Spring Break
Symmetry, color in the fashion world
Odd patterns and colors to be embraced or disowned
Erin Beauchemin
Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: Diversions
No body displays perfection in any dimension, but outwardly, we are at least symmetrical at a distance. Although we rarely realize it, we expect a person to look nearly the same on both sides.
Though some subversions of this natural pattern - such as the single earring - are common enough not to strike the eye too hard, any subversion is an example of treating fashion as something deeper than an outer shell with no regard for the makeup of the human underneath.
If a person's clothes created a look all by themselves, one would be neglecting the most dramatic device for fashion: the communication between the body and the clothes.
They may agree, they may argue, they may do some of both or they may introduce something new between each other. For the next few paragraphs, one of these interactions will be discussed.
First of all, and back to symmetry, dissonance is best subtle. It is not reasonable to expect a pair of pants with one short leg and one long one to catch on - or perhaps we are just not ready for it.
However, we have seen coats that button on one side or skirts cut diagonally, and they are striking in a different way than the alternative.
We see a person with eyes of two different colors as beautiful, but let us be honest: someone with a birthmark over half of their face often wants to be rid of it. In good and bad ways, that is where we are; it is unfortunately not yet human to discard our instinctive expectations, but they can be manipulated for the better.
Besides new shapes, there is color. No hair naturally grows purple, which produces the impact those who dye it that way often want to make. Our fingernails do not grow in bright pink or other bright colors - this completely accounts for the appeal of painted nails.
It is an uncommon thing for neons to appear in nature at all, which is why they are neons. Why we look outside of neutrals for the colors of our clothes and accessories is deeply rooted.
At the extremes of the spectrum, no matter how we look, we do not look like a black and white movie. Black clothes and black and white in combination are heavy with connotations.
For a wedding dress, why white and not pink or green? Though they may not be the brightest colors, black and white are two of the most meaningful to us.
In between, gray is under-used in formal settings, but this can be advantageous to one who wishes to stand out but would rather not wear anything too bright.
Finally, one way to add something different to what we already have is commonplace. We are not patterned. Freckles don't count. We place stripes and flowers against us and construct delightfully inhuman shapes with interacting colors.
It is all familiar. Why am I advising you? You already know how.
Erin Beauchemin
diversions@dailybarometer.com
Though some subversions of this natural pattern - such as the single earring - are common enough not to strike the eye too hard, any subversion is an example of treating fashion as something deeper than an outer shell with no regard for the makeup of the human underneath.
If a person's clothes created a look all by themselves, one would be neglecting the most dramatic device for fashion: the communication between the body and the clothes.
They may agree, they may argue, they may do some of both or they may introduce something new between each other. For the next few paragraphs, one of these interactions will be discussed.
First of all, and back to symmetry, dissonance is best subtle. It is not reasonable to expect a pair of pants with one short leg and one long one to catch on - or perhaps we are just not ready for it.
However, we have seen coats that button on one side or skirts cut diagonally, and they are striking in a different way than the alternative.
We see a person with eyes of two different colors as beautiful, but let us be honest: someone with a birthmark over half of their face often wants to be rid of it. In good and bad ways, that is where we are; it is unfortunately not yet human to discard our instinctive expectations, but they can be manipulated for the better.
Besides new shapes, there is color. No hair naturally grows purple, which produces the impact those who dye it that way often want to make. Our fingernails do not grow in bright pink or other bright colors - this completely accounts for the appeal of painted nails.
It is an uncommon thing for neons to appear in nature at all, which is why they are neons. Why we look outside of neutrals for the colors of our clothes and accessories is deeply rooted.
At the extremes of the spectrum, no matter how we look, we do not look like a black and white movie. Black clothes and black and white in combination are heavy with connotations.
For a wedding dress, why white and not pink or green? Though they may not be the brightest colors, black and white are two of the most meaningful to us.
In between, gray is under-used in formal settings, but this can be advantageous to one who wishes to stand out but would rather not wear anything too bright.
Finally, one way to add something different to what we already have is commonplace. We are not patterned. Freckles don't count. We place stripes and flowers against us and construct delightfully inhuman shapes with interacting colors.
It is all familiar. Why am I advising you? You already know how.
Erin Beauchemin
diversions@dailybarometer.com
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.