Growing up, my mom was strict with everything except clothes. For most of my double-digit-childhood (10 years old and up), I could pretty much wear whatever I wanted—as long as whatever I wanted could be found on the clearance rack or had the right color tag at Value Village—or there was a coupon available. Basically, my self-expression was limited only by finances—and barely even that, once I got my first sewing machine. But I recognize that I was unique in that respect. Plenty of young people are robbed of that freedom to explore themselves and their identity both by the adults in their lives and, to some extent, by their peers. And, I’ve noticed, it plays out in a lot of ways, particularly in a fear of exploring one’s self and expression as an adult.
I recently started a project documenting every piece of clothing I remember wearing, and when. What I’ve noticed is all my quirky, out-there pieces and the, let’s call it inspired ways I put them together, seem to drop off after a certain point. My mind immediately jumps to the media I consumed as a kid moving into teendom: there was always an episode about clothes, usually some trend the main character wanted to participate in to seem cooler and more mature. I always considered myself above trends—mostly as a way to cope with not being able to afford them—but, is anyone truly immune to outside pressures, especially as young people?
One thing I notice from clients of all walks of life is their personal style and expression also tends to be more fun and exciting and experimental up to a point. Our favorite outfits, our strongest senses of personal style, our best “eras” all tend to be concentrated around the early to late teens, sometimes early 20s, and then we just…stop listening to ourselves. Our inner voice telling us to just wear the damn dress is replaced by one that questions our every move and how it’s perceived. It’s around this time that many dreams are dashed, our wants are traded in for needs, and the “rules” get stricter and stricter.
But, like, what if we could tap into that younger version of ourselves? Not the one that’s confused and still figuring out who they are, but who they would’ve been if given the time, freedom, and opportunity to truly explore all the possibilities.
Most importantly: how would they dress?