IN QUARANTINE APPRECIATING CLOTHES

My mother has always been very into personal style and clothing. She grew up without much money, but her father would buy key purchases that would last a while. Because of this, my mom has items from the 70s still in her closet. I left my apartment in NYC in March thinking I would be staying with my parents for 2-3 weeks, so I only packed a carry-on bag with a few sweatshirts and a tennis dress. Now, it's December, and this leads me to go into my mom’s closet and borrow anything I can find that will spark any sort of visual joy for me on Zoom. I’ve learned how my mother/maternal grandfather’s emphasis on quality clothing that commemorates certain moments, designers, etc. transcended buying major purchases like coats, dresses, formal wear into everyday things- like crewneck sweatshirts. 

I’ve specifically become re-obsessed with a printed crewneck from the 1970s that has been so worn by both my grandfather and my mom that the tag is illegible. There is a hole in the armpit that has been there since probably the early 2000s, as when I used to wear it as pajamas in elementary school, it was there. My dad said it reminds him of when my parents started dating because my mom would wear it so frequently in high school. Rummaging back through my mom’s archive as a junior in college during a Pandemic can essentially be summed up into recognizing everything I used to wear as a “sleep shirt” etc. when I was a child can actually be worn in my everyday life right now, and provide some added enjoyment and style to the otherwise monotonous quarantine habits. I attached a photo of the pattern of the specific sweatshirt I love the most and have worn the most since my newfound dependence on wearing a higher-craft equivalent of hand-me-downs. I’ve always loved the pattern and the comfort, but in junior high/early high school, a bold, kitschy pattern was not necessarily my objective. Now, I see on Depop and vintage sites (where I check daily for 1970s clothing, still) people my age who would probably pay a lot for the crewneck I just now allowed to crossover from sentimental relic into wardrobe staple. In a recent article I wrote about Women in Clothes, the individual vignettes included items women didn’t necessarily regard as the highest fashion garments, but made them both feel good and receive compliments— for instance receiving both “erotic and professional success” from wearing overalls, and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon emphasizing “anyone can look cool” wearing 1970s hand-me-downs she received from her mother, brother, and thrift stores that send a message, look cool, and last a lifetime.

by editor-in-chief Emily Blake