saturday sketching clothes.

I was a highschool student in the the later half of the 1990's. I remember sunflower accessories, Dr. Martins and babydoll dresses were high on my list of coveted items. I tried to be fashionable in my own way and thought I knew a thing or two about what was "in". However, I remember being stumped when I saw Liv Tyler in Seventeen magazine wearing a long floral spaghetti strap dress over a short-sleeved striped thermal shirt. I remember being so confused as to why she was purposely clashing; it hurt my brain to try to figure out the logic of florals with stripes. I just didn't and couldn't get it.


Thirteen years later, I find myself wearing striped shirts under patterned dresses. The logic of the mismatching patterns finally clicked. It makes everything more casual and free. In the case of Liv's outfit the seemingly mismatched stripes play down the femininity of the floral dress and add just a little bit of quirkiness. A floral dress worn in the conventional manner can seem like a wedding cake: overbearing, sugary and formal. Don't get me wrong I like feminine outfits, floral dresses, I just don't like to feel provocative or dressy every time I show some leg. The stripey shirt makes me feel tough and independent even though I am in a floaty dress and is a way of weeding out the bonehead crowd who'll hopefully think I'm weird and leave me alone, which
is especially helpful when I'm sketching on a Saturday.