After a glorious month off classes and my casual job, I almost forgot what it was like to be forced back into my ‘workshop uniform’ with regularity. I was finding the joy in getting dressed again, and I was happy. But now I’m back at uni again and this year I have more contact days than last year so I have even less sartorial freedom than I had last year. Don’t expect many upcoming outfit posts.
Technically I can wear whatever I like to uni but the thought of dripping acid on your carefully chosen Rick Owens Lilies tank is pretty traumatic. I don’t actually have that many accidents in the workshop and I wear protective gear, but I have too strong an emotional attachment to my wardrobe to risk it this way. Despite this sentiment, I still hold a nonsensical resentment towards paying for clothes with the sole purpose for workshop use. It seems – when it comes to curating my wardrobe – I’ve trained myself a little too well.
Real talk: when I work from my home studio I dress abysmally because nobody sees me. I usually wear my “pyjamas” (leggings and oversize band t-shirts) and that’s okay because I’m not actually “dressed” (and subsequently not sacrificing my clothes). But I need to face the fact that I’m at uni four out of five days this year, and I’m running out of clean (workshop appropriate) clothes.
I’ve done the miles – visited cheap and cheerful retailers both in person and online. From ASOS to Topshop, Supré to Valley Girl, K-Mart to Target — even if I could justify parting with money in these stores for workshop-only gear, I don’t actually LIKE anything! Surprise surprise.
In the back of my subconscious there’s a gentle reminder that part of my struggle over the last few weeks has been influenced by the unseasonal heatwave we’ve had in Melbourne – having to dress for the workshop in the sweltering heat is a double whammy of difficulty for a fashion-goth like me. As the weather begins to cool down again I’ll get along better in my myriad of black denim and plain black tees. But while it’s still a little too warm for the denim I’m stuck in this self-inflicted conundrum.
On the opposite side of the fence – rather than asking why I can’t bring myself to spend a little on clothes I can only wear in the workshop, one might question why I am prepared to spend SO MUCH money on clothes I actually end up wearing for only a fraction of the year. It’s a deeply disconcerting question knowing that I intend to spend the rest of my life in a workshop – if not at an educational institution then one of my own.
Since I absolutely can’t bring myself to buy poorly made clothes made out of uncomfortable fabrics and won’t compromise my style to suit my predicament, I’ll continue to dedicate my spare time to the hunt for the perfect mix of dark style and every-day affordability. If you have any suggestions feel free to shoot them my way.