My life in clothes
I’ve only realised recently that most of my childhood memories involve clothes or self expression. As a child I drew clothes, designed them and played dress-ups (of course!). I never played with dolls until I inherited my older cousin’s Barbies complete with a 1960s wardrobe; it was the clothes that fascinated me, not the dolls. So I thought I’d reflect further and document my life in clothes from my very earliest sartorial memories.
The first memory I have of loving something I wore was when I was a pre-schooler. It was a sheer blue ethereal dress sprinkled with pink flowers. The bodice was fitted but the skirt was full and swirled out when I spun around. In hindsight, it was probably made from a nasty polyester fabric but it made me feel like a ballerina until eventually it felt like a boa constrictor. Sadly, I had grown out of it and although it was my dream dress, I ripped it off immediately. To this day, I cannot abide wearing anything that is uncomfortable.
My next memory of clothing were some bright, bold garments in primary colours that epitomised the seventies. One was a sunflower yellow jumpsuit and the other was a red velvet coat dress. I was aware these were special clothes and they stood out from the rest of my wardrobe. I could feel the quality of the fabric and I knew they came from a very special boutique near my grandparents’ house. To this day I adore velvet and I have always loved jumpsuits.
Next in my life was the manifestation of my desire to look cool , according to my 10 year old self! My sartorial choice of the time was a pair of deep purple velvet thin line cord jeans. The brand was ‘Colonial' which I remember being very popular with teenagers and twenty somethings, but the company disappeared long ago.
The jeans style was called ‘V-knee’ as they were fitted to the knee then kicked out at the back from an inverted V shape seam above the kneecap. I teamed these jeans with the most glorious (deep purple again!) sleeveless suede jacket. It had fringing on it and white sheepskin trim. I probably wore them both into the ground as I felt very grown up in that outfit!
Then there were various halter necked tops, denim shorts, ‘surfie' skirts, velour tops and other things along the way but none I was obsessed with for a few years. I did have a passion for Miller shirts, the western style shirt with the lurex thread and pearly press stud buttons, mostly worn by males and a few uber cool females, but unfortunately I never owned one until much later in life.
The next clothing phase I went through was a slight nod towards the multicultural peasant style trend that gained traction in the seventies. I loved Indian skirts and embroidered tops. I wore these with flat leather toe-thongs or, when I was allowed, platform shoes in cork or wood.
I had a quick flirtation with dresses that nodded to that little house on the prairie craze, in gingham with bows at the neck and dainty lace collars. Mary-Janes were the shoe of choice with these.
In my early and mid-teens I began to wear what we now call ‘vintage’ but I also wore lots of things that were simply secondhand as well. My mother was initially horrified as not many people were wearing used clothing in those days. That makes me laugh now, as she eventually became a master op-shopper herself.
As well as the incredible Sunday Camberwell Market, where I picked up all manner of wonderful clothes, I was fortunate to have an elegant little boutique open several doors down that sold incredible lace dresses from the 1920s and simple print dresses from the 1930s and 40s for a song! This was a revelation for me, and my appreciation for early twentieth century style has remained with me from this time.
I continued to wear many of these vintage dresses for years along with crystal beads, opaque tights, chunky boots or Mary-Janes and layer the dresses in winter with oversized jumpers or vintage blazers. During this time I also began to embroider jeans, paint flowers and rainbows onto my white runners and create clothes with minimal sewing; interestingly trends that have reappeared in the past five years. Because I hated the contemporary fashion of the time, I kept wearing my vintage and home creations along with short 1960s style skirts (again with oversized jumpers or t-shirts) until I discovered another style altogether!
Moving to London in my mid-twenties opened my world to a kind of grunge and emo hybrid style which was influenced by the seriously hip young French people I lived with. I had very long, dark hair razor cut in edgy layers and I devoured rock t-shirts, short skirts, leather jackets, Doc Marten boots and everything else I could find for sale at the wonderland that was Camden Market in the eighties. At different times my hair was black, midnight blue and even aubergine (my favourite). I think an undercurrent of this style is still with me to some extent.
On returning to Melbourne I had to find a way to balance this personal aesthetic with my office job in a corporate environment by day. As I had never worn heels or heavy makeup and was not a fan of the contemporary mainstream fashions, I collected vintage suits to wear to work instead. When others wore bubble skirts or boxy jackets in cheap polyester fabrics, I wore beautifully tailored pencil skirts and fitted blazers nipped in at the waist. I still love that style although I rarely wear it now.
When I reached my mid/late thirties, I thought I should move away from my previous styles and dress in a more ‘mature’ fashion, and to be honest, I’ve never felt so lost in terms of my personal style. I had no idea what to wear but one thing was for sure, it wasn’t going to be the ubiquitous low-rise jeans!
Eventually I returned to wearing what truly resonated with me; vintage fashion with a bit of an edge but in a slightly more sophisticated style. But when vintage suddenly exploded onto the mainstream scene, of course it became more expensive and harder to source. So I had a few things made in a vintage style and scoured European boutiques and markets for unique pieces whenever I could make the trip.
If there’s one thing that has always been a theme of the way I dress; it’s to wear things that are different from what other people were wearing. I do have a few mainstream pieces but I try to style them with a twist. I would be horrified to turn up wearing the same outfit as someone else! I’m not sure why this is, but I do recall when I was young, my grandmother turning up to a wedding in the same dress as another family member. As my grandmother had other options, she said nothing but kindly went home to change into a different dress so as not to embarrass the other woman. The story clearly stuck with me, so maybe this is why..?!
My appetite for unique and beautiful pieces is now sated by supporting the ethical fashion micro businesses we are so fortunate to have here in Melbourne. That, and shopping for secondhand almost exclusively makes up my wardrobe along with treasures I’ve had for many, many years.
Have you ever paused to think about the clothes and fashion experiences that have influenced your taste or sense of style? It’s amazing what seemingly unimportant things from the past can impact us into the future.
The long, razor cut hairstyle from my twenties!