November 12, 2010: RUN DMC - My Adidas

RUN DMC - My Adidas: youtube.com/watch?v=dA8DsUN6g_k

I've been waging a personal debate of style vs substance, it's remained for years with no proper conclusion. It seems they're indispensable and conjoined.

Style alone cannot be trusted. It is ultimately vapid and meaningless, just a shiny piece of emptiness that attracts the eye. Style is a way of expression; when there is no connection to anything which bears weight the expression becomes that of nothing.

Substance alone cannot be trusted. If a piece of work is without style than it is detracting all attention from itself. It is disagreeable and full of animus. Something substantial would be overly challenging and, though worthy of praise, incapable of connection.

The perfect piece blends style and substance seamlessly. The substantial elements are accentuated and made agreeable by the stylistic elements. They do not have to face away from each other though they be opposite and seemingly incapable of blend.

I bring this up because I've found myself interested in clothing and fashion.

I've always felt that fashion is somewhat of an irrelevance. I remember seeing a designer on TV once asked, "If wearing sandals in winter were considered fashionable, even if it meant freezing your feet all the time, would you wear sandals in winter?" to which he replied a confident "Yes." I remember thinking this was incredibly vain and full of foolish. I now, though, sympathize with his answer; it's not so much that one would wear a piece of clothing that would be counter to common sense, it's more so that individual expression comes first. And if you're expressing yourself through clothing then you're likely to wear clothes that may not agree with your surroundings.

There is a difference between clothing and fashion: Clothing is more the utilitarian which protects you from your physical environment (substance) where fashion is what attracts others and yourself to a certain article (style). And clothing creates such an intimate statement. The things you wear are an extension of your body, they are up against your flesh and dance with it as you move, your body is embraced by fabrics and colour and shape. It all becomes part of you and against you and makes you move differently depending on its intimacy, its understanding.

I tend to move in dichotomies and so the things I am drawn to are often archetype masculine or feminine. There isn't much middle ground and it all tends to make some men uncomfortable.