If In Doubt, Size Up
Coat: Yohji Yamamoto (both)
T-Shirt: Issey Miyake (both)
Trousers: Yohji Yamamoto (linen first, cotton second)
Shoes: Converse (both)
I am interested in the way clothes make me feel. Don’t get
me wrong, how the clothes look is not less important, but it is for me secondary
to how they make me feel. When I talk about feeling, I mean that both physically
and emotionally. Clothes are designed to be worn, they are incomplete without a
human body beneath allowing them to realise their full form and movement, but
where fashion is concerned, they are also made to hopefully evoke an emotion in
the wearer. All design, whether functional or not, is a method of expression,
and that expression is about giving form to a feeling. Whether we write, sing
or paint, it is simply about sharing a feeling with the world. These
expressions are at their most successful and meaningful when they touch someone
with whom that feeling resonates. Where fashion is concerned it divides those
who create with those who copy (or to put it in rather dramatic terms, those
searching for depth and those concerned only with the surface). To take an
example of the moment, it is the divide between a designer like Rick Owens and
a designer like Virgil Abloh (yeah I said it).
But of course dress is a visual medium, and there is an
inconsolable disparity between what we think our dress conveys and what others
perceive. How does this idea of feeling translate visually? Well I thought it
would be interesting to try and explain it through a specific example – in this
case a plain cotton long sleeve Issey Miyake t-shirt. I stopped dressing in
front of a mirror over a year ago because I wanted to understand the idea of
feeling without being so immediately distracted by the visuality of the
garments. Of course that is not to say that I ignore how the clothes look – far
from it. You put the work in before you purchase the garment, trying on garment
after garment, not just to find that feeling you are looking for, but also to
see what best fits and suits. This knowledge is indispensable when dressing,
because you remember the way the garment fits, but more importantly, how it
feels in that instance. Thus it is a combination of memory, both episodic and sensory.
So, the Issey Miyake t-shirt. The first Issey Miyake t-shirt
I bought was the white version in a Size 4 (Large). In European sizing I am
actually a Size 46 (Small), but being six foot, I usually wear a Size 3 in
Yohji. I went up to a Size 4, because the length was shorter than most Yohji
t-shirts, and I needed that extra length for my height. I tried it on and it felt
right - it felt comfortable. People say you should trust your gut reaction, and
I think that is definitely the case where clothes are concerned. If someone
else has to convince you something looks good on you, it probably is not worth
it. That is not to say it never will be, but perhaps at that moment you should
look elsewhere first. Of course you can move outside your comfort zone, and
that is actually very informative and worthwhile, but even then, you can
usually trust your gut. If it feels right, and it fits how you want, go for it.
When it comes to the black Issey Miyake t-shirt, I actually went for a Size 6 (XX-Large). Thankfully I have the height for it, but I found it remarkable that going two sizes up from my previous version still felt perfectly natural (I wore the white t-shirt when I was shopping for the black, just so I could compare size and feel). Yes it is baggier, yes it is longer, but I actually enjoy the fit more than the white version. Perhaps it is the warmer weather, but I prefer something looser and with that extra sleeve length. A lengthened sleeve actually has a particular psychological resonance with me - it creates an instant feeling of security. A longer sleeve was pretty much the deciding factor for buying Ann Demeulemeester shirts. I have difficulty finding shirts with sleeves long enough for me anyway, but Ann's shirts have sleeves that just feel right when I wear them. And therein is something important that I think is hard to really explain - something just clicks, and it feels right. Saying that, I think that if I can continue to look for that feeling, then perhaps I can come to a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding it. In the case of this t-shirt there are four points: the lower neckline, the longer sleeves, the roomier body, and that feeling of comfort.
The most immediate reaction I had to the Issey Miyake t-shirt? If in doubt, size up. Call it the Yohji effect.
xxxx