Truth And Self

Gypsy (c.1930)
by August Sander (1876-1964)

Flipping through the pages from one of August Sander's epic photographic tomes, People of the 20th Century, Yohji Yamamoto muses that it is the "truth" of the garments the men wear, as well as the truth of the faces of those men, which he finds so inspiring.  You see the man, you see his face, you see his clothing, and you feel as if you know him.  He looks exactly as he is.  He is not hiding behind his clothing, nor is he trying to be something he is not, he is simply himself - and therein lies the rub.  What is the self?

Yohji talks of the truth of the garments, in that they perfectly reflect and represent the wearers.  They are fully functional, uncomplicated and representative - they are nothing more than the clothes themselves, and yet they are somehow also the wearer.  That intimacy and that relationship is perhaps what people mean when they say someone is wearing their clothing rather than their clothing wearing them, a phrase which I have always thought is somewhat misleading.  I think what we all strive for is clothing which reflects us and is somehow true of (some part of?) our inner self.  However we also want garments that are true to the garments themselves - hence the phrase that we are looking for the "perfect" jacket, or the "perfect" pair of jeans.  That perfection is unique to each of us.  It is unique for the function they are to fulfil, and the part (or indeed totality) of self the wearer wishes them to express.

In Eastern philosophy, Buddhism in this particular instance, Anatta refers to the essence of self, the not-self.  The not-self is a notion ostensibly at odds with the idea of clothing representing the self, however it is one which I think is inherent to understanding part of what I (and indeed Yohji) find so magical and inspiring about these photographs.  Anatta refers not to the idea that you yourself are nothing, quite the opposite in fact, I would argue it is the idea that you are nothing but yourself - it is the essence of the self, something that remains true even if our appearance changes.  The nature of the mind is change - different parts of us emerge under different circumstances and around different people.  However if we are subject to this constant flux, what is the self that is beneath that ebb and flow? 

When talking of the self in relation to fashion, it is usually a projected self - some better version of ourselves that we are trying to emulate or dress into existence.  I think it is natural to project a better self and work towards that goal, however perhaps that is the wrong way to go about things.  Perhaps we already are that better self, and dressing to become another version of ourselves is a mistep.  Rather we should dress for who we already are, or some part of who we already are, however fluid that notion may just be.  Perhaps we should dress for that essence of our character.  It is not some better other-self I want to dress for, but rather the best of my true self.  I realize that may read as semantics, but I think the distinction is critical.  Style (in terms of 'good' style I suppose, although I dislike that phrase) is seeing someone who is dressed appropriately for the situation, however in a way that is true to themselves. 

In these portraits by Sander the people are dressed almost purely for their station and their standing.  I do not mean that simply in the socio-politcal sense, although they are indeed identifiable in such a way also, but rather that they dress for who they are rather than something they are not, or something they are trying to be.  The beauty lies in that truth and sincerity of their style, even though it be through necessity and circumstance.  It is in this sense something inspirational, rather than something to be emulated directly.  I think the idea of Anatta is that we have infinite potential, and the ability to be better, however that lies within the actual self rather than the projected self.

I often write that Yohji wishes people would live with his clothing rather than consuming them, but here I think the idea is truly important.  That intimacy of wearing clothing for years, for those clothes to become frayed and creased according to the specific curves and movements of your body, is beautiful.  Age is beautiful in all things.  I suppose that relates directly to the philosophy of wabi sabi, which Yohji fulfils aesthetically if not philosophically - the inherent paradox of being a fashion designer I suppose.  Indeed he himself says that he would love to create garments from cloth that was ten years old, so that the fabric was true to itself, and I think that idea is quite magical.  Age often brings that wisdom of knowing the self, even though it be a neverending journey (and indeed according to Lao Tzu, to truly know oneself is in itself Enlightenment). 

To know the inner self, to dress for that inner self rather than the projected self, is for me the hardest yet most aspirational process in relation to style.  It is about feeling and emotion, something which I believe is captured in these photographs.  The clothes are worn, they are old, but they have moved past clothing, to become part of the wearer.  They are in that captured moment true garments, in that the jacket is a jacket, the trousers are the trousers.  They are the garments themselves, yet at the same time, they are nothing more than what the wearer has made of them.  I want to be able wear clothing that reflects some part of the inner self, however I want it to be truthful to the garment itself.  I suppose it requires finding a designer whose philosophy and method of work you can relate to, and garments which when you try on seem to express some part of your inner self.

The distinction often given between the work of Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo is that Yohji is about how the clothing makes you feel, whereas Rei is about how the clothing makes you look.  Yohji focuses on fabric and cut, to give the wearer a sensual experience.  It is about creating the truest garment, one that is perfected to itself.  Whether that be through the placement of the perfect pocket, or obsessing over the perfection of the button.  A garment that is true to its self, but also expresses an idea, an idea that is a part of the wearer's self.

Comme des Garçons has always been about changing the garment, and changing the body.  It is no less truthful, because it is a form of direct expression and even though they seek to change the look of the body, they still do so in perfect relation to the body itself.  They work directly on the body, yet in style that may often stand in opposition to it.  Both Yohji and Rei create clothing in relationship to the body, as all designers do, yet they express two different answers to the truth of a garment.  I think that shows the diversity to an idea which may seem upon first glance to extol only one truth.   

I suppose you have to try to find clothing that speaks to some part of your inner self, however at the same time remains truthful to its self.  A jacket ought to be a jacket, however at the same time it ought to express something more.  Something the designer, the garment, and the wearer bring to that moment.  It is not just about dressing, it is about being a clothed individual.  A special thanks to those of you who actually read this in its entirety.  

xxxx