My parents read me so I have to paint the backstory for the title of this blog. I’ve been sharing pictures of my ensembles built around my love of Chanel and other designer goods and we’ve been calling it the Outfit Du Jour (ODJ) thread at the purse forum site and then I’ve cataloged the photos here in the ODJ link. The whole thread, which started out as a lark over a year ago, has morphed into a really fun place where we exchange ideas and help each other score some great finds. There’s nothing more exhilarating than nabbing the very item that has eluded you for so long at some super price. Perhaps it’s the chase that’s more exciting than the conquest, but at the end of the day, there’s not much that’s more fun than sharing the loot with other fashion enthusiasts. I’ve always said that it takes a village to help me build my collection, and out of the experience I have also made wonderful friends with fellow enablers…I mean fashionistas.

 

This blog, more or less, is becoming an eye witness to my life on the road. My innate restlessness got me here, and it’s just easier to show rather than tell people where I’ve been. To tell them that I’m safe. But beyond that, I want to also use photography to show how and perhaps why fashion plays such a big part in our lives. Not because it’s some substantive issue (though try explaining that to the multi-billion dollar fashion industry) but because it’s so frivolous yet dominant. What makes fashion so relevant throughout the history of man? I don’t know the answer to that but for today, the great thing is that fashion can be anything–it’s not some exclusive club for the rich and famous. Fashion defines itself through you. It finds context in all social classes, eras, economies, and cultures. I know this because it resonates with people that I can pair a cheap t-shirt with a Chanel bag and still look appropriate.

 

But back to the ODJ…it’s not easy to get action fashion shots when I’m on the road because I am embarrassed to have to explain to any victim I can find to take a picture of me why he/she has to take a bunch of pictures featuring my outfit and especially my purse at different angles, while also capturing the gorgeous landscape behind me. They’re always expecting me to mug for the camera so then I have to ask them to just snap the picture as I’m walking away.  It’s about the outfit and accessories, not about me! By the time I’m done explaining this, I definitely feel more than foolish.

 

So what’s the deal with the purse? At the purse forum we are a bit bag-crazed. Not only do we usually already own the bags, we just like to see it on other people…in different lighting, at various occasions…in action. I can’t explain it to people who don’t have a purse addiction. Let’s just say it’s as gripping as golf, video games, or suspense novels.

 

Yes, it feels terribly self-indulgent most of the time with the ODJ, but often the pictures help me edit the way I dress. I actually spend very little time in front of the mirror, so it’s a way for me to “objectively” criticize my own interpretation of fashion when I see these photos of myself. It’s like looking at someone else wearing things that I own.

 

Anyway, when in Namur, Belgium, I’m visiting very dear friends who forgive me for my craziness and indulge me in the photos you see today. They know that the ethnologist in me likes to document human behavior. What better way to understand behavior than to follow how fashion comes…

 

and goes…