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Britt A

1. When do you feel at your most attractive?

right after I've just got my hair cut? in loose flowing slippery near-sheer long dresses?

2. Do you notice women on the street? If so, what sort of women do you tend to notice or admire?

all the time! the happy looking ones, or ones with assured eyes. the ones who have outfits you probably couldn't get away with in corporate america. the ones with nice eye makeup or distinctive hair--long and flowing, short and dyed

3. What are some things you admire about how other women present themselves?

a kind of assurance that translates into their look having a systemic, considered feel--people on the street who seem just so themselves. you know, the shoes work with the shirt works with the skirt works with the earrings works with the hair and no one else put anything together quite like it, but most importantly, they seem comfortable in their movements on top of all that

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?

only when I started working at a publishing company. first adult job. new confidence. I lost weight, on top of all that. started thinking about my clothes more than ever before. was different from being in college, when I work up five minutes before class and pulled on whatever was warm. also more disposable cash? everything convened and I started snapping up weird vintage stuff because I wouldn't come in and see someone else wearing the exact same thing. it was when I felt less like a 'girl,' more a 'woman', I guess I could sum it up as

5. What are some shopping rules you wouldn’t necessarily recommend to others but which you follow?

ALWAYS BUY THE CUTE LEATHER JACKET

6. What are some rules about dressing you follow, but you wouldn't necessarily recommend to others?

Never baggy pants. If the skirt/dress is long, my legs should still be somewhat visible. I feel I do this to balance my upper half. No heels (I love the way they look but I'll fall, I've sustained concussions...)

8. Do you have a unified way of approaching your life, work, relationships, finances, chores, etc.? Please explain.

I embrace chaos. Don't care about immaculacy/neatness or matching, so much. it's okay if my eye makeup is smudged, if the blues are different, if my socks don't match

9. Are there any clothing (or related) items that you have in multiple? Why do you think you keep buying this thing?

I buy every pair of lace up boots I can find. particularly the ankle kind. ~Leather~ jackets in various colors and fits. Skinny jeans. And and, denim button up shirts in different washes. I think I keep buying them because they're comfortable! and black leggings that are actually leggings--this is a point with me, they should be TOTALLY OPAQUE or they are not leggings, they're tights

11. Is there any fashion trend you’ve refused to participate in and why? 

I can't do crop tops. I just can't. I mean, I'm DD so it doesn't... work

12. Can you say a bit about how your mother’s body and style has been passed down to you, or not?

yes, mom, thanks for the breasts. she never wears makeup though and for ages I couldn't leave the house without it. neither of us have a lot of jewelry though.

13. Have you stolen, borrowed or adapted any dressing ideas or actual items from friends or family?

last year I went out and bought one of those knit hats after I saw my old roommate in one. it kept my head warm and my hair in place in the winter winds and I ended up loving it so much, I wore my hat way more than she ever wore hers

14. Was there a point in your life when your style changed dramatically? What happened?

when I finished undergrad, went back to Philly, started working, the size of my closet quadrupled. before that I just wore baggy jeans, striped shirts, converse, hoodies.

15. Is there anything political about the way you dress?

maybe. I wear whatever the fuck I want

16. Please describe your body.

long-legged though 5 ft six, chesty but not much in the trunk, round face that makes me look younger than I am, with randomly bony childlike wrists and small hands

17. Please describe your mind.

honed to a point, or I try

18. Please describe your emotions.

like cy twombly's fifty days at iliam? a nina simone song?

19. What are you wearing on your body and face, and how is your hair done, right at this moment?

tshirt and comfy sleep-in shorts, hair in messy bun on top of head

20. In what way is this stuff important, if at all?

expression. association. projection. declaration.

21. With whom do you talk about clothes?

friends, roommates, sister, coworkers

22. How do institutions affect the way you dress?

I try not to let them

23. Do you think you have taste or style? Which one is more important? What do these words mean to you?

taste is in the eye, style is how you as an individual show it off. I think I have taste but am often too lazy to have style?

24. Do you remember the biggest waste of money you ever made on an item of clothing?

DRUNK ONLINE SHOPPED THESE SHINY FLOWERY BOOTS WITH WEIRD HEELS. NEVER HAD THE BALLS TO WEAR THEM. PAWNED THEM OFF ON YOUNGER SISTER. I DON'T THINK I'VE SEEN HER WEAR THEM EITHER

25. Are there any dressing tricks you’ve invented or learned that make you feel like you’re getting away with something?

tucking in my shirt often makes a huge difference

26. Do you have style in any areas of your life aside from fashion?

I think I do have style in what I read and listen to

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?

I have these knit jogging pants that taper at the ankle, they're like the most comfortable pants ever made but not scrubby because of the tailoring or whatever, so I wore them to the doctors and felt like a champ

30. What sorts of things do you do, clothing or make-up or hair- wise, to feel sexy or alluring?

big tousled hair, underwear made of a slippery material

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?

for one, those two things go together. but what do they mean to me? well, I like to not be constantly tugging at or adjusting whatever it is that I'm wearing. to forget that it's on and instead talk or shop or dance or eat without feeling flabby or exposed

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?

Throw things together!!

33. What is really beautiful, for you, in general?

uniqueness, freedom

34. What do you consider very ugly?

cultural appropriation

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?

I'm a horrible judge but trying to be better. I try to make sure that what I'm buying will go with several things already in my closet--that helps

37. What is your process getting dressed in the morning? What are you considering?

one thing I'm not considering is the weather. I'm never dressed for the weather, I discover later in the day.

38. What are you trying to achieve when you dress?

singularity

40. If you had to wear a “uniform” what would it look like?

fuck no

41. What would you say is “you” and what would you say is “not you”?

me: not matching, denim. not me: matching, buttoned-up

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?

in high school I dressed simply, like a tomboy, because I had no sleep and was anxious and disliked the curves of my body

44. What sorts of things do you do, clothing, make-up or hair-wise, to feel professional?

I don't want to feel too professional. but once in a while I will don a blazer. to me that is enough

45. How do you conform to or rebel against the dress expectations at your workplace?

I work at a place where the dress code is fairly casual. one of the many things I love about publishing.

52. Do you consider yourself photogenic?

not at all

53. When you see yourself in photographs, what do you think?

at least I didn't smile

54. Are there any figures from culture, past or present, whose style you admire or have drawn from?

Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes, Sky Ferreira, St. Vincent

65. What is your favorite piece of clothing or jewelry that you own?

short slim sequined green dress I wore for the Christmas party one year, called "the mermaid dress"

71. What’s the first “investment” item you bought? Do you still own or wear it?

blue isabel marant jacket, on sale. still have it! though don't wear it as often

74. What are your closet and drawers like? Do you keep things neat, etc?

things are piled and thrown everywhere if we're being honest. sometimes I have shame and hang them up to get out the wrinkles

75. Were you ever given a present of clothing or jewelry that especially touched you?

my sister bought me these awesome brown boots for Christmas. I wear them all the time

What’s your birth date? 
Where were you born and where do you live now?

1988. Philadelphia.

What kind of work do you do?

publishing

Are you single, married, do you have kids, etc.?

single

How do you feel after filling out this survey?

jubilant

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