File it next to "electral engineering" and "automobile maintenance" as one of the topics I know next to nothing about and a topic I've avoided most of life except when absolutely necessary: Fashion. I am the first to readily admit that I have no fashion sense, as I fall in the camp of those who think fashion is just a (you guesed it) pyramid scheme where insecure people undergo a neverending, unwinnable competition to outdo each other while racking up large credit card bills in the process. In other words, another mechanism of the American consumer economy designed to get people to spend money.
My view in that sense hasn't really changed, but MJ has opened my eyes (literally and figurately) to at least appreciating fashion and looking nice: one benefit is that the proper type of fashion can make me look taller and slimmer, two things I've failed to do through tried-and-true methods of dieting and exercise. Having the right fashion also gives me some confidence, something I've only had on very few occasions in social situations; there's always something off about my clothes, whether my socks don't match, my tie is crooked, my zipper is down, my hair is messy; so many different things about my appearance likely sent unwelcome signals to others including skin problems that lasted into adulthood.
The aforementioned fashion vocabulary exhibit at the Met gave me some perspective: each fashion designer featured in the exhibit presented a word in fashion, like "resolve," "comfort," "resilience," etc. that came through in their featurd article of clothing. I didn't necessarily see myself wearing the styles that they presented, but I did at least see why the clothing they designed exuded the characteristic they were going for, why that piece of clothing would give off the "resolve" vibe or "comfort" vibe. Now that I have been exposed to high society, I'm much more conscious about what vibes my own clothes are giving off to others, even when I go running outside, which I didn't care one iota about before, I now try to wear something sporty or at least wear running shorts instead of jeans or dress pants (you laugh but I used to do this, quite frequently). It definitely helps to go to a dress code- required wedding where everyone is required to look nice, but looking nice when it's not required is almost more important because that shows what you'd do if you were on your own and how much effort you're willing to put in. I go to some art museums and art galleries with MJ and notice how much effort she puts into when preparing to go, so I try to make myself at least presentable, but also noticing how out of place people are who wear T-shirts or flip-flops or look like they just rolled out of bed: the museums are all nice, the galleries are designed artfully, the exhibits are presented just right to give off the artist's vibe, even the security guards are wearing uniforms with collars and color coded outfits, but then us visitors just go in like a bull in a china shop and ruin the ascetic. Some guy wore a loose-fitting yellow shirt with a baseball hat on into the fancy art gallery today......I know we are the customers and can wear anything we want, but in a place of so many nice things, I don't mind adding a little fashion in to enhance everyone's experience, or at least not detract from it.
Fashionize on,
Robert Yan
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