Definition of sartorial in English:
Relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress: sartorial elegance
We have worn clothes for tens of
thousands of years. Outside of a few very benign climates humans must wear some
clothes for basic practical purposes such as keeping ourselves warm or cool. It
seems unlikely though that wearing clothes was ever merely a practical endeavour.
For example, in various traditional societies at tropical latitudes where
people wear little or no clothing due to the climate they still adorn
themselves with paint and ornaments laden with meaning. There are a vast range
of cultural ideas about dress with a variety of fashions and norms between
cultures and within societies with clothes ascribed on lines of gender,
ethnicity, religion, social standing and a whole range of other factors.
I find what people say with what they
wear or don’t wear and how it can be used to inform or subvert social norms
fascinating; a great deal can be inferred about the ideals and social roles of
groups within a society from their attire. The oscillation of social norms in a
society are reflected in the clothes that people wear from men in Britain
wearing striking heels, wigs and powder in the 18th century to tops and tails
in the 19th and busty free dresses for ladies to 15 petticoats and bonnets.
These differences reflected changes in the social zeitgeist from the relatively
laissez-faire 18th century giving way to the prudish and conservative Victorian
era. I am of course providing a generalised example here which erases the vital
issue of class. The majority of the population wore much more practical clothes
than this example and slaved away making some of the more impractical ones for
the people at the top of the social pecking order.
People at the bottom of the heap in a
hierarchical society are understandably often rather displeased with the
unfairness of their situation and come up with a range of ways to subvert,
contest and reform or overthrow the current social order. Part of this
rebellion can be through the wearing of clothes deemed unsuitable for a
specific group of people. For women to wear trousers in 19th Century Britain
and America, for example, was scandalous but the
bravery of those first to do so was part of the battle for equality for women
that continuous to this day.
I find the potential for personal and
group self expression through personal aesthetics something powerful and
hopeful. Individual and collective emancipation can partly be achieved by
developing one’s own particular sense of self through self
expression, part of which is what you wear. With this in mind
I am attempting to develop my own take on ‘sartorial elegance’.
There are a number of factors to be
considered in such an endeavour: Different styles of clothing fit people with
different body types and that adds to the individuality and autonomy that
developing a personal aesthetic can provide. What cultural influences and
styles someone wishes to draw on is also obviously a matter of individual
taste, though preferably avoiding appropriating the clothing of other groups of
people in colonial fashion, no kimonos or feather head dresses please!
There are also some general principles
of good design which might be helpful in deciding what works with what. The
design rules below that I find a useful guide are oddly enough originally from
a talk about the design of flags. They can be applied to design in
general though and I’ve found them rather useful in selecting attire:
- Keep it simple – think of something that could be drawn
from memory
- Use
meaningful symbolism – be discerning in what influences you draw
on
- Use 2 to 3 basic colours - from the standard colour set;
red, white, blue, green, yellow and black
- No lettering or seals – generally avoid writing on garments, especially writing you can't
see unless it forms a pattern
- Be distinctive – be unique or relate what you wear to
distinctive themes in fashion
My sartorial preferences:
There are a number of themes which
inform my aesthetic preferences. Some are personal and arbitrary, some more
ideological. For example, I am both a feminist and take very much a socially
liberal, laissez faire approach to how other people want to go about their
business, (within fairly obvious moral parameters). I object to the fashion industry’s objectification of women’s bodies to
sell items by drawing on people’s insecurities but if a lady wants to wear
stilettos and fishnets to express her sense of femininity all strength to her!
I’m not one to impose my sensibilities
on others beyond putting my views into the arena of public discourse with a
pen. Aside from some types of dress that make me feel uneasy due to my own
sensibilities such as military style clothes. I have preferences which are very
much a matter of individual taste but which I think have a lot going for them.
Design:
- I very much like clothes which are practical,
where functionality and elegance can be weaved together. There are obvious
reasonable exceptions to such whims such as wedding garb, evening wear
etc. but as a general guideline I think it holds well.
- As someone with an environmental background,
considerations such as sustainability of production (using natural
materials where possible), durability of items and whether they are
repairable all factor in to what I choose wear. Ethical production of
items is also a consideration, something which some larger chains and boutique-type
shops have a half decent record for.
- Elegant, practical and repairable clothes work
best with simple design such as using buttons over zips, clean flowing
lines rather than pleats and frills (if one is being a little 18th
century), or in the case of shoes something practical and well rounded wear or some
converse if feeling informal, rather than something a little more unusual.
- I apply the same principles to colour and form
- outfits can look a bit ‘busy’ if you’ve too many patterns or colours.
The same can be said for jewellery, hair etc.
Style:
- This is of course very much a case of
individual taste; the main themes I draw on are Steampunk and Art Deco
styles.
- I think the Steampunk aesthetic is marvellous;
I love the beauty of 19th century steam technology and the Victorian
anarchic aesthetic. It’s kind of a cross between middle class Victorians
and pirates! Elegant but not stuffy.
- I also love art deco imagery and patterns with
its simple, sharp, clean lines, simplified imagery from nature and
repeated patterns and shapes with all kinds of bold, contrasting colours.
- I’m not a fan of Victorain social norms or the
excesses of their prudish clothing but frock coats, waistcoasts, boots and
flowing shirts are just wonderful! Throw in some the colours and patterns
of the art deco era and I’m very happy.
- Full blown Steampunk or Art Deco style garb
would be regarded as fancy dress in many social circles but I’m treating
it as a personal project to tie in some of their themes into my day to day
dress. It fits my ideals of reusability, simplicity and elegance and has a
great deal of character - clear, bright patterns on elegant, novel
clothes.
A frivolous distraction?
This may all seem very trite and
superfluous compared to some of the world’s more pressing problems. On the
scale of the individual though I don’t think this is necessarily the case, it
needn’t be a matter of conflicting priorities. The chance to express yourself
as you see fit through what you wear can be a powerful act. The clothes we tend
to wear reflect the society of our time so I say wear the future you want to
see. Fashion or modes of dress can be revolutionary, repressive, dull,
exciting, exquisitely beautiful or dreadfully mundane. Make yours exactly what
you want it to be and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
Image credited to:
http://steamfashion.livejournal.com/1163716.html
