Allow me to take you on a journey to an urban utopia. May I? It’s another day in the office, but something’s different. Yes, the nameless rage is present but it doesn’t have the same edge that you fondly liken to the sensation of a fiery bowel movement. (Too much?) You lean back, arms positioned behind your head in a power stance that you, for once, didn’t have to feebly recreate in an attempt to nurse your anxiety. Maybe you even criss-cross your legs in the seat and take a spin in your chair. When it’s time to call it a day you realize you never even touched your emergency sweater; you’ve been cozy from 9 to 5. And it’s not too absurd to say that, yeah, you really enjoyed your day. You remember what you’re wearing and realize it had everything to do with the clothes on your body.
I know, you’re perplexed: that’s a “happy place”? Forgive my lack of imagination, but any joy available under fluorescent lights is to be savored. One such joy, I've learned, is wearing a fabric sack to the office. It changed my life. Or, at least my day that one time I wore this dress to work.
I know, you’re perplexed: that’s a “happy place”? Forgive my lack of imagination, but any joy available under fluorescent lights is to be savored. One such joy, I've learned, is wearing a fabric sack to the office. It changed my life. Or, at least my day that one time I wore this dress to work.
First glance will tell you it’s not very flattering. In fact, its matronly silhouette is what drew me in. I found it in a thrift store, hand-stitched, no history; one-of-a-kind. Before I knew that it would transport me from office tundra to positive headspace, I loved it for the statement it could make.
As many seemingly innocuous expressions of our selves turn out to be, this dress is a political statement—at least in the context of my wardrobe, as I can’t answer for the intentions of the seamstress. So what platform does this dress take? Is it a “fuck you” to thirsty eyes or those who measure a woman’s worth in conventional beauty? Maybe the statement is even more personal, and I wear a loud outfit like this one when I need to address my fear of drawing attention.
Whatever statement it makes, it makes one nonetheless—perhaps by its sheer size and hue. The next time you’re looking for a palate cleanser, you might find luck in something that resembles a tent more than a piece of clothing. What’s your relationship with dressing modestly? What’s your “statement piece” these days?
Photography by Emily Segrest
Whatever statement it makes, it makes one nonetheless—perhaps by its sheer size and hue. The next time you’re looking for a palate cleanser, you might find luck in something that resembles a tent more than a piece of clothing. What’s your relationship with dressing modestly? What’s your “statement piece” these days?
Photography by Emily Segrest