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Bridget Nielsen

1. When do you feel at your most attractive?

when I have bouncy clean hair, shaved legs or a fresh brazilian

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

Admire: Women who are completely comfortable. Nothing about her is forced. She is completely comfortable in herself.
Whether she is the quietly polished business woman or lady in head-to-toe animal print.

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

those little quirky details that she may not notice are in her tastes. some people unfortunately manage to squash these out and become bland and trend-washed. I like to see people's unconscious personality push through their conscious selections.
OR
when a person is simply obsessed with something no one else is and they wear it loud.

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?

click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click

days without uniforms I layered as many outrageous pieces as possible.

pants were never long enough so I wore dresses & skirts

but too-short pants could be tucked into frye boots

but then really I don't care if my pants are too short

don't waste time on items that don’t fit right

you can be smarter than trends without boycotting them

I like tee shirts better than blouses

who cares if I wear something over and over all week (of course I do not mean quickly-soiled items like underwear).

WHO CARES!?! was probably my biggest click

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

Never buy polyester: it makes you sweat and feels icky.

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

Never wear polyester: it makes you sweat and feels icky.

7. What is the most transformative conversation you have ever had on the subject of fashion or style?

When it comes to clothes I'd rather look and touch than listen.

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

"follow the YES" —my dear friend
whatever resonates.

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

jackets.
maybe because I live in a city of rain and fast changing weather.

black pencil skirts.
maybe because they are so great

10. Have you ever successfully given someone a present of jewelry or clothing that you continue to feel good about?

no

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

ombre and red lipstick.

I don't want to add my mirror as another place I see them. I'm sick of both.

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

I hunt for helmut lang. Mom shops at Costco.

I love you mom

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

A co-worker. We worked in a used clothing store together. I loved her palette of light-colored neutrals and her elegant casual tee shirts.

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

Its a constant ebb and flow from one end to the other end of my own style. A subtle fluctuation around the same core tastes.

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

not consciously...

16. Please describe your body.

6 ft.
curvy but slender at the same time.
no muscle tone these days.
small hands. small feet.
pale.

I regularly tell my body "thank you and I love you" because my body endures my bad habits.

17. Please describe your mind.

Mind describe yourself:

hmm..

my mind is trying hard to be honest & amusing
but continues to reject all answers.

.....

We can't really describe our minds. we are not objective. our egos get in the way.

maybe if we were meditations maestros..

18. Please describe your emotions.

mostly bright yellow.
sometimes pale blue.
sometimes dark blue.
sometimes red.

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

slippers
black jeans
a thick-cotton-some-sort-of-nude-slash-lavender-colored-long-sleeved-high-neckline-favorite shirt
my boyfriend's beige ribbed-knit sweater. thanks babe

wavy hair freshly washed (insert thumbs up emoji)
eyeliner & mascara

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

clothes? well you have to wear something.

or do you...

21. With whom do you talk about clothes?

I like talking to erkia

22. How do institutions affect the way you dress?

we are products of our environments

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

taste is input.
style is output.

taste is how you observe and select.
style is how you combine and create.

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

probably blocked it from my memory for a reason

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

black. black makes anything look nicer, dressier, better-fitting, higher quality.
black allows you to get away with a lot.

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

I don't like the word "style". maybe it has just been over used like the word "gourmet"

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?

yes. what we surround ourselves with affects us, including our clothes, so choose wisely.

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've always been quick to know my own tastes.

Working in a used clothing boutique for years (awful job) and sifting through thousands and thousands of clothes to select what to buy for the shop has given me the skill of very fast discernment when it comes to clothing.

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?

practicality. layers.

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

some eyeliner and mascara. long loose hair

I dress to focus on my silhouette or my legs.
I don't like cleavage. In real life it looks cheap even if you have really nice cleavage.

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?

do what you want.
you will never know what others are thinking so stop catering to their supposed thoughts you, yourself, conjured up.
let go of restricting thoughts and you will always feel comfortable and 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?

just do it.

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

my mother and lately the color blue

34. What do you consider very ugly?

manipulative people.

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?

yes. If I have the joyful urge to use or put on the item right away.

36. When you look at yourself before going out, and you are trying to see yourself from the outside, can you describe a bit about what this “other person” is like? What do they like, dislike, what sorts of judgments do they have? Is this “outer eye” based on someone you know or once knew?

I feel different from how I look. they are two different entities: your inner self and outer self.

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

I start with one item. (dress, tee, jacket, etc.)
dictated by my mood, the occasion or the weather.

then I extend from that.

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

comfort. sophistication. simplicity.
these days I'd rather blend in than stand out

39. What, for you, is the difference between dressing and dressing up?

dressing up implies dressing better than your usual

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

straight black denim/skirt, tee, funky-print/colored structured jacket

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

boots/sneakers, not heels
blazers, not cardigans
striking simplicity, not cluttered noise

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?

I grew up wearing uniforms and I'm tall.

when I was able to wear something other than a uniform I went over board: tons of bracelets, big earrings, unusual layers, bright colors, crazy hair.
Since I was tall I got stared at a lot. I think I also dressed loud and crazy because it was a "what are you looking at" response. "yeah I'm unusual. what of it?". My height made me feel out of place. instead of fighting it I exaggerated it.

Now I dress very differently from my 13-year-old self. much more subdued with only light touches of funky edge.

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

straight lines.

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

I work at a high-end restaurant. pressed black shirts are the standard. In a restaurant like this, uniformity is the name of the game not self expression. I cover my tattoos and mostly everything that shows my personality. Good service is subtle and unobtrusive. This includes your actions, word choice and appearance.

48. Do you find it comforting or constraining to have a uniform?

both

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?

I tend to wear mens clothes or women's clothing with masculine cuts. mens clothing looks best on a mans body. that is how they are tailored. I have in the past wished for a straighter more masculine body.

51. If there was one country or culture or era that you had to live in, fashion-wise, what would it be?

Now. because of globalization we have access to more.

52. Do you consider yourself photogenic?

sure

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

who is that? or wow I look prettier than I thought

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

Maggie Cheung in In the Mood for Love

Kristen Scott Thomas in I've Loved You So Long and most of her roles

Parker Posey in Party Girl and Broken English (also Drea de Matteo in that)

Tilda Swinton always but specifically in I am Love

and hundreds of other men and women, nameless or known

55. Have you ever had a dream that involved clothes?

If clothing is a central part of a dream its because I have none on. but not since I was a kid.

56. What would be a difficult or uncomfortable look for you to try and achieve?

slutty. I don't like the attention that comes with revealing lots of skin.

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?

I am a woman not only totally comfortable with her body but likes it. what? thats crazy! a woman that isn't self-hating!?

58. Is there anyone that you are trying to attract or repel when you dress?

well as mentioned before I don't show a lot of skin because I don't like the attention that causes.

59. Are there any dressing rules you’d want to convey to other women?

stop thinking about rules because everyone has different ones.

60. What do you think of perfume? Do you wear it?

it seems unnecessary to me

61. What are some things you need to do to your body or clothes in order to feel presentable?

clean them.
and Not wear lounge clothing in public.

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?

heels. they are uncomfortable and restrictive. plus I'm already 6ft

64. Can you describe in a basic way what you own, clothing and jewelry-wise?

classic basics with unexpected twists.

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

luckily I have lots of favorites.

66. Tell us about something in your closet that you keep but never wear. What is it, why don’t you wear it, and why do you keep it?

A beautiful red-brown leather Chloe bag

its heavy & big (even for me a big bag person)
but I keep it because it is beautiful.

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?

high quality tee shirts and well tailor jackets

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?

I've sold many amazing pieces back to thrift stores and consignment shops. If I have a twinge of regret or attachment I think of how excited my younger self would be to find them.

69. If you had to throw out all your clothes but keep one thing, what would you keep?

that's hard.
might as well just toss it all

70. Building up your wardrobe from nothing, what would you do differently this time?

I'd do it the same

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

When I was 12 or 13 I bought a nice trench coat and used it into my 20s before replacing it.

72. Was there ever an important or paradigm-shifting purchase in your life?

yes ;)

73. What item of clothing are you still (or have you forever been) on the hunt for?

perfect jeans. i've come pretty close though

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

colorized & mostly neat

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?

yes, all the time.

77. How and when do you shop for clothes?

I have a few favorite consignment shops I frequent a least once a month. sometimes I buy nothing and sometimes I hit the jackpot. The trick with thrift shops is to go regularly (thats how you get the best stuff) and be able to leave without buying anything. exposure and restraint.

78. Do you like to smell a certain way?

clean

79. How does how you dress play into your ambitions for yourself?

I'm not sure. probably lots of subconscious messages

80. How does money fit into all this?

what do you value? and what are you willing to pay for?

81. Is there an article of clothing, a piece of make-up, or an accessory that you carry with you or wear every day?

I have five small silver hoops, one with a little silver monkey-like face charm.

82. Did anyone ever say anything to you that made you see yourself differently, on a physical and especially sartorial level?

its always intriguing/puzzling/amusing to hear views from the outside.

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

one of the anti-fashion capitals: Seattle

What kind of work do you do?

bartend/server

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

partnered

How do you feel after filling out this survey?

a little drained

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