Serial selfies…for a cause
Autumn Fashion
Written by cjhammon in Features, Life in Yesterday's Clothes, Style, The Traveling Pink Sweater
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Once upon a time, I resolved an internal debate about whether or not it’s “okay” for a 50-something girl (okay, woman) to photograph her own vintage wardrobe. And then along came the 2013 Word of the Year: selfie.
Oh, boy. Here we go again. Shall I start making photos like my earliest ones, where I cropped off my head? Would that be any less self-absorbed? Trust me, I never wanted this space to be all about me, me, me. Call it a generational divide, but that would be drudgery to write or read. So I deliberately add related content that interests me—like history, culture, books, then-and-now comparisons and something else I desperately miss: good manners. I know you like these things just as much as vintage fashion because you tell me so. Let’s face it: there’s a lot more to life than getting dressed.
But if I never posted another vintage fashion photo of myself, my inner editor tells me the blog wouldn’t be any more or less self-absorbed than it was before. It would only be off-topic from what friends and readers are drawn to—which is an occasional peek at some of the coolest vintage clothes ever made.
Vintage 1960s Chuck Howard
Take this swing coat from the late 1960s, for instance. Have you ever seen anything quite like it? It has a metal zipper that’s a little messed up, but other than that, it’s in perfect condition.
See its beautiful red-orange knit lining? I’m sad to report that its matching skirt and slacks do not fit over my hips. The ensemble was designed by Chuck Howard, who began his career as a sketcher for Richard Cole. After working with Bill Blass and Anne Klein, he designed under his own label and also for Vogue patterns until around 1974, when he returned to work on Anne Klein’s studio line. (Incidentally, two- and three-piece suits were all the rage in the 1960s. I know because I had a few.)
The Sisterhood Collection
This swing coat came from the same vintage collection that inspired us (Jody Deford and me) to start the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pink Sweater project. It’s a yearlong journey of one fabulous vintage sweater to raise money in support of the Pink Ribbon Connection. See? Selfies can be about more than your self!
If you’re a friend or reader, you can follow the journey at the hashtag #SisterhoodoftheTravelingPinkSweater at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or on my blog or Jody’s blog. You can also make a donation that will fund supportive services to women in central Indiana who are healing from breast cancer. Please use this link to help us track how much money our sweater-wearing, vintage-loving sisters raise from now until next October. We can’t wait to see how the current recipient, Megan Gianinni, will style this sweater in one of 2014’s first Selfies For a Cause!
Back to the selfie
Actor/writer/director James Franco puts a positive spin on the selfie. He considers them a “way to communicate and look someone right in the eye and say, ‘Hello, this is me.’” My take: fine, as long as they don’t become the dominant way of communicating.
I’ve had a chipped tooth, a bruised tailbone and an aggressive sinus infection in the past three weeks. If there was any doubt about my humility before those events, believe me, I’m definitely feeling it now. For 2014, I guess I’ll reclaim my occasional selfie rights to share a few vintage fashions with you. What’s your take on the selfie? When is it okay? When is it sheer vanity?
8 comments
January 2, 2014 at 3:39 pm
Crystal!! It’s snow nice to see You! I embrace the selfie, and I’m happy to see you are okay with modeling some of your treasured vintage clothing with us. I love this coat, and I could totally see myself sewing something similar. {See, you’re helping me!} You’ve styled it brilliantly as well….can we talk you into joining Judith of Style Crone’s Hat Attack?
January 2, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Love this post! I hate the connotation associated with the term “selfie” even though I take them all the time for my own fashion blog. I have, at times, considered the idea of taking pictures of outfits just on their hangers or artfully arranged as still lifes, rather than on me. But, I personally really like to see how an outfit looks on a living person – it better helps me visualize how a similar style would fit my own body type, and shows the clothes as they were meant to be. Beyond that, however, there is also an undeniable element of vanity that I suffer from and struggle with, though it’s certainly not what defines me as a person. I spent a considerable amount of time in my younger years hiding from cameras, so to actually embrace being photographed now is a somewhat dramatic turnabout. I haven’t fully resolved my own feelings about the “selfie” in all of its incarnations, though I’ll never understand the teenage duckface with a bathroom stool in the background phenomenon! I also don’t understand those fashion blogs that feature multiple images of the same person in the same outfit in only slightly different poses – I’m not talking about showing an outfit from different angles or focusing on details – but those that look basically the same other than the subject’s facial expression. That, to me, is a bit boring and tends more toward the “pure vanity” side of the equation.
I think there is a delicate balance between being happy and comfortable enough with yourself to enjoy being photographed and communicating visually, vs. using excessive selfies as an expression of ultimate narcissism or as a means for quashing insecurity through pleas for external validation. No answers here, but lots of thoughts.
For what it’s worth, I was at the Matisse exhibit at the IMA over the weekend and found myself remarking over Matisse’s own self-portraits that some of the great historical artists were the first to embrace the selfie! It’s not a new phenomenon at all, but the ease of digital photography and social media have made it so much more prolific, and easy to go overboard with multiple images!
Finally, I absolutely love the Chuck Howard you’re wearing. It’s PERFECT with the hat, and the entire ensemble looks very chic on you. It would NOT be nearly so appealing were it photographed only on the hanger or with your head cut off!
January 2, 2014 at 4:04 pm
You say it well, my friend. There was a wonderful “selfie” in the New York Times of a famous artist on Sunday. Rotund and in a handsome red suit. I think you’re on to something about artists being the forerunners!
I’ve had those same debates–on hangers or no? But I fall in line with your thought: it would be both boring and uninformative.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. I know that we’re both the kind of people who’ve wrestled with it deeply. Whenever you give me strokes for an outfit, I know I’ve done something!
January 3, 2014 at 1:06 am
Love the coat and gloves. Too bad I live in a place where it rarely is cold enough to pop one of those beauties on. We had a cold snap early in December, however the weather is running warm for January.
As far as selfie’s go, they are so popular and I am still learning to become comfortable on the other side of the lens. I am usually on the back side of the the camera, always have felt more comfortable fooling around with lenses and filters.
One of those things I need to work on, personal development, I guess.
Let’s see some more of those red gloves!
January 4, 2014 at 10:33 am
Crystal, I’d swear you were flawless if I didn’t know that was impossible for mere humans.
I appreciate your self awareness and how thoughtful you are about putting photos of yourself out there. But you’re documenting life, time, and costume history brought back to being fresh, and there is nothing merely vain about it. You’re not cluttering the online world, you’re improving it, and I say keep it up.
January 5, 2014 at 8:00 am
No, no, no it is NOT too bad that you live in a place where you don’t where coats! (Glad you liked the gloves! I was just thinking that it’s a good way to add some pop to some of my basic coats.)
January 5, 2014 at 8:00 am
You know what? You’re a doll. Thanks for your kind comments!
January 7, 2014 at 9:54 am
The coat is supreme vintage, the red gloves divine, and your hat beautifully frames your face. Thank you for sharing with Hat Attack!
About the selfie, I think that it’s fun. Another form of self expression, and for women of a certain age, it provides visibility. It’s part of our culture now, as it has its own term and definition. Why not enjoy it? It doesn’t harm myself or another person.
Hoping that you heal and feel better soon!