“What a strange power there is in clothing,” Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer once said. Wise words coming from a man who didn’t even work in fashion—and I am inclined to agree. I know many a day in my life has been bettered or worsened based on what I put on in the morning.Take, for instance, this dress I bought three or four years ago. The frock itself is very simple: floral print, spaghetti straps, a soft, trapeze fit that flatters most figures.
But despite the fact that it looks ordinary, this dress actually serves a special purpose. My mother, who is very observant, calls it my “bad day dress.” Why? Because I only wear it when I’m feeling depressed or irritable or sluggish—or, as many women often whine, just plain fat.
We’ve all had one of those days—we feel 50 percent out of a hundred, we’ve got a million things to do and no willpower to do them, and to top it all off, we have nothing to wear. It might sound silly, but that’s usually the last straw for me—when I can’t even go through the motions of the day in an outfit I approve of.
Then out comes the “bad day dress,” and even if it doesn’t solve any of my problems, it does give me some sense of consolation. Like fashion comfort food, it provides just the right amount of familiarity and solace, so that, eventually, I snap out of it and get to work.
It’s that strange power that Singer spoke of—a mysterious, illogical, yet tangible quality found only in fashion that enables us to put things in perspective, get dressed, and keep truckin’.
Perhaps, for you, it isn’t a dress, but a beloved pair of shoes. “I don’t know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot,” declared Marilyn Monroe. And how right she was—the way I see it, no other fashion item gives women the sex appeal and men the hots like a pair of sky-high steppers.
I’ve certainly had my share of stiletto-induced pick-me-ups. Most girls reach for sandals or sneakers when they’re feeling down, but I’ve always regarded high heels as feel-good garb. As William Rossi put it, “Not diamonds but heels are a girl’s best friend.” They make you look taller and more statuesque, elongate your legs and show off shapely calves, and even add pizzazz to the way you walk (given that you know how to walk in them).
Then, there’s the flirty factor. Just by adding a few inches to your footwear and standing seductively on your tippy-toes, you transform from blah Betty into va-va-voom Veronica. You achieve that little extra intangible oomph—and that, in my opinion, is what spells all the difference in your mood.
I’m not so naive as to believe that a cute dress or a pair of pumps will save the day—but in some small way, they do help. And if they don’t, you can count on the advice of people who know what they’re talking about—like the folks I’ve quoted in this column.
A quote won’t do you much good, either, until you understand its message and apply it accordingly. I suppose I love fashion quotes because I work in fashion, in the same way that Lady Gaga’s “little monsters” live by her lyrics. But these pithy remarks aren’t just fillers for your Facebook status messages—they actually give sound style advice that you can file away for future use, and that can get you out of a fashion pinch at any given moment.
Here are 15 of my favorite fashion quotes, in no particular order. Hopefully, you get as much good out of them as I have on my bad days!
(Photo from Ugly Betty courtesy of ABC)
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