Clothing—it’s everywhere.
As obvious as this is, this sentiment can get lost. Every day, everywhere we go, people are wearing pieces that they have very intentionally chosen, whether it’s because they want to express their personality, are showing off a new purchase or simply threw on a pair of sweats, forgoing fashion for comfort.
Everything we wear means something; we choose to stack our favorite colors close to our hearts and bear textures that scratch a different itch for each unique person to pick them out.
What saddens me, then, is when these beautiful choices are taken away from us or deemed unimportant. Everywhere I look, I’m met with the same black puffer jacket and branded pair of sweatpants. And while simplicity can mean elegance and poise, there are moments where complexity is necessary.
Of the greatest fashion icons of our age, each of them have understood the intricate ways that pieces of clothing can work together to create something great. From the beloved Iris Apfel, stacking jewelry sky-high, to a more modern star, Wisdom Kaye, it’s clear that to know fashion, you have to know how to layer.
Over time (and through the devastating disappearances of coatrooms across America), this element of style has given way to single-piece ensembles, encouraging repetition and monotony in fashion everywhere.
And as fast fashion reigns supreme and social media hand-feeds us an algorithm meant to numb ourselves and our creativity, it’s no wonder that our ability to properly layer, truly having fun with clothing, is fading. Even in popular clothing stores, tops with stitched-in underlayers are forcing themselves into people’s closets, taking the opportunity to experiment and create away from the public with increasing speed.
So what can you do to change this? First, ditch the fashion influencers. While celebrating the artistry of figures like Kaye and Apfel is a wonderful thing, constantly taking in information without having any creative outlet for yourself is only dulling your imagination. Take inspiration from the world around you, try new things and don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself.
Next, load up on basics, and not from Target or Brandi Melville, either. Take yourself thrifting. Make yourself work for it. Walk through aisle after aisle until you find that perfect piece, building different outfits in your head or jotting down notes as you go.
Lastly, explore. Spend time with yourself, figuring out who you are and what you want your clothing to convey. While it certainly can, layering doesn’t have to mean maximalism—take some comfortable neutrals and mix things together, piecing together long and short tops to create dimension, or maybe throwing an open-in-the-front shirt over a simple long-sleeve.
Fashion is sophisticated and strange and beautiful and confusing and a whole lot of goddamn fun. Layering only makes all of this better. Take a chance, be vulnerable and put on an outfit where the soul can shine through.
