> CD #50: Survey says
When I started this newsletter in September 2020, I wondered how long it would take before I ran out of things to say about clothes. I figured maybe a few months? I definitely never expected to write fifty dispatches—and yet, here we are.
In celebration, I wanted to do something a little different, so I’ve decided to share my answers to some survey questions from Women in Clothes by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits and Leanne Shapton. The book was part of the inspiration for Closet Dispatch, and I admire how it brings together so many women’s viewpoints on what clothing means in their lives.
The full survey features 80+ questions, but I’m doing ten for now. I hope you’ll think about your own answers while you’re reading mine.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL AT YOUR MOST ATTRACTIVE? At night, after the kids have gone to bed, I wash my face and pat it dry with a towel. I look up and see myself in the mirror, freshly clean and a little dewy. That’s when I catch a flash of my mother’s face in my own. It doesn’t last for long, but I feel most beautiful in that moment.
DO YOU NOTICE WOMEN ON THE STREET? IF SO, WHAT SORT OF WOMEN DO YOU TEND TO NOTICE OR ADMIRE? Yes, always. (Btw, I saw her yesterday and she was wearing winter culottes!) My eyes are drawn to unusual silhouettes and interesting colours. And I typically see a person’s clothes before I notice their face. In fact, I suspect I’m mildly face-blind, but that could also also be a symptom of my height, since I’m at least a full head shorter than many people.
WHAT ARE SOME RULES ABOUT DRESSING YOU FOLLOW, BUT YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY RECOMMEND TO OTHERS? I run cold, and often my top priority is warmth, which means I’m not as fashionable as I’d like to be. I wouldn’t recommend bundling up like I do if you want to look good. Unless you are my child reading this, then I’m begging you to please zip up and put on a toque.
WHAT ARE SOME SHOPPING RULES YOU WOULDN’T NECESSARILY RECOMMEND TO OTHERS BUT WHICH YOU FOLLOW? I have so many rules, but I’m not judgmental at all about how others shop. Actually, I’m an enabler. If you invite me to shop with you, I will be overly encouraging when you want to buy something because I desperately want you to be happy. Consider yourself warned.
ARE THERE ANY CLOTHING (OR RELATED) ITEMS THAT YOU HAVE IN MULTIPLE? WHY DO YOU THINK YOU KEEP BUYING THIS THING? Yes. I would still re-buy all these things today. In fact, I regularly search for specific items on Poshmark that I already own but have been discontinued. It makes me feel safe to know I can still find a replacement if needed. I know fashion mostly moves forward (even when it cycles) but, in my mind, certain clothes have the perfect balance of style and function, and my natural inclination is to stock up.
IS THERE ANY FASHION TREND YOU’VE REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE IN AND WHY? Bellbottoms. I say it’s because I’m too short, but really I just hate how they look.
DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE TASTE OR STYLE? WHICH ONE IS MORE IMPORTANT? WHAT DO THESE WORDS MEAN TO YOU? I think I have extremely good taste but I’m still working on my style. I see taste as the ability to recognize excellence, and style as the way you express your own excellence. For me, self-expression has always been difficult, but I hope I’m getting better at it with age and experience.
DO YOU HAVE STYLE IN ANY AREAS OF YOUR LIFE ASIDE FROM FASHION? Yes, I love interior design. And the way my home looks is probably a more accurate expression of my style than my wardrobe because I’m not constrained by the limits of my body’s shape or size—or temperature.
WITH WHOM DO YOU TALK ABOUT CLOTHES? Besides all of you? LOL. In real life, I only talk about clothes with three people: my friends Julie, Kat and Lisa L.. What’s funny is how deeply personal it feels to me, like I’m somehow revealing my innermost being—all the girlish hopes and dreams I have for myself—and I have to really trust a person to talk about clothes with them.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOU WERE CONSCIOUS OF WHAT YOU WERE WEARING? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THIS MOMENT AND WHAT IT WAS ABOUT? I was maybe four years old and wearing a red dress with Snoopy on it. I remember it feeling floaty as I ran around the yard with my cousins. My mother mostly dressed me in red as a child, and I grew to hate the colour, but now I’m wondering whether I need some red in my wardrobe because it actually looks quite nice on me?
Well, that went in all sorts of directions I didn’t expect—which is the general theme of this newsletter, I guess. Special thanks to those of you who have been reading from the start. I don’t know where we’re headed next, but I think there’s still a little more ground to cover and—FORGIVE ME—more clothing to unpack. Onward and upward!
:) Teresa
What is happening even?? Closet Dispatch is a free, limited-run weekly newsletter by Teresa Wong.