the NY Times occasionally (I LOVE the NY Times – if I could read only one magazine or newspaper forever it would be the Times). At that time I spent all my disposable income on clothes, makeup, and going out. I had a lot of disposable income too – I paid no rent or utilities (being an apartment manager rules!), no car, no cable, no computer, no debt. Seriously, besides food, I spent everything on going out and making sure I looked good while going out. And I had a good paying job at a rather conservative office. I had people that would come over to my cubicle just to see what I was wearing everyday – I was like another species to them. Sample ensemble – vintage red kimono-style shorty robe, black palazzo pants, and five-inch heels.
Now, every clothing purchase is carefully considered based on need, cost, and ” will this survive being covered in applesauce?”
I cringe at how much money I would have if I had saved any of it instead of spending on clothes. But clothes were my creative outlet then. Now, I’ve found art and found the mediums I enjoy most. The old me would have laughed at the current me’s wardrobe – so pedestrian, so mom-like. And the old me would be blown away by what I spend on art supplies and other art-related stuff.
But that’s ok, I love my current life, have never been happier.
My favourite time of year used to be late summer when the September issues of the fashion magazines came out. This year I bought the giant fall version of Vogue, and I put it beside my bed, and every morning, I stub my toe on it. 9 months later, tonight, — I’m going to throw it into the recycling box, unread…. Does this mean we’re getting old?