When we dress
Who are we?
Thoughts articulated in
Shape
Cotton
Silk…
Who am we?
Our words can speak,
Our thoughts intend,
But our clothes they ripple, they cover, they bend
To our gestures,
Mimic
And Shelter
And reflect ourselves back to us
Becoming one with us.
And when we feel small within our shell
And our words won’t come, our thoughts lie hidden,
Our clothes are still there.
Thinking
Speaking.
I wrote this when thinking about the role clothes play as an armour, a shield to the outside world, not just physically but symbolically too. They shelter us from the elements but they also act as a first point of communication, they speak without you having to open your mouth, and often convey something we want to show, such as our mood, or our perceived status.
I've always been a strong believer in letting your actions and physical gestures speak, more than your clothes. What's important is the character within, not the superficial image. But I realised in a moment of emotional sensitivity, where I didn't want to rely on my ability to talk, be dynamic, respond, that I could use my clothes in this way, to express who I was and what I believed in whilst temporarily resting behind the facade of my garments.
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