Read Surveys (By Author)
Giulietta Karras
1. When do you feel at your most attractive?
I am not sure since it only happens a couple times a years.
2. Do you notice women on the street? If so, what sort of women do you tend to notice or admire?
all the time. all kinds of women, young ones, old ones.
all colors, sizes, rich or poor. any kind of style. I often make a point of complementing women on their clothes regardless if I personally like the look. if they are comfortable, look good and it expresses who they are, then it good and should be noted. especially older women are important to look at because they are usually invisia
3. What are some things you admire about how other women present themselves?
its "come as you are". its the thought that was made. it could be a truth or a kind of a costume or uniform.
4. Was there a moment in your life when something “clicked” for you about fashion or dressing or make-up or hair? What? Why did it happen then, do you think?
I am a twin and we were often dressed alike. my mother also loved a certain kind of look very dressy and girly which I hated.
my teenage years in the late 70's and early 80's I was a punk rocker of sorts.
5. What are some shopping rules you wouldn’t necessarily recommend to others but which you follow?
my color palette. its very limited.
6. What are some rules about dressing you follow, but you wouldn't necessarily recommend to others?
I am not sure.
7. What is the most transformative conversation you have ever had on the subject of fashion or style?
i do not think i have ever had a transformative conversation about fashion or style. its all about looking.
8. Do you have a unified way of approaching your life, work, relationships, finances, chores, etc.? Please explain.
i am not sure. but i do have a uniform.
9. Are there any clothing (or related) items that you have in multiple? Why do you think you keep buying this thing?
i love multiples. i have learn that if you like a article of clothing buy two. my style is very consistent. clogs, western shirts, tradition crew neck cardigans. most of
10. Have you ever successfully given someone a present of jewelry or clothing that you continue to feel good about?
often. instead of attending many days of school in high school, i went thrift store shopping. i gave away lots of clothes to women and men since i love men's wear.
11. Is there any fashion trend you’ve refused to participate in and why?
the 80's look. i lived through the eighties and thought it was a horrible time for clothes.
12. Can you say a bit about how your mother’s body and style has been passed down to you, or not?
on the whole i do not like the way my mother dresses. she does like good handbags and jewelry.
13. Have you stolen, borrowed or adapted any dressing ideas or actual items from friends or family?
no.
14. Was there a point in your life when your style changed dramatically? What happened?
yes, after my teenage punk years i started to dress much plainer. not wild or inventive. i was hassled and bullied by my parents and people in general for my clothing. it was a drag
15. Is there anything political about the way you dress?
we live in a very conformist society and i dressed against it.
16. Please describe your body.
slimish but i was over weight til i was 24 and that was very difficult. i do not have a good body.
18. Please describe your emotions.
right now not happy not sad.
19. What are you wearing on your body and face, and how is your hair done, right at this moment?
i wear no make-up and i wear my hair thin, long and stringy.
20. In what way is this stuff important, if at all?
i never use beauty products. they are a waste of money. no product will make you look that much better. products are mostly psychological.
21. With whom do you talk about clothes?
my sisters.
22. How do institutions affect the way you dress?
they do not affect me.
23. Do you think you have taste or style? Which one is more important? What do these words mean to you?
i think i have style. i think the individual should decide which is more important. my sister has work in fashion in new York city for the last 35 years.
24. Do you remember the biggest waste of money you ever made on an item of clothing?
there are too many to remember. i often bought shoes that were too small. i have big feet.
25. Are there any dressing tricks you’ve invented or learned that make you feel like you’re getting away with something?
no
26. Do you have style in any areas of your life aside from fashion?
i am a very visual person and come from a very visual family.
27. Can you recall some times when you have dressed a particular way to calm yourself or gain a sense of control over a situation that scared you?
since i wear a kind of uniform i do this all the time.
28. Would you say you “know what you like” in the area of fashion and clothing? If so, do you also know what you like in other areas of life, that is, are you generally good at discernment? Can you say where your discernment comes from, if you have it? Or if you don’t have it, why or why not?
i am know exactly what i like in ever area of my life. my world is about discernment.
29. Did your parents teach you things about clothing, care for your clothing, dressing or style? What lessons do you remember? Or did you just pick things up?
since my parent do not like the way i dressed. no.
30. What sorts of things do you do, clothing or make-up or hair- wise, to feel sexy or alluring?
i do nothing.
31. Many people say they want to feel “comfortable,” or that they admire people who seem “confident.” What do these words really mean to you?
i understand comfortable but not confident.
32. If dressing were the only thing you did, and you were considered an expert and asked to explain your style philosophy, what would you say?
i do considered myself a very informed in style, so do my friends think i understand it very well. its about understanding your self visually.
33. What is really beautiful, for you, in general?
ideally it about how you feel about yourself, comfortable and confident but that is not how work. society constructs beauty and ugliness. we can not get away from that influence.
35. Are you generally a good judge of whether what you buy will end up being worn? Have you figured out how to know in advance?
my sister's teaching, looking everywhere from anyone who get it.
37. What is your process getting dressed in the morning? What are you considering?
since i have a uniform not much.
38. What are you trying to achieve when you dress?
consistency and plainness.
39. What, for you, is the difference between dressing and dressing up?
i do not dress up much since i do not go out much.
40. If you had to wear a “uniform” what would it look like?
what i wear now. clogs, black or gray jeans, gray or black t-shirt with a black or gray blouse or cardigan.
41. What would you say is “you” and what would you say is “not you”?
see above.
42. What is your cultural background and how has that influenced how you dress?
my sister fashion background and being a teenage punk rocker.
43. Do you remember a time in your life when you dressed quite differently from how you do now? Can you describe it and what it was all about for you?
my dress is very consistent, just different fits.
44. What sorts of things do you do, clothing, make-up or hair-wise, to feel professional?
i am not a professional.
45. How do you conform to or rebel against the dress expectations at your workplace?
no.
46. Do you have a dress code, a school uniform, or a uniform that you wear for an extracurricular activity?
no.
48. Do you find it comforting or constraining to have a uniform?
i love my uniform.
49. What is an archetypal outfit for you; one that you could have happily worn at any point in your life? What do you like about it?
see above.
50. Do you ever wish you were a man or could dress like a man or had a man’s body? Was there ever a time in the past?
yes, much of the time. men's clothing is often better quality.
51. If there was one country or culture or era that you had to live in, fashion-wise, what would it be?
new York city the late 20's and early 30's. the golden age of Hollywood. London in the 60's and 70's.
52. Do you consider yourself photogenic?
no.
53. When you see yourself in photographs, what do you think?
yuck.
54. Are there any figures from culture, past or present, whose style you admire or have drawn from?
charlotte rambling, lauren hutton, show girls of the cotton club.
55. Have you ever had a dream that involved clothes?
no
56. What would be a difficult or uncomfortable look for you to try and achieve?
girly look. although i like it on other women.
57. If you were totally comfortable with your body, or your body was a bit closer to what you wish it was like, what would you wear?
girly or glamorous clothes.
58. Is there anyone that you are trying to attract or repel when you dress?
no
59. Are there any dressing rules you’d want to convey to other women?
no its up to them. maybe be yourself.
60. What do you think of perfume? Do you wear it?
no.
61. What are some things you need to do to your body or clothes in order to feel presentable?
no,
62. How does makeup fit into all this for you?
no.
63. Is there a certain look you feel you’re expected to like that you have absolutely no interest in? What is it? Why aren’t you interested?
since i was not attractive and a teenage punk rocker i left this a long time ago.
64. Can you describe in a basic way what you own, clothing and jewelry-wise?
i love jewelry. native American and vintage.
65. What is your favorite piece of clothing or jewelry that you own?
jewelry is more personal than clothes.
67. Looking back at all your purchases over the past five to fifteen years, can you generalize about what sorts of things were the most valuable to buy?
quality coats, and jackets. buying the best quality in general. not a lot of clothes.
68. Is there an item of clothing that you once owned, but no longer own, and still think about or wish you had back? What was it, what happened to it, and why do you want it back?
there are so many. maybe some of my 60's levi's vintage jewelry.
69. If you had to throw out all your clothes but keep one thing, what would you keep?
i do not know.
70. Building up your wardrobe from nothing, what would you do differently this time?
its all about the money. i could buy very differently.
71. What’s the first “investment” item you bought? Do you still own or wear it?
fashionable and expensive boots and shoes. no and do that have any of it.
72. Was there ever an important or paradigm-shifting purchase in your life?
when i started to buy vintage clothing in my teens.
73. What item of clothing are you still (or have you forever been) on the hunt for?
the perfect black cardigan.
74. What are your closet and drawers like? Do you keep things neat, etc?
neat and not too full.
75. Were you ever given a present of clothing or jewelry that especially touched you?
jewelry has more memory for me.
76. Did you ever buy an article of clothing without giving it much thought, only to have it prove much more valuable as time went on? What was the item and what happened?
no. i buy with purpose.
77. How and when do you shop for clothes?
alone.
78. Do you like to smell a certain way?
no.
79. How does how you dress play into your ambitions for yourself?
no.
80. How does money fit into all this?
money changes everything.
81. Is there an article of clothing, a piece of make-up, or an accessory that you carry with you or wear every day?
a backpack since i cycle.
82. Did anyone ever say anything to you that made you see yourself differently, on a physical and especially sartorial level?
nothing i can remember. maybe the bulling i experience as a teenager.
What’s your birth date? Where were you born and where do you live now?
5/15/9064 - Chicago il - Chicago il
Say anything you like about your cultural/ethnic/economic background.
white, middle class.
What kind of work do you do?
retail, bookseller.
Are you single, married, do you have kids, etc.?
single.
How do you feel after filling out this survey?
interesting. if i wrote better it would be more complete.